The Roots have shared the first track from their upcoming 11th studio album, ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin. Entitled "When The People Cheer," the song premiered earlier today on Hot 97 and sees the crew blending elements of classical, jazz, R&B and hip-hop.
Black Thought opens the track saying, "Lights, camera, chemical reaction / Attracted to a body of lies with fat a**ses / Thank the most high for high of high fashion / My art of war is killer couture / denim assassin."
In a recent interview with XXL, Black Thought said the effort is "another concept album in the spirit of undun, but it's not just about one kind of character, we create quite a few different characters on the record. It's satire, but in that satire is an analysis of some of the stereotypes perpetuated in not only the hip-hop community, but in the community."
Thought added that the 36(ish)-minute album was short enough to "digest in one sitting" but that it was "so dense that maybe in one sitting you'll listen to it and only listen to the piano and string arrangements, and then you'll listen to it again and you'll get into the actual words that are being said, and you'll listen again and get into some of the other musicality. There are many layers to this record, but it doesn't take place over very much time."
...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is due out May 13 via Def Jam. Check out "When The People Cheer" below, and let us know what you think in the comment section.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
