Metropolis and The Legendary Roots Crew
Discover the origin story that led to an ongoing collaboration between The Roots and Metropolis, and their new studio album, Undun.
HipHopDX: Undun Review
The remainder of undun speaks through the instrumentals, where innocent pianos and violins turn into reckless percussions that fade into searing strings suggesting Redford has died.
New York Times: The Roots: 2 Albums, One Quest
The album has an instrumental coda… an elegiac string quartet and a last dissonant piano chord, an unpeaceful final rest.
The Guardian: Undun Review
Undun is also a mirror held up to present-day America, where ambitions are more likely to die than prosper. It's a downer, but timely and affecting, with moments of beauty.
Chicago Tribune: Undun Review
A gorgeous neo-classical suite closes the album… If an album can be both chilling and beautiful at once, "Undun" is it.
Time: The Roots Have Made A Concept Album. And It’s Good!
“All told, the story undun tells is sometimes chilling, often thrilling, and always illuminating.”
Rolling Stone: "Undun" Review
“The Roots’ 13th release is a concept album with a bravura twist: It narrates the story of a bootstrapping hustler in reverse, from death to birth.“
Pitchfork: "Undun" Review
“The Roots' 13th album, which includes a brief, four-part orchestral suite that builds off a Sufjan Stevens piece, is definitely their most downbeat.“
Late Night: Metropolis + The Roots "Undun"
December 6, 2011 at Rockefeller Center
The Roots perform “The Other Side,” and “Tip The Scale” with Metropolis, D.D. Jackson, and Bilal on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Questlove and The Roots: Undun
December 2, 2011 on Island Def Jam Music Group
The GRAMMY-nominated album features guest contributors, including vocalist Bilal and rappers Big K.R.I.T., Dice Raw, Phonte, and Metropolis Ensemble.
NPR: First Listen: Undun
Finally, credits roll over a sublime string quartet, mercifully for Black Thought's black thoughts — at least for a moment, before ?uestlove's meticulously arranged strings are silenced by the chilling, deathly growl of a struck piano.
Rendering a New Season Together
Recapping the world premiere performances from Metropolis resident composers Timothy Andres, Vivian Fung, and Ray Lustig.
Bates: On an Urban Scale with Andrew Cyr
“Newly honored with a Grammy Award nomination, Cyr finds himself at the apex of Manhattan’s bustling new-music scene.”
Renderings
Experience new works inspired by classical lyricism in their most contemporary forms with Timothy Andres, Vivian Fung, and Ray Lustig.
Kung Fu Heroes Meet High-Octane Music
Composer Tan Dun led Metropolis artists in an audacious multimedia mesh of Eastern and Western sounds at Lincoln Center with The Martial Arts Trilogy.
Kristin Lee: The World Premiere Challenge
“My goal as a performer is to bring across the exact replica of the composer’s vision… in full understanding of the music.”