The Roots' original lineup included Black Thought (MC vocals) and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), who were classmates at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. As they began to play at school and on the streets, they added another MC named Malik B., bassist Leonard Hubbardand keyboardist Scott Storch. Another MC, Dice Raw, frequently made album appearances with the group from 1995 to 1999 before leaving to record a solo album. Scott Storch also left to pursue career as a producer following the Do You Want More?!!!??! album, He produced songs such as Still D.R.E. by Dr Dre. The Roots filled his void with another keyboardist, Kamal who is still a member. A beatboxer named Rahzel also joined the group and contributed from 1995-1999. Alongside Rahzel was vocal turntablist, Scratch who greatly contributed to The Roots' sound, most notably in live concerts. He left the group in 2003. Malik B. left the group in 2000. A guitarist, Ben Kenney, enjoyed a short stint with the group and contributed to their Phrenology album, but left to join Incubus. A percussionist, Knuckles, was added in 2002 and guitarist, Kirk Douglas (a.k.a. "Captain Kirk") repleaced Kenney. A vocalist, Martin Luther toured with The Roots in 2003 and 2004 and contributed to their album The Tipping Point. The current members of The Roots are Black Thought (MC vocals), ?uestlove (drums), Hub (bass), Kamal (keyboard), Knuckles (percussion), and Captain Kirk (guitar).
The Roots' debut album, Organix released in 1993, was actually a live recording from a concert in Germany that the Roots sold at their shows. The album earned enough industry buzz to earn the Roots offers from major record labels, and they signed with DGC records, which at the time was better known for its grunge music releases.
The Roots' first album for DGC, Do You Want More?!!!??! (recorded live without the use of samples), was a moderate hit on alternative radio. Their 1996 release Illadelph Halflife was the group's first album to crack the Top 40 on Billboard's album chart, spurred in part by MTV's airplay of the video for "What They Do", a parody of rap video clichés such as the "beatdown shot," and "Clones" which was their first to single to reach the top five on the rap charts.
In 1999, The Roots released Things Fall Apart (named after a novel by Chinua Achebe), their breakthrough album. The track "You Got Me", duet with R'n'B singer Erykah Badu, earned them a Grammy award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.
In 2000, Dice Raw left the group to record his solo debut album, Reclaiming the Dead.
The Roots' reputation as a hip-hop live band made Jay-Z call on them for his MTV Unplugged album in 2002. The album featured good recreations of many of his great songs, played by the band with a little help from female vocalist Jaguar Wright.
2002's Phrenology introduced a more mainstream sound for the Roots, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. The album's sales were boosted by radio and TV airplay for two duets on the album, "Break You Off" (featuring Musiq Soulchild) and "The Seed 2.0" (featuring Cody ChestnuTT). The video for "The Seed 2.0" earned a nomination for the MTV2 Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. "The Seed" was also featured on the soundtrack to the Mandy Moore movie Chasing Liberty. Phrenology was certified gold (signifying U.S. sales of at least 500,000 units) in June 2003.
The Roots' 2004 release, The Tipping Point, took its name from a 2000 book by Malcolm Gladwell. The album earned two more Grammy nominations: one for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Star", and another for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for the track "Don't Say Nuthin'". The album was an immediate hit, debuting at #4 on the Billboard album chart and selling over 100,000 copies in its first week of release.
On November 15, 2005 The Roots released two compilation albums, Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide To Understanding The Roots, Volumes 1 & 2. These two separately sold discs are a compilation of past hits, live performances, and rare remixes compiled by ?uestlove himself. They also feature 70 pages of liner notes written by ?uestlove. These two albums marked the Roots' last releases on Geffen Records.
The Roots' album, Game Theory, was released on August 29, 2006. The album, which features a track that samples the song "You and Whose Army" by Radiohead, was released on Jay-Z's Def Jam.
The Roots next album 'Rising Down' was released on April 29th 2008. Features tracks with Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saigon, and other greats.
The Make Me Songfacts reports that The Roots' eleventh album, undun, is their first concept album. It tells the story of a man called Redford Stephens who died in 1999 at the age of 25. We hear Redford retelling his life post-mortem and attempting to deconstruct what led to his undoing.
The Roots are also the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airing first on March 2nd, 2009.
Lost Desire
The Roots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or the pain in your mind
No one cares what the truth is
Cause a fortress built on lies
It's the lump in your heart
Or the pain in your mind
No one cares what the truth is
I'm exhausted but I never ever forfeit
Y'all just bullshit while I knock a nigga off quick
Y'all start speaking in tongues and start reaching for guns
A militant will put this heat in your lungs
The street and the slums, the weekend is done
The local class always show you what [?] is become
The seasons are done, and reasons are none
People dyin' bullets flyin' cause they schemin'[?] for fun
It's all of a nightmare, that's right there
They hopin' that somebody in the hood just might care
With all this protestin' and rallyin'
Death toll tallyin'
Foul smells around them [?] in the alley and
Corner filled with teddy bears, cause they killed a child again,
They sing about murder, so it ain't a song it's [?
Get off the choir with your soft attire,
Niggas out here don't give a fuck, cause they lost desire
It's the lump in your heart
Or the pain in your mind
No one cares what the truth is
Cause a fortress built on lies
It's the lump in your heart
Or the pain in your mind
No one cares what the truth is
Cause a fortress built on lies
My city's full of heartbreakers and stargazers
Who puff kush
Vegas, So they gone with the wind, like Clark Gable,
Breathin' like Darth Vader, believin' in dark angel
Yeah, we got flags, but they not star-spangled
We not patriotic, the heroes are not them,
Ghetto griots like rims, you stop, they still spin,
Tall tales at the bar, witnessed after dark,
And we still stop in and chicken and [?]
And listen to Rakim
With the [?] that y'all been
For realla, I hadn't been schemin' to [?]ply in
You fear us? Fear is self, personified
Payin' homage to homicide
Prayin' to the dollar sign
It's idol worship
The rebel forces
Bodies lie at the foundation of the fortress
This is war, we expect some losses
And we comin' for the heads of the bosses
It's the lump in your heart
Or the pain in your mind
No one cares what the truth is
Cause a fortress built on lies
It's the lump in your heart
Or the pain in your mind
No one cares what the truth is
Cause a fortress built on lies
We on some casualties of war shit,
What you stand for, kid?
We in the city where they definitely lost it
You open your eyelids and get capped in the ribs
Your funeral they have your 12th grade portrait
Pretty corpse in casket, bell-shaped orchids
Said he 19 and left a self-made fortune
And left trey orphans
Now he in a box with the same chain and watch
That never came off him
It's a shame what it cost him
Where he come from it ain't nuthin'
It's a everyday thing, that's a problem
It's chambers revolving
Bustin' like Russian roulette
With a full set, then change what the odds is,
Flames in the mosque, and
People held hostage
Everyday I struggle, try to get up out the mosh-pit
Homicide for profit, tell me how we not sick?
This shit is out of control, they can't stop it
It's the lump in your heart
Or the pain in your mind
No one cares what the truth is
Cause a fortress built on lies
It's the lump in your heart
Or the pain in your mind
No one cares what the truth is
Cause a fortress built on lies
The Roots's song Lost Desire is heavily concerned with the pain and frustration of marginalized communities, particularly the Black community in the United States. The lyrics repeat the lines "It's the lump in your heart / Or the pain in your mind / No one cares what the truth is / Cause a fortress built on lies," emphasizing the idea that those in power have constructed a society that ignores the struggles and hardships of those left behind. The verses detail the violence and despair that can make up everyday life in these communities, including police brutality, murder, and poverty.
The chorus creates a sense of hopelessness and resignation, suggesting that the very foundations of society are built on deceit and that no one is willing to confront the horrors it produces. The verses present a more nuanced picture, offering glimpses of heroism and resistance even in the darkest of situations. The final verse introduces a note of defiance, encouraging listeners to stand up against the injustice they face.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the lump in your heart
The feeling of sadness and distress that resides inside you
Or the pain in your mind
The mental anguish and agony that you're facing
No one cares what the truth is
People don't bother about the reality anymore
Cause a fortress built on lies
There's a stronghold that's built on falsehood and deceit
I'm exhausted but I never ever forfeit
I'm tired, but I don't admit defeat
Y'all just bullshit while I knock a nigga off quick
While people are beating around the bush, I quickly take down a person
Y'all start speaking in tongues and start reaching for guns
People begin blabbering and then grabbing guns
A militant will put this heat in your lungs
An aggressive person will shoot or harm you badly
The street and the slums, the weekend is done
The metropolis and the ghetto, the period of fun is over
The local class always show you what [?] is become
The lower rungs of society reveal what the community has turned into
The seasons are done, and reasons are none
There aren't any valid justifications
People dyin' bullets flyin' cause they schemin'[?] for fun
People are getting killed or hurt because someone plotted it for entertainment
It's all of a nightmare, that's right there
The situation is a complete horror that's happening in front of us
They hopin' that somebody in the hood just might care
They wish that someone from the ghetto would show some empathy
With all this protestin' and rallyin'
Despite all the complaints and demonstrations
Death toll tallyin'
The number of fatalities is continuously increasing
Foul smells around them [?] in the alley and
There's an unpleasant odor surrounding the dead bodies in the alley
Corner filled with teddy bears, cause they killed a child again,
A street corner has been transformed into a memorial after a child was murdered
They sing about murder, so it ain't a song it's [?
People are so used to violence and crime that even songs aren't enough to describe the horror
Get off the choir with your soft attire,
Stop acting nice and soft when reality is brutal
Niggas out here don't give a fuck, cause they lost desire
People don't have the care or the motivation anymore because they're worn out
My city's full of heartbreakers and stargazers
My town is full of people who crush your hopes and dreams
Who puff kush
Who smoke marijuana
Vegas, So they gone with the wind, like Clark Gable,
People disappear inexplicably, like how Clark Gable left in Gone with the Wind movie
Breathin' like Darth Vader, believin' in dark angel
People are struggling, and they're obsessed with the idea of a wicked force controlling everything
Yeah, we got flags, but they not star-spangled
Even though we have flags, they're not the ones that represent our nation
We not patriotic, the heroes are not them,
We don't have love for our country, and the real heroes aren't being celebrated
Ghetto griots like rims, you stop, they still spin,
People in the ghetto are like the rims of a car, even if they stop, they keep spinning
Tall tales at the bar, witnessed after dark,
Stories being told at the bar after sundown are always exaggerated
And we still stop in and chicken and [?]
Despite everything happening, we still go to fast food joints for dinner
And listen to Rakim
Still listening to hip-hop music legends like Rakim
With the [?] that y'all been
What we've been through gives us a perspective that others don't have
For realla, I hadn't been schemin' to [?]ply in
Honestly, I didn't plan on getting involved in this mess
You fear us? Fear is self, personified
Are you scared of us? Fear is just a manifestation of your own personality
Payin' homage to homicide
Paying respect to murderers and killers
Prayin' to the dollar sign
Worshiping and hoping for money
It's idol worship
It's a situation where people are treating money and power as their new gods
The rebel forces
The ones who go against the mainstream and refuse to conform
Bodies lie at the foundation of the fortress
The base of the stronghold is built upon corpses
This is war, we expect some losses
We're fighting a war, and there will always be casualties
And we comin' for the heads of the bosses
We're after the leaders and the people in charge
We on some casualties of war shit,
We're in a situation similar to what happens in a time of war
What you stand for, kid?
What do you believe in and what's your purpose?
We in the city where they definitely lost it
We're in a place where people have lost their minds
You open your eyelids and get capped in the ribs
You get shot as soon as you wake up
Your funeral they have your 12th grade portrait
At your funeral, people put up your senior year high school photo
Pretty corpse in casket, bell-shaped orchids
Even though you died young, you look beautiful in the coffin adorned with flower arrangements
Said he 19 and left a self-made fortune
He was only 19, but he had already made his own wealth
And left trey orphans
He left three orphans behind
Now he in a box with the same chain and watch
Now he's dead, and he's wearing the same chain and watch he had when he was alive
That never came off him
He always wore that chain and watch and never took them off
It's a shame what it cost him
It's sad to see what he had to pay for his success
Where he come from it ain't nuthin'
Where he's from, there's nothing but poverty and hopelessness
It's a everyday thing, that's a problem
It happens every day, and that's an issue
It's chambers revolving
It's like a revolving door where people are dying constantly
Bustin' like Russian roulette
People shoot each other, just like in the game of Russian roulette
With a full set, then change what the odds is,
Even when the odds are stacked against them, they don't give up
Flames in the mosque, and
A mosque is burning
People held hostage
Innocent people are being taken captive
Everyday I struggle, try to get up out the mosh-pit
Every day is a battle, and I'm trying to break free from the chaos
Homicide for profit, tell me how we not sick?
People are killing others for money, why wouldn't that make us sick?
This shit is out of control, they can't stop it
The situation is beyond anyone's ability to contain or fix it
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: TARIK L. COLLINS, TALIB GREENE, KARL B. JENKINS, KHARI MATEEN, MALIK SMART, AHMIR K. THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike Ball
on Proceed V (Da Beatminerz remix)
So after purchasing “Do You Want More” the day it dropped, my guy the upped me from jump (pass the popcorn obvi) found this join on a European release and pressed play…the rest is history. But there in lies my question…what IS the history, the story on how, where, when, this was created? I need to know for context. Drop a link if there is one out there PLEASE! V 5 is a masterpiece!