Like a roving band of divinely inspired nomads, the Roots have traversed the nooks and crannies of the world, preaching the Illadelphine Microphone Gospel to the unconverted and faithful alike. On their third LP (even when on CD), Things Fall Apart, the finest thing from the town known for Will Smith, Three Times Dope and Larry Larr manifests yet another album filled with musical gems that cannot be denied.

Let us emphasize the term "musical" -- above anything else the Roots are musicians, with a full band, near classical composition methods, and a knowledge of almost every genre of music that could qualify their leaders (the charismatic "ill lieutenant" Black Thought on lead vocals, the returning and mysterious Malik B backing up, always-hooded Len Hubbard on bass and ?uestlove on every form of percussion known to man) for a shot on Jeopardy. Each composition holds not only head nodding, hand clapping beats matched with thoughtful, well constructed lyrics, but as well you can hear hints of classical music in string arrangements, sense the undercurrents of Charlie Parker or Ramsey Lewis in rhythm sections. Keep peeling, there's always more stuff underneath.

Immediate standouts include "The Next Movement," a disarming song featuring seemingly harmless female vocals over driving organs and drums, as Black Thought informs us that he has "the hot music, yo, the hot mu-sic!" Then "Illadelph Dynamite" will swing you like Dizzy Gillespie over bouncy strings. "Act Too (The Love of My Life)," brings Chicago's own Common (their new labelmate) is a love song to the wife they share, hip hop music. Oh, and you may have heard this one song, with some singer named Erykah Badu, called "You Got Me," once or twice, with its jungle beat sneaking in at the end and smooth construction together than spandex on a newborn baby girl all over.

Some moments seem less spectacular -- "Step Into The Realm" is merely good, as is "Don't See Us" or "100% Dundee." However, on anyone else's albums, these would be smash hits -- the Roots run into the problem of outshining themselves, which is a definite plus for the fans. Likewise, this isn't car music, it's headphone music, definitely fitting a more niched and possibly coastal audience based on the intricacy and intelligence which defies casual listening. Gangsta hip hop fans will yawn loudly, the dance floor kids will scratch their heads, and the musicians they all love will have this in their own home CD players. To paraphrase Ras Kass, your favorite rapper is a Roots fan.

Overall, if you don't have this CD in your hip hop collection, only two conclusions can be drawn about you -- you want it and haven't had time/money to get it, or you ain't really hip hop.