Compelled to conquer hip-hop, The Roots, featuring a lineup of ?uestlove, Black Thought, Malik B, Hub, Kamal, Rahzel, and newly added second beatboxer Scratch, dropped “Clones” in anticipation of their upcoming release Illadelph Halflife. “Clones” shared little in common with the previous jazzy and fun Roots sound. Over an infectious piano loop (gasp! The Roots sampling… Themselves?), Black Thought, Malik B, Roots-crew homeboy Dice Raw, and newcomer MARS spit top-notch lyricism as the group shows they can hang with the best MCs in hip-hop.

Determined to make a hip-hop production masterpiece, ?uest and company thought outside of the box when creating Illadelph Halflife, released September 24, 1996 on Geffen Records. The Roots began layering new soundscapes above their traditional drums, bass and keys setup, and in the process found a new richer sound. This is evident in tracks like “Concerto of the Desperado”, featuring orchestral string work and opera singing to make an epic sound that was a far cry from their previous work. “What They Do”, featuring a Raphael Saadiq chorus, a smooth blues guitar riff courtesy of Spanky Chlamer, and a brilliant video mocking contemporary hip-hop video lifestyles. These songs helped begin earning The Roots some much needed radio and video play, giving them their first real taste of commercial exposure.

Despite this new mainstream push and apparent acceptance from the hip-hop community, the legendary knew their niche was still their energetic live shows. Touring with new material for the first time in years, The Roots began performing mostly Illadelph tracks, although “Proceed”, “Mellow My Man” and “Distortion to Static” still remained staples in the setlist.

The crew expanded upon the "Hip-Hop 101"concept, often covering more than two dozen songs in one show, while also using other instrumentals under their own songs. “Respond / React” was the traditional opener during this era, but it was often performed with the beat to other hip-hop songs, both current and old school. Similar was the case for “Concerto of the Desperado”. Considering The Roots didn't quite have a string symphony at their disposal at every live show, “Concerto” was instead also performed over other instrumentals, often featuring Kamal showing his guitar skills while playing The Firm's “Phone Tap” or “Affirmative Action”. Other staples of the live shows in this era include “Section”, “Push Up Ya Lighter”, “Clones”, and “UNIverse at War” (sometimes accompanied by a Common guest spot).

The depth added by Rahzel and Scratch allowed them to play the “hypeman” role, in addition to provide interesting solos that involved Rahzel duplicating famous hip-hop songs (beat and lyrics) with his mouth, and Scratch eliminating the need for a DJ's record scratching. Oftentimes crowds were treated “battles” between the two beatboxers, usually to the audience's delight.

After more than two years of touring with Illadelph material, new renditions started being played live under songs like “Episodes” and they weren't beats to known hip-hop songs either. Slowly, The Roots would begin introducing brand new material into their performances that foreshadow the impending release of what will be their biggest and most important work yet…

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