Undun

                Rap provides some of the context addressed in the final paragraph of Borges and I- a short, improvisational exposition. The style of rap will be addressed here as I analyze the album Undun by The Roots. This album is a profound statement of urban life and an eternal struggle. I’m definitely not the most fit to empathize with the lyrics, but the form of the album from song to song and indeed within each song is masterfully crafted and easily lends itself to analysis via the Formal Method.

                Rap, as I said above, is a new style that is highly improvisational (well, it seems improvisational. The rap in this album is dense and painstakingly written.) The short form of a song and trading of rap verses allows a listener to hear different sides of arguments, or sometimes just two people bragging about themselves, in the case of old-school rap battles. Because rap is straight-to-the-point and terse, it is an effective medium and form to get across a strong message, the goal of Undun. Lots of lyrics and lines are put into one song, lots of allusions and cross-references as well, which are mainly afforded by the form of the rap song.

                The “Good”rap versus the “bad” rap plays an important role in Undun. Good rap is music that places an emphasis on internal strife, makes a well-thought message, and is generally more law-abiding and less vulgar. “Bad” rap is the opposite- vulgar, obscene, profane, and places an emphasis on deeds rather than thought. The Roots are well aware of both sides and adopt the form for different songs when they wish to make different effects or convey different messages.

                Third, the attacca (directly moving from song to song) form of Undun is critical to understanding the message. The title implies something being unraveled, and indeed the album begins with death (a flat heart monitor.) Over the course of the album, the anger is explained as we see how the different lives were affected by their upbringings and paradigms. The flow of consciousness is implied from the transitions from song to song. The purpose of this is to establish the album as moving backwards in time, and pretty much all of the songs contained therein are a reflection on times past, on good and poor choices made that affected lives down the road. The Roots are encouraging reflection and contemplation, as well as re-listening.

                All of the different Formal motifs in the album stack up to create an image of a complex work with implications not easily grasped. The listener is shown a lot of content and experiences many points of view; this is created by different voices contributing to different rap “stanzas”. Overall, Undun is a testament to the power of choices. The paradigm of the black man in urban America is explored—there are only two ways to escape: dig a tunnel out, or dig a grave. What better way to evaluate choices than in hindsight? This is why the album takes an antichronological form. In this case, the form enhances and helps create meaning once again, in the layout and content of each song in a whole album.