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.
What You Want
The Roots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she was gonna meet the connection
Well I could tell by her blood stain
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
You get what you need
You get what you need
I went down to the Chelsea drug store
To get your prescription filled
And I was standing in line with a Mr. Jimmy
A man, did he look pretty ill
And we decided we would have a soda
My favorite flavor vanilla cream
And I sung my song to a Mr. Jimmy
And he said one word to me, and that was "death"
You can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, you just might find
You get what you need
You get what you need
You get what you need
I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Saying "we're gonna vent our frustration
And if we don't, we're gonna blow a 50 amp fuse"
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, you just might find
You get what you need
You get what you need
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
But you can't always get, you can't always get what you want (yeah)
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
No, you can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, you just might find
You get what you need
You get what you need
You get what you need
You get what you need
The lyrics of The Roots' song "What You Want" are a commentary on the age-old saying that you can't always get what you want. The song recounts three different situations where the singer is trying to get what they want but ultimately can't, reinforcing the central message that life is full of frustrations and disappointments. In the first verse, the singer sees a woman at a reception who they know is trying to buy drugs. They understand her desperation from the blood stains on her clothes and her general appearance. In the second verse, the singer goes to a pharmacy to get a prescription and meets a man named Jimmy who looks sick. They have a soda and the singer shares a song they wrote with him, but Jimmy responds only with the word "death". In the third verse, the singer goes to a protest to vent their frustration but laments that even though they try to get what they want, they will always face setbacks.
The song is a reminder that life is not always fair and that success in any form is not guaranteed. It is meant to be an uplifting song for people who are struggling, as it suggests that by trying, however difficult it may be, you may eventually get what you need. The repetitive nature of the chorus emphasizes this point, and its upbeat melody echoes the message. The song acknowledges the challenges of life but also encourages people to keep trying, indicating that rewards are possible even when it seems impossible.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw her today at the reception
I saw her today at the party
A glass of wine in her hand
She was holding a glass of wine
I knew she was gonna meet the connection
I knew she was meeting someone important
Well I could tell by her blood stain
I could tell by her appearance and demeanor
No, you can't always get what you want
It's not always possible to get everything you desire
But if you try sometimes, you just might find
However, if you keep trying, you might discover something you truly need
You get what you need
You get what you need
I went down to the Chelsea drug store
I went to the Chelsea drug store
To get your prescription filled
To fill a prescription
And I was standing in line with a Mr. Jimmy
I was standing in line with a man named Mr. Jimmy
A man, did he look pretty ill
He looked quite unwell
And we decided we would have a soda
We decided to have a soda
My favorite flavor vanilla cream
My favorite flavor was vanilla cream
And I sung my song to a Mr. Jimmy
I sang a song to Mr. Jimmy
And he said one word to me, and that was "death"
He told me the word "death"
I went down to the demonstration
I went to a protest
To get my fair share of abuse
To experience some negative treatment
Saying "we're gonna vent our frustration
Expressing our frustrations
And if we don't, we're gonna blow a 50 amp fuse"
If we don't express ourselves, we'll be overwhelmed
But you can't always get, you can't always get what you want (yeah)
You can't always get what you want
You get what you need
You get what you need
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Milad El-darzi
Yo, it's like nothin' changed, it's all the same thang
The same characters in a book, with different names
It's a lot more to lose than you got to gain
You a lot more confused than hip to the game
The peep the script of the game the price is pain
Men and women get into things, now who's to blame?
When everybody whisperi'n bout whatever took place
And how the fact twist a knot with a straight face
And lies, hard to swallow from the bitter taste
Well that's a point in the past that can't be erased
So motivate, though it's hard to let it ride
Or set aside true feelings, underhand dealings
Our lost trust, I wonder if we lost us
It's bigger than me and you, it's monstrous
So I'ma, just calm down and try to relax
My name means Church
One of the best "walk into a room and get attention" music ever
Orville McPherson
😊😊😊😊
Annie Wilson
Yup!!!
My name means Church
@FactChecker if it wasn't for this song, I wouldn't know who Jaguar Wright was.....now she acting real different.
FactChecker
Hell yeah!! I feel sexy asf right about now! Lol I didn’t before I clicked it. Lol
Nerdbama Rich
Portmore Prince lol that's exactly what I said when I first saw morris chestnut walk in when this was playing lol..
Bre'ona Russ
I love this song 😊✊🏾👌🏾
Edwin Lopez
They played this song in the beginning of The Best Man.
Tyler
New to all this old hip hop. But my god. After opening up into atmospheres songs. I have found nothing but the kind of rap that I like. Love it!
FactChecker
🥰