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Hip Hop History: Top Ten Soulquarian Tracks

Words by Lily D’Amato

Neo-Soul’s popularity rose to its peak in the mid 1990s, coinciding with the genesis of the Soulquarians. The Soulquarians were a hip hop/soul collective centered around neosoul “it boy” D’Angelo, songwriter and producer James Poyser, The Root’s ?uestlove, and Slum Village’s producer J Dilla.  Initially interacting at informal jam sessions and parties at the Black Lily nightclub in Philadelphia, D’Angelo and ?uestlove decided to relocate to Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village to begin work on D’Angelo’s second studio album, Voodoo.  Erykah Badu, the rest of The Roots, Common, and a plethora of other neo-soul artists would soon follow the duo, each working on projects of their own.  The collaboration led to the creation of some of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 90s, including Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun and The Roots’ Things Fall Apart.  Although the Soulquarian Era had mostly dissipated by the early 2000s, its impacts have reverberated to contemporary hip-hop and R&B, influencing artists like Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, and The Internet.

Send it On - D’Angelo

Send it On’s tight harmonies, deeply personal lyrics about faith in love, and unforgettable groove make it one of D’Angelo’s best tracks. Co-written by D’Angelo’s ex-girlfriend Angie Stone and his brother Luther Archer, the song peaked at number 33 on Billboard’s Top 100.  One Billboard Magazine reviewer highlighted the development of D’Angelo’s distinct vocal style “which bears an undeniable resemblance to Prince, Al Green, and Otis Redding.” Roy Hargrove’s flugelhorn bolsters the velvet-like smoothness of the song and offers new texture to the song’s heavy bass section.  Complex and absorbing, listening to Send it On is like being inundated with harmony from every direction.  

Erykah Badu - Bag Lady

Bag Lady, Badu’s first single since her 1997 album Baduizm, uses a seemingly ordinary story to explore themes of “self-love, self-discovery, unrequited love, gender conflict and communication, emotional and psychological bruising, failure, redemption, and personal fulfillment for black women.”  The sparse percussion section and sleek guitar sample from Dr. Dre’s ”Xxplosive” interact with Badu’s creamy vocals to emphasize the subject matter, alternating between moments of empowerment and moments of tragic, intimate honesty. The video that accompanies the song alludes to Ntozake Shange’s 1975 drama For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, criticizing the racialized inadequacies of public education in America.

The Roots - Double Trouble

The creation of Things Fall Apart, The Root’s 1999 studio album, began when ?uestlove played Premier, Dilla, and D’Angelo “Double Trouble” and was underwhelmed by their reactions.  Tenacious in his quest for their respect, he went ahead and made “Double Trouble” one of the best tracks The Roots have ever created. He re-recorded the drum loop and fiddled with the EQ to give it an air of separation, providing rapper’s Black Thought and Mos Def with what Pitchfork’s Michael Moore describes as a “hard charging instrumental to match [their] verbal dexterity.”

Common - Song for Assata

Produced by James Poyser, Song for Assata narrates the life of Black Panther Assata Shakur. Assata Shakur, who was convicted of the murder of a New Jersey State Trooper in the early 70s, escaped prison in 1979, living in Cuba under political asylum since 1984. The song features CeeLo Green, who was, at the time, a member of the Atlanta hip hop group Goodie Mob.  His beautiful, melodic chorus comes in stark contrast to Common’s violent bars, which describe Assata’s story in an effort to “make this movement towards freedom/For all those who have been oppressed/and all those in the struggle.”  The social activism that characterizes Song for Assata makes it one of the most significant Soulquarian tracks, showcasing the group’s political and cultural ideology and their desire to bring about systemic change.

The Roots - Step into the Realm

Things Fall Apart is widely accepted to be The Root’s most fully realized record to date. The oscillating drum loop on Step into the Realm, the fourth track off the album, makes the bars “even more urgent... [and introduces an atmosphere] of chaos” says Pitchfork writer Marcus Moore.  The juxtaposition between the clarity of the drums and the distorted vocals creates drama that makes the song exciting, mildly terrifying, and addictive. This track leads The Root’s into a new psychedelic sound, rerouting them momentarily away from jazz towards the current of 90s hip-hop.

Slum Village - What it’s All About

Slum Village’s Fantastic Vol. 2 was finished under A&M Records in 1998, just before the label went bankrupt, leaving the group in a lerch for over a year.  Finally, the album was released with Good Vibe Recordings and Barak Records in early 2000 and was well received by critics and listeners alike.  Sampling Alicia Meyer’s Don’t Stop What You’re Doin’, What’s It All About, produced solely by J Dilla, features Busta Rhymes at his finest.  Self assured and playful, his bars rest perfectly between the serene siren like vocal sample and distorted adlibs, allowing for Dilla’s beat, arguably the real star of the show, to shine through.

D’Angelo - Chicken Grease

Originally slated for Common’s Like Water For Chocolate, Chicken Grease embodies the relaxation and ease which its lyrics promote.  Supposedly named after a term coined by Prince in reference to strumming chords in a specific 16th note pattern, the song serves as Voodoo’s integrative centerpiece. Pino Palladino’s bass and harmony epitomize the quintessential “in the pocket” rhythm section that has become the defining characteristic of Neo-Soul, delicately cradling D’Angelo’s subtle overdubbed vocals.  Funky and spiritualized, Chicken Grease’s analog rhythm and seemingly simple yet wildly brilliant theme exemplifies the best aspects of the Soulquarian era.

Erykah Badu - Green Eyes

Green Eyes, an agonizing ten minute three part meditation on Badu’s breakup with OutKast’s Andre 3000 in 2000, broadcasts her vulnerability, shedding the overconfident facade she broadcasted on Baduizm.  In the first section of the song, Badu almost protects her usual smug attitude, but ultimately reveals her disillusionment in the second movement, while supported by feathery symbols and a quiet but driving percussion section.  The third part, which uses horns to accentuate a more propulsive rhythm, sees Badu slightly more empowered but relatably confused. Green Eyes’ transparency humanizes Badu’s self-righteous persona, combining her musical virtuosity with an captivating sense of self.

Common - The 6th Sense

The 6th Sense, released in 2000, opens with the lyrics “the revolution will not be televised”, referencing the Gil-Scott Heron song of the same name and advancing Like Water For Chocolate’s clear political and social agenda.  The first single off the album, the song is often heralded as one of Common’s classics; Pitchfork writer Taylor Clark agrees, noting that “Common gets iller than Syphilis over an addictive track provided by Gang Starr’s DJ Premier.” The song also features Common’s fellow Soulquarian Bilal on the chorus, using his lofty vocals to underscore the weight of his messages concerning afrocentricity and the harsh reality of life on the street.

Mos Def - Know That

Black on Both Sides, released in October of 1999 by rapper Mos Def, deals with the socio economic issues facing African Americans, offering a positive yet sobering take on urban reality and notably departing from the increasingly violent undertones of contemporary gangsta rap.  Featuring Talib Kweli and sampling their joint album Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, Know That articulates a tangible confidence through Mos Def’s decisive rhymes and lyrical complexity.  In one line, he raps “The streets is watchin me, I watch back, that's the policy”, indicating a sense of mutual respect and reverence placed on the shoulders’ of black rappers and musicians, specifically those with as much cultural prowess as the Soulquarians, by their home communities. The ostinato on the keys, ever present record scratching, and call and response between Def and Kweli towards the end, makes Know That groovable, insightful, and infectious.

Some Sunpath drawings from the past couple months