Illadelph Halflife
Philly never gets its props, but the City of Brotherly Love has pioneered its fair share of hip-hop innovations. Schooly D was the first gangsta rapper; DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince perfected rap comedy, and the Roots became the first rap act to put together an impressive live show without samples and sequencers. On their third album, "illadelph halflife," {cq} the Roots capture in the studio the same chemistry between rhymes and live instruments that they've generated on stage. The album does include samples, but they're samples of the band's own exploratory jam sessions in Philadelphia's legendary Sigma Sound Studios.--Geoffrey Himes