On the first episode of The FADER Uncovered, host Mark Ronson speaks with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, drummer of The Legendary Roots Crew. Quest takes Mark back to 2002, when The Roots appeared on the cover of The FADER just before the release of their fifth album, Phrenology. They discuss the incredible creative energy in Philadelphia around the turn of the millennium and the absurd concentration of talent around Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village; the difficulties The Roots faced when trying to level up after 1999’s Things Fall Apart; and how Jay-Z quoting The Simpsons on a phone call with Quest led to The Roots collaborating with Hov on MTV Unplugged, thawing out the cold war between underground and mainstream hip-hop.

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