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.
Seed
The Roots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And what she's fittin' to have she don't know
She wants neo soul cause hip hop is old
She don't want no rock'n roll
She want platinum, ice and gold
She want a whole lot of somethin' to fold
If you're an obstacle she'll just drop you cold
Cause one monkey don't stop the show
In these streets she done ran
Ever since when the heat began
I told the girl look here
Calm down I'm gonna hold your hand
To enable you to keep the plan
Because you're quick to learn
And we can make money to burn
If you allow me the latest game
I don't ask for much but enough to room to spread my wings
And a world fittin' to know my name, just listen to me
I don't ask, for much these days
And I don't bitch and whine if I don't get my way
I only want to fertilize another behind my lover's back
I sit and watch it grow standin' where I'm at
Fertilize another behind my lovers behind my lovers back
And I'm keeping my secrets mine
I push my seed in her bush for life
It's gonna work because I'm pushin' it right
If Mary dropped my baby girl tonight I would name her rock 'n roll
Cadillac needs space to roam
Where we headin' for she don't know
We in the city where the pro shake rattle 'n roll
And I'm a god dang rollin' stone
I don't beg I can hold my own
I don't break I can hold a chrome
And it's weighin' a ton and I'm a son of a gun
My code name is the only one
And Black Thought is bad
These streets he done ran ever since when the game began
I never played the fool
Matter of fact I've been keeping it cool
Since money been changin' hands
And I'm left to shine, the legacy I leave behind be the seed that'll keep the flame
I don't ask for much but enough room to spread these wings
And a world fittin' to know my name, now listen to me
I don't beg from a rich man
And I don't scream and kick when his shit don't fall in my handsman
Cause I know how to still
Fertilize another against my lovers will
I lick the opposition cause she don't take no pill
Oh you know the deal you'll be keeping my legend alive
I push my seed in her bush for life
It's gonna work because I'm pushin' it right
If Mary drops my baby girl tonight I would name her rock 'n roll
Oh break it down, down for me
I push my seed somewhere deep in her chest
I push it naked cause I've takin' my test
Deliverin' Mary it don't matter the sex
I'm gonna name it rock 'n roll
I push my seed in her bush for life
It's gonna work because I'm pushin' it right
If Mary drops my baby girl tonight
I would name her rock 'n roll
I would name her rock 'n roll
I would name her rock 'n roll
I would name it rock 'n roll
The Roots's "The Seed 2.0" is a song that speaks about the rap and hip-hop industry's striking transition towards neo-soul, which the singer of the song's character hates. The opening lines reveal a woman who is pregnant and wants neo soul over hip hop. She also wants precious metals to flaunt her wealth. The woman symbolizes mainstream society's growing interest in more commercial forms of art over authentic and revolutionary ones.
As the track progresses, Black Thought's verses celebrate his legacy as a legendary rapper who is true to his craft, and challenge those who exploit and dilute their art for commercial success. He prides himself as a revolutionary who won't compromise his art to fit into society's norms of success. This song is a call to every passionate artist to follow their artistic conviction regardless of societal expectations.
The lyrics of the song have striking metaphors that paint an authentic feeling of rebellion against societal norms, which is a common theme among hip hop artists. The rollercoaster-like melody for The Seed 2.0 has an upbeat and catchy melody that draws people to it.
Line by Line Meaning
Knocked up nine months ago
She got pregnant nine months ago
And what she's fittin' to have she don't know
She doesn't know what she's going to give birth to
She wants neo soul cause hip hop is old
She wants to listen to neo-soul because she thinks hip hop is outdated
She don't want no rock'n roll
She doesn't want to listen to rock and roll music
She want platinum, ice and gold
She desires to have 'platinum, ice, and gold', which means she wants to have it all
She want a whole lot of somethin' to fold
She wants a lot of money to spend or invest
If you're an obstacle she'll just drop you cold
If you stand in her way, she'll get rid of you easily
Cause one monkey don't stop the show
One person's mistake or failure doesn't stop progress or success
Little Mary's bad
The person referred to as 'Little Mary' is reckless or daring
In these streets she done ran
She has run around in these streets
Ever since when the heat began
She has been running around for a long time, even when things got challenging
I told the girl look here
The artist tells 'Little Mary' to listen
Calm down I'm gonna hold your hand
The singer calms 'Little Mary' and reassures her by offering support
To enable you to keep the plan
The singer helps her to stick to the plan
Because you're quick to learn
The singer acknowledges her intelligence and says that she is a fast learner
And we can make money to burn
Together they can make a lot of money
If you allow me the latest game
If she trusts him with the latest information or method
I don't ask for much but enough to room to spread my wings
The singer is not asking for a lot, just enough space to grow
And a world fittin' to know my name, just listen to me
The singer wants the world to know his name, hence he asks people to listen to him
I don't ask, for much these days
The artist doesn't ask for much in life anymore
And I don't bitch and whine if I don't get my way
The artist doesn't complain if he doesn't get what he wants
I only want to fertilize another behind my lover's back
The artist wants to have a child with someone outside of his current relationship
I sit and watch it grow standin' where I'm at
The singer sits and watches the child grow, remaining in his current position
Fertilize another behind my lovers behind my lovers back
The artist wants to have a child with someone else while still being in a relationship
And I'm keeping my secrets mine
The singer won't share his secret of having a child with someone else
I push my seed in her bush for life
The singer impregnates the woman and plans on having a lifelong connection with the child and woman
It's gonna work because I'm pushin' it right
The singer believes things will go well because he is doing everything he can to ensure success
If Mary dropped my baby girl tonight I would name her rock 'n roll
If the woman who the artist impregnated has a baby girl, he will name her rock and roll
Cadillac needs space to roam
The artist's car, a Cadillac, requires a lot of space to move around
Where we headin' for she don't know
The woman the singer is with doesn't know where they are going
We in the city where the pro shake rattle 'n roll
They are in a city where professionals dance to shake, rattle, and roll music
And I'm a god dang rollin' stone
The artist is a wild and adventurous person
I don't beg I can hold my own
The artist doesn't beg or ask for things, as he can take care of himself
I don't break I can hold a chrome
The artist doesn't break and is good at handling firearms
And it's weighin' a ton and I'm a son of a gun
Whatever he's carrying is incredibly heavy, but the singer is determined to carry it nonetheless and is not giving up
My code name is the only one
The artist's name is a secret and only he knows it
And Black Thought is bad
Black Thought, another person, is also quite impressive or formidable
These streets he done ran ever since when the game began
The streets have been run by Black Thought since the game started
I never played the fool
The singer has never been foolish
Matter of fact I've been keeping it cool
Actually, the artist has been keeping a cool head
Since money been changin' hands
Since the artist's finances changed, he has kept his cool
And I'm left to shine, the legacy I leave behind be the seed that'll keep the flame
The singer is left to shine, and the legacy he leaves behind is the seed that will allow his name to live on
Oh break it down, down for me
The singer is asking someone to break something down for him so he can better understand it
I push my seed somewhere deep in her chest
The artist impregnates the woman, placing the child deep within her body
I push it naked cause I've takin' my test
The artist impregnates the woman without protection because he believes he is in good health
Deliverin' Mary it don't matter the sex
It doesn't matter the sex of the baby that the woman, Mary, delivers
I'm gonna name it rock 'n roll
The singer is going to name the baby rock and roll
I push my seed in her bush for life
The artist impregnates the woman and plans on having a lifelong connection with the child and woman
It's gonna work because I'm pushin' it right
The singer believes things will go well because he is doing everything he can to ensure success
If Mary drops my baby girl tonight
If the woman who the singer impregnated has a baby girl
I would name her rock 'n roll
The singer would name the baby girl rock and roll
I would name her rock 'n roll
The artist would name the baby girl rock and roll
I would name her rock 'n roll
The artist would name the baby girl rock and roll
I would name it rock 'n roll
The singer would name the baby rock and roll
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRADLEY JAMES NOWELL, ERIC JOHN WILSON, FLOYD I. GAUGH IV
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@section8managementteam793
I've been listening to this song for 14 years and never knew it had a video until today..... What a pleasant surprise. 2024
@courtneyst.julian8192
This song is an absolute masterpiece. Every aspect from the lyrics, the vocals, to the rhythm is absolute perfection. I can't believe YouTube would tamper with this excellence by censoring this song!
@a.taylor8294
Yeah, those of us that got to jam to it during original release know this wasn't getting censored back then, LOL!
@williamdumas9715
As a lifetime rock fan... This song is in my top 10 songs of all time... Perfect blend of rock, soul, hip hop and more
@elsasegid963
Love love love this song
@ffokcuf761
No Rock in this track.
@jaysgotjokesofficial
@@ffokcuf761 you trying to be goofy.
@AllOuttaBubblegum123
Supporting the mighty chili peppers
@palapadadouwa807
Terrible.
Basta 🖤🤍😎😎😎🔥
@lisak19614
I'm 61 years old and this song still rocks me. One of my favorites....❤❤❤❤