Happy 25th Anniversary to The Roots’ second studio album Do You Want More?!!!??!, originally released January 17, 1995.
The Roots have become one of the most respected groups in hip-hop history. They have a storied musical career that’s spanned four different decades. They have one of the best discographies in hip-hop music. They’re the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. They’re considered one of the best live acts in the business. None of this would be possible without Do You Want More?!!!??!, the group’s seminal sophomore album released 25 years ago.
The Roots aren’t the first hip-hop group to make extensive use of live musical instrumentation, nor are they the first group to make their jazz influences a central part of their identity. Sporting a lineup at the time comprised of emcees Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Malik Abdul “B” Basit, drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, keyboardist Scott Storch, and bassist Leonard “Hub” Hubbard, they were a hip-hop band that was never self-conscious. Their recordings since have never screamed “Hey! Look at us! We’re playing live instruments!” Their albums are dope hip-hop releases, plain and simple. While the live instrumentation is integral to their artistic success, it is not the sole attraction.
Even 25 years ago, Black Thought stood out as a commanding lyricist, as did Malik B, his more publically reserved rhyme partner. Back then, the two had largely equal mic time, with Malik contributing his vocals to the majority of the songs. Questlove, Hubbard, and Storch are all outstanding musicians who know how to use their talents to complement but not overshadow the group’s lyrical component. The album was also immaculately mixed, as the group utilized the talents of famed studio engineer Bob Power to craft the album’s finished sound.
Do You Want More?!!!??!’s tracklisting denotes this isn’t the beginning of The Roots existence, by listing the opening song “There’s Something Going On” as track #18. Apparently inspired by a Billy Idol album, The Roots have continued with this convention throughout their career; the final song on …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (2014) is #181. The obvious connotation is that The Roots’ career is one long musical journey, rather than self-contained chapters.
Do You Want More?!!!??! isn’t the first step on that journey, but it was their most important step. Their first album, Organix (1993), was an enjoyable collection of tracks, but obviously a first draft of what they’d soon become. With this release, they grew more confident and matured as artists, ready to introduce themselves to a much broader audience inside the U.S. (they’d already built a following overseas).
With their jazzy vibes, The Roots obviously drew influences from kindred acts like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Gang Starr, to name a few. However, Do You Want More?!!!??! went further in establishing their musical identity than any of their other albums.
Their second full-length affair was preceded by From the Ground Up (1994), an EP that was mostly released and distributed overseas in Europe. For those lucky enough to find it, it provided a taste of the sound that became the group’s foundation moving forward. The six-song project includes four entries that would later appear on Do You Want More?!!!??!.
Among these is “Distortion To Static,” which would become Do You Want More?!!!??!’s first single issued by Geffen Records when it was released during the summer of ’94. The track is an amazing recording and a remarkably non-commercial entry for the “debut” single by a group on a major label. The song’s “hook” consists of members of the group laughing loudly (apparently inspired by the semi-obscure Gang Starr song “Got Chu” from No More Mr. Nice Guy) over the nominal static. Meanwhile, the music features Quest’s crisp drumming complemented by a subtle baseline and reverberating keys by Hubbard and Storch, respectively.
“Distortion” was reportedly one of the first songs that Black Thought and Malik B wrote together, and their styles mesh remarkably well. The song is a blueprint for how The Roots’ songs would work during the crew’s early years when both would get equal mic time. Thought works with machine-like precision to execute his complex flow, while Malik mixes abstract imagery and an unorthodox rhyme style.
The pair further perfected their chemistry on “Proceed,” the album’s second single and one of The Roots’ signature recordings. Though the group would record five different versions of the song, this one was either the best or close to it (Part III is another winner). “Proceed” is more traditionally structured, with a memorable and catchy hook, but it also exhibits their singular talents. Thought lays on the heavy braggadocio, “representing on the 28th of June” (the album’s originally scheduled release date) and waving a “pistol in the face of hip-hop; stick it for papes.”
The Roots lean heavily into their jazz aesthetic with songs like “Mellow My Man” and “Datskat.” The former plays like a low-key song played in an intimate jazz club, with Thought and Malik playing host to the group’s laid-back keyboard driven grooves. Both emcees shine, with Thought boasting, “back is the Black Boogey Man, manic mad musician, maker of noise / That’s jocked by your homeboys.” Malik’s second verse on the song is his strongest performance on the album, as he raps, “Microphones I grip equipped to flip the hypocrites / And nit-wits, with tidbit skits that ain’t **shhh** / It was a curse, but I divide it in half / Gets the airplay, no fair play, you’re feeling the wrath.”
“Datskat” delivers what it promises, with Thought and Malik scatting over a solid horn-heavy groove by the band. Questlove adds the extra flair by showcasing his skills on the kazoo, as he plays what’s a pretty close approximation of Freda Payne’s “Easiest Way to Fall” (famously sampled for the JVC Force’s “Strong Island”). Malik B again shines here, mostly through his singsong delivery that perfectly fits the track’s vibe.
Given the seriousness of the group’s output in the past decade, it’s understandable to forget that they were a lot of fun on record. The element of live instrumentation certainly lent the group an undeniable energy, and allowed aforementioned moments like Malik B’s scatting to Questlove’s kazoo solo. Other instances of levity help make Do You Want More?!!!??! work so well.
“You Ain’t Fly” is strengthened by a tongue-in-cheek verse by Questlove. Thought and Malik’s first two verses are played pretty straightforward, with each dissing a separate girl who won’t give them the time of day. Batting third, Questlove plays heavy into self-deprecation, describing how he gets played and embarrassed by a girl who’s out of his league, only to try to convince himself that she wasn’t that hot anyway.
Furthermore, never let it be said that The Roots are afraid to integrate other unique elements within their music. The album’s title track would be memorable enough for Black Thought’s sole verse, where he’s clearly “on some old snap-a-rapper-neck shit.” One intriguing element is Black Thought’s extended fast-paced vocal “scratching” that serves as the song’s coda, with his concluding vocals mixed to sound as close to DJ cuts as possible. The other is Rufus Harley’s bagpipe performance, which highlights how the group finds a way to integrate such a boisterous and dominating instrument without having it overpower the song.
The title track is one of Thought’s three solo cuts. Another is “Lazy Afternoon,” a song as placid as its title suggests. The track was originally envisioned as a three rapper collaboration, with Malik and Questlove recording separate verses. However, this idea was scrapped in favor of the “Groundhog Day” concept, where Thought kicks the same story three times, only altering his rhyme delivery each time out. The differences between the cadences on the first and third verses are different enough that it’s forgivable to mistake them for two completely different verses.
The Roots give their wider audience a taste of the live experience on “Essaywhuman?!!!??!” Even at the time of the album’s release, the song was an established staple of the group’s stage show; a slightly different version appeared on Organix. The song is clever in its conception, as Black Thought leads a call-and-response session with members of the band. He kicks lines individually to the drummer, keyboardist, saxophonist, and bassline, only for them to play it back to him in the same unconventional cadence.
Rozell “Rahzel” Brown was also an integral part of the group during this early period. As innovative of a beat-boxer as there has ever been, Rahzel had been making his bones in hip-hop since the ’80s and into the early ’90s, appearing on records by Mikey D and The LA Posse and Rare Breed. His beat-boxing techniques and musical mimicry made him a standout on record and wildly popular during their live performances.
Rahzel gets to demonstrate his abilities on “? vs. Rahzel,” where he duets with Questlove. As Quest channels James Brown’s famed drummer Clyde Stubblefield, Rahzel functions as the rest of the “band.” Rahzel provides JB-esque vocals and “plays” extended horn and bass solos. It’s a fun track that the pair don’t take too seriously, with Quest breaking into laughter as the song ends.
Rahzel exhibits the full extent of his beat-boxing skills on “The Lesson,” possibly the best track on the album. He performs one of the most adept and complex vocal-percussion performances that I’ve ever heard, complete with simultaneously creating a “bassline” and providing separate vocal trills. It makes for a dark and sparse musical landscape for Black Thought and a then 15-year-old Dice Raw to “run a-motherfucking-rap-mok” over.
Black Thought gives what was at the time one of the strongest verses of his career, imparting an immaculate literal lyrical dissertation. “Stepping through the corridor of metaphors,” he raps. “Looking over my left shoulder, the mic still feel colder than before / With this jazz shit, I hit your jaw.” In his first appearance on an album, Dice Raw exudes teenage bravado while kicking a lengthy freestyled verse that’s almost shockingly great in its delivery. He raps, “Super spectac’ with all the raw rap / Pull a metal chair out my knapsack, across your back, Ka-Krack!!!! / Now do you feel the pain? Of course / I guess you’re believing that I’m insane.”
“Silent Treatment,” the album’s third and final single, is one of the better hip-hop tracks about relationships released during the ’90s. Black Thought channels his frustration and emotional pain towards his “Queen Amina,” a girl who’s ghosted him because he yearns to make their coupling a physical one. The crew provides the most complex and lush backdrop on the album, layering horns, keys, vibes, and even a whistling solo by Quest to create a perfect moody soundtrack for Thought to bare his soul to.
Thought successfully walks the line of a man in pursuit of “some Marvin Gaye healing” not because he wants a quick lay, but because he perceives sex as the next logical step in their relationship. He laments, “I provide a place to hide from crime, hard times / and living trife, while I open your mind, you’re in my life / Like love, it ain’t no way no one can rise above / What’s real, that's why I'm feeling like you're making me bugged.”
Since the arrival of Do You Want More?!!!??!, The Roots have continued to grow in stature, both as musicians and representatives of hip-hop culture. Questlove is a successful author and musical elder statesman, while Black Thought is one of the most skilled emcees drawing oxygen. Malik, Storch, and Hub all left the group years ago, but they’ve made their impact both individually and as members of the collective.
Though Do You Want More?!!!??! was a mild success at the time, selling 200,000 units, and being certified gold more than 20 years later, Quest later told Brian Coleman in Check the Technique that the band thought the moderate sales figures kept them hungry and motivated. Its artistic ambition and execution shaped the group’s future and it endures as a classic project a quarter of a century after its creation.
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