Product Description

As the hip-hop nation grew, it was natural for jazz groovesto play an integral part of its evolution. From DJs spinning Sonny Rollins loops over beats, to rappers vocally challenging seasoned soloists (as Guru did with trumpeter Don Cherry), the initial burst of energy that a new-found jazz influence gave to hip-hop was like a blood transfusion, providing for a healthier long-term existence. With DO YOU WANT MORE?!!!??!, the Roots up the ante on all the jazz-tip outfits that have rolled out before them, fully integrating a live bandwith the rappers, and kicking a funky rhyme like it hasn't been kicked before...and at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, no less.
The Philadelphia quartet--MCs Black Thought and Malik B., bassist Hub, and drummer B.R.O. The R.?--treat the vocalists as simply two more instrumentalists, and thus as equal elements to the overall sound. The rappers carry the mic with a singular funky swing, comfortable in any flow settingbut often mirroring the verbal interplay of A Tribe Called Quest (whom they also name-check); and the rhythm section drops its own share of bombs, when they're not busy laying down grooves for the likes of Steve Coleman and other additional players. The space heats up quickest when Black Thought and Malik use the band as a springboard for interactive flurries, and play directly off them (the live, freestyle grind, "Essay Whuman?!!??"). When such genuine moments of improvisation arise, the Roots seem like they're miles ahead of everybody else on hip-hop's jazz fusion highway.

Track Listing

1. Intro / There's Something Goin' On
2. Proceed
3. Distortion To Static
4. Mellow My Man
5. I Remain Calm
6. Datskat
7. Lazy Afternoon
8. ? Vs. Rahzel
9. Do You Want More?!!!??!
10. What Goes On, Pt. 7
11. Essaywhuman?!!!??!
12. Swept Away
13. You Ain't Fly
14. Silent Treatment
15. The Lesson Pt. 1
16. The Unlocking

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19522 in Music
• Released on: 1999-03-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Running time: 71 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Typically, we're better off ignoring the boasts of a rapper who claims to describe his own music, but when the Roots' lead voice Black Thought opens up his group's debut album by saying, "You are all about to witness some organic hip-hop jazz," it's a good idea to listen up. Organic is a fitting adjective for a hip-hop crew whose m.o. is as different from the typical studio-locked DJ/MC combo as grass is to Astroturf.

Nothing wrong with a little artificial grazeland, of course, but the Roots are making tasty roughage that blooms into real songs, where raps wind around bass, drums, keys, and horns, and where instruments coil up to voice cadences--where music and lyrics meet and grow together naturally, not coincidentally. You can hear the Roots' heart pump hardest when they pull off the things loops and samples cannot: just check the vocal/instrument interchanges of "Essaywhuman?!!!??!" or the left-turn instrumental digression midway through "Mellow My Man" to witness the living sounds of rap.

The Roots' Philadelphia-based groove collective build slick acid jazz playing around the smooth East Coast rhyming of A Tribe Called Quest and wild West Coast freestyling to create sounds as formless and fluid as jazz, but never unrecognisable as hip-hop. The music picks up where the mad scatting and melodic trills of L.A.'s defunct Freestyle Fellowship left off, and wakes up the tired hype of jazz/rap cross-pollination to new possibilities. The roots of this kind of fusion have long been around, though perhaps these Roots are hope for a new dawning. --Roni Sarig

Customer Reviews

Flawless victory!
Where shall I start? Proceed is a good start to the album (the intro does not count), maintaining an uplifting beat through-out the song. Distortion To Static creates a calm sapce in your head, with The Roots shwoing who's boss. Mellow My Man, follows Distortion To Static's style, but is slightly better. I Remain Calm is a remarkable song, with a happy, upbeat Rythm. Datskat is slightly disappointing, but still good. Lazy Afternoon is a good example of The Roots' laidback style, with smooth repetitive verses. ? vs Rahzel is a rather interesting track, with ?uestlove on the drums and Rahzel beatboxing/singing/being god nothing more, nothing less. Do You Want More?!!!??! is a stand-out song, which shows that Bagpipes and Hip/hop can really go together well. What Goes On Pt. 7 is another smooth song, with nothing over-the-top. Essaywhuman?!!!??! is a live set The Roots did, proving that they can rock live. Swept Away is another relaxed song, with a very catchy beat. You Ain't Fly is a great track incorporating more, up tempo flair, with a humerous slant. Silent Treatment is probably the most chilled song on the album, with a decent chorus. The Lesson Part 1 shows Rahzel's unhuman skills with his vocal acrobatics. Very good song, and will stick in your head for a long time afterwards. The last song, The Unlocking is a strange morbid-but-good song, with perfect vocals from Ursula Rocker. If you stay onto 7:51, you will hear a short skit of Rahzel beatboxing, as the proverbial cherry on top.

Must have album

I know you dig it when I kick it baby
This is the Roots first major label release. Organix was produced so they had something to sell at their concerts whilst touring Europe (they were shunned by the gangsta gangsta early 90s hip-hop community but positively embraced by the left-field european scene). Do You want More?!!??! is a fanstastic album, from start to finish it provides the listener with a well thought-out, musically accomplished album which served to alert the American public to something 'a bit different' coming out of Philly.

There are so many notable songs on this album it is hard to pick one or two to talk about. The stand-out track on the album, in my humble opinion, is probably the title song, with it's rolling bagpipe soundscape (yes bagpipes being used in a hip-hop context), it's head-nodding hook reminiscent of old-school classics, the a-capella vocal scratching and great Thought verse. Another fantastic track is the remade Essaywhuman?!!!??! which first appeared on Organix, with Black Thought 'duelling' with live instruments.

The album maintains a flow throughout, probably due to the laid back drum beats, and sparsely produced melodies. Getting softer towards the end, with a fore-runner of 'You Got Me'-style track 'Silent Treatment'.

If you have listened to any of the later Roots catalogue, and enjoyed it, or in fact like fellow Okayplayer artists Common, Reflection Eternal, etc then you should buy this album. It is jazzier than Things Fall Apart, similar-yet-better than Illadelph Halflife, and a great notice of the evolution of the Roots' sound when compared to Phrenology (or other ?uestlove produced albums eg Like Water For Chocolate).

People use the word improvement when describing the Roots' releases, but as they have all been of a high standard, it should be seen as a progression of sound.

Get Blackstar, Train of Thought, Can I Borrow A Dollar?, Resurrection, All ATCQ, A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, J5 LP and Exit as soon as possible.

The future sound of jazz-hiphop
Live organic Illadelpia hip hop jazz, drawing off a wide range of influences both old and new, the musical geniuses of ?estlove, Hub and Scott Storch combine with the raw, conscious vocal streams of Black Thought, Malik B and Dice Raw to provide the ideal introduction to the phenomena that has become the sound of Philadelphia. If you find most commercial hip-hop a turn-off with its synthesized breaks and melodies, or even if you think you don't like hip-hop you might like to take a listen to this. Essential.