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.
Singing Man
The Roots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Days are living fast, moves in misery
You got a song you wanna sing for me
Sing a song, singing man
Sing a song, singing man
Sing another song, singing man
Sing another song, singing man
Sing a song for me
[P.O.R.N.]
Look, I'm so twisted, so, so twisted
One life to live, and I'm willing to risk it
Terror that the world has never known existed
Left so many clues, now how could they miss it?
Sadistic, ballistic, find a word and pick it
Long as it means the world is on my shit list
Walking time bomb, my mind is on tick-tick
Countdown's on, its too late to nix it
I'm so anxious, so, so anxious
The ones I hate barely know what my name is
Have no clue that I'm armed and dangerous
Willing to spill my blood to be famous
Willing to spill my blood to make changes
Look for a suicide note to explain this
Heinous, inking the ache from my anguish
Sounds insane, you're speaking my language
[Chorus]
[Black Thought]
One for the pressing, two for the cross
Three for the blessing, four for the loss
Kid holding a weapon, walk like a corpse
In the face of transgression, military issue Kalash
Nikova or machete or a pitchfork
He killing cause he feel he got nothing to live for
In a war taking heads from men like Charles Taylor
And never seen the undisclosed foreign arms dealer
13-year-old killer, he look 35
He changed his name to Little No-Man-Survive
When he smoke that leaf, shorty believe he can fly
He loot and terrorize and shoot between the eyes
Who to blame, its a shame, the youth was demonized
Wishing he could see rearrange the truth, to see the lies
And he wouldn't have to raise his barrel to target you
His heart can't give you the years of scar tissue...
[Chorus]
[Truck North]
Uh, what you're witnessing is true dedication
Charged by the call and the cause of the nation
Countdown, minutes away from detonation
A lifetime of grunt work, this is the culmination
My manner, seems patient, inner rage lies
So deep, I can taste it, let's sacrifice lives
Past the first sensation, to paradise I fly
Delusions are lighting up the midday sky
The last days of mine spent in extreme secrecy
Wolves dressed like sheep occur more frequently
Too much faith to be scared, the petrified both fled
Those who live fearing death, might as well be dead
Towers of the occupiers, will soon fall
Martyr or mass murderer? That's your call
Mass transit or a mall? Who can watch them all?
In the name of the merciful, sing me a song
[Chorus]
The Roots's song "Singing Man" presents a reflection on the difficult realities of life and the ways in which individuals respond to them. The chorus makes a request for a singing man to share his song in the midst of the day-to-day struggles of existence. The verses delivered by the different rappers portray the turmoil of their personal experiences. P.O.R.N.'s rap describes his inner demons and the willingness to spill his blood for attention and notoriety; Black Thought's verse focuses on child soldiers involved in war and their traumatic experiences; Truck North's verse is about a suicide bomber, who believes in martyrdom while carrying out an attack. Overall, the song seems to suggest that a singing man can provide a space of reflection and solace in the midst of life's hardships while portraying the struggles of daily survival in different cultures.
Interestingly, the song was released as a bonus track on The Roots's album "Undun," which tells the fictional story of a young man's life in reverse, from his death to his birth. The album's narrative structure emphasizes the different social and political issues that lead to his demise. "Singing Man" fittingly serves as an epilogue for the album, reflecting on the broader themes it explores. Here are some additional interesting facts about "Singing Man":
Line by Line Meaning
Days are living fast, moves in misery
Life is moving quickly and filled with pain
You got a song you wanna sing for me
Do you have a message or story to share?
Sing a song, singing man
Use your voice to express yourself
Sing another song, singing man
Keep using your voice to reach out
Sing a song for me
Share your experiences with me
Look, I'm so twisted, so, so twisted
I am confused and troubled
One life to live, and I'm willing to risk it
I only have one life and I am willing to take risks
Terror that the world has never known existed
My actions are causing fear and chaos
Left so many clues, now how could they miss it?
I have left evidence but no one is catching on
The ones I hate barely know what my name is
The people I hate are unaware of my existence
Willing to spill my blood to be famous
I am willing to die for attention
One for the pressing, two for the cross
One bullet for the problem, two funerals for the consequences
Kid holding a weapon, walk like a corpse
A young person holding a gun who looks defeated
13-year-old killer, he look 35
The young criminal appears older than he is
Who to blame, its a shame, the youth was demonized
Society is partly responsible for turning young people into criminals
In the name of the merciful, sing me a song
As an act of mercy, please share your experiences with me
A lifetime of grunt work, this is the culmination
Years of effort have led up to this moment
Towers of the occupiers, will soon fall
Those in power will eventually lose their control
Martyr or mass murderer? That's your call
My actions may be seen as heroic or evil
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, O/B/O CAPASSO
Written by: AHMIR K. THOMPSON, GREG SPEARMAN, JAMAL MILLER, KARL B. JENKINS, KHARI ABDUL MATEEN, TARIK L. COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
memphislos10
Years later and this song is even more relevant.
tomáš horváth
this is good.
MarkHaze
I LOVE this dystopian-type feel to this song. I ripped this to my Xbox 360 hard-drive, so sometimes when I'm playing a game this song starts and it makes it feel like I'm fighting for my life lol.
Jack of Spades
That’s crazy I used to have this album on my xbox 360 back in the day used to listen to this, hybrid theory, a few rap mixtapes and some others while playing halo 3 online. Miss them days
Terry Jones
Left so many clue, how could they miss it
Abiola Lawal
Doesn't get better than this!!! •In the name of the merciful, sing me a song•
STONIEBK
HIP HOP STILL LIVES!!!!!!! SING IT MAN!!!!
A V
left so many clues now how could they miss it... sounds insane, you speaking my language!! ill song!!!!! when is "how i got over" dropping???
Thamer Abdulaziz
wicked song
Jerel Baity
This jawn speaking to what's going on now deep