The Roots – undun (2011). Def Jam Recordings. Featuring Black Thought, Questlove, Big K.R.I.T., Phonte, Dice Raw, Bilal, and Sufjan Stevens.
: The album begins with the sound of a flatlining heart monitor on the track "Dun". From there, it moves backward through Redford's life. It explores his compromises, his philosophy, and the systemic trap that led to his demise.
What makes "undun" so unique is its narrative structure. The album does not begin at the beginning but ends there . It starts at the very end of Redford's life, with the flatline beep on the opening track, "Dun," signifying his death. From that moment, the album works backward, deconstructing his life from a disoriented, post-mortem state, moving through the pivotal moments that led to his demise. As a press release for the album put it, "undun is an existential re-telling of the short life of one Redford Stephens... Through the use of emotives and Redford's internal dialogues the album seeks to illustrate the intersection of free will and prescribed destiny as it plays out 'on the corner'".