13. The Roots – …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin
Released: May 19, 2014 ~ Reviewed: May 26, 2014 (Rated 4 out of 5 Stars)
It’s like the more light-hearted and jocular The Roots are on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon the gloomier their music becomes. In the same vein as the group’s last album Undun a story is woven into a cloth that might be hard to look at but is necessary to do so.
The Roots haven’t created an album that takes its characters through an odyssey; they are merely going through their experiences on a world stage. The listeners are the ones being taken on a journey through the environment and mind of several individuals who are experiencing hell on earth. This anguish is both inflicted on and created by the ones experiencing it.
Not since Mobb Deep’s The Infamous or The Roots’ own Undun has an album bravely delved into themes of the poor and hopeless in such a concept where it’s the driving force of the album. The reason I say it’s brave is because this notion of what Black America is for people is not an easily digested topic so of course radio and TV aren’t going to play this for the masses. But that’s okay as The Roots have always stuck to this method of making music, which is creating art and letting the rest fall into place.
Black Thoughts lyrics are short but dense much like the album with not much hope being shown and that’s the goal here. The intention is to have no “The Seed (2.0)” or “Birthday Girl”. Basically you won’t be playing this one in your ride but you will still be playing it.
The production is spot on with the theme as it will stir emotions in a confronting way. This should be taken as a good thing.
Even though this album follows a similar path to their last one, The Roots have added to a sometimes static genre what they always do which is skill, honesty, social commentary, and overall originality. – Calvin 2.0