Thoughts On 'Do You Want More??!!!?'

I can't really explain the feeling I get when I listen to The Roots album 'Do You Want More!??!!?"  for the first time in years. Well actually I probably can, let's not get TOO dramatic. Personally, I think it's like seeing your high-school GF/sweetheart years after you guys separated to go to different colleges. Hearing the first few seconds of that opening track - Black Thought's voice tingles the spine like the first audible words from said GF during that run-in encounter. It all floods back to you - the feelings of adolescence, where everything was fresh and the new experiences were endless (as was my energy smh). I first heard it when I was a senior in high-school and really discovering hip-hop for the first time. Yeah, I had exposure to the genre in Top 40 form from an early age - Coolio, Biggie, 2pac, DMX, Jay-Z...especially the Jigga Man. But anyways I discovered that boom-bap, NY, Preemo shit and I was GONE. And among those early albums of golden-era hip-hop exposure were several by The Roots. Their entire catalog up to that point (2003) was 100% classic material - starting with DYWM??!?! and continuing with Illadelph Half-life, Things Fall Apart, and Phrenology.

The first track I heard from the album was the single 'Distortion 2 Static' while I was tacking BART somewhere. I hit play on my dinosaur 30 GB iPod, thick as George Constanza's wallet and about as big,  I was going up the escalator, high as fuck from a blunt to the face (a bad habit I would continue for years), and the song put me in a trace. I became sedated in a world of blue colors and hues - both feeling-wise (but calm, not depressed) and in the artwork on the walls on both sides of the escalator. It was truly a sonically religious experience. I immediately copped the album later that week while I was hanging out with my good friend - another amazing day. We had grabbed some purple weed from my friendly neighborhood (and fellow college student) drug dealer - this was when purple was still new and crazy to experience first-hand. I bought it at Amoeba Records and still have that very same copy to this day years later, even after the sands off time has dwindled my possessions kept from that era close to nil. So yeah, it was a great day. And a fantastic album.

First off, if your not a fan of jazz, or more specifically jazz rap, then stop here. Time to go listen to, idk, Lil Wayne or something. Second, you have to like The Roots' "sound" which is basically Black Thought's semi-fast-but-fluid-AF flow and the live band aesthetic (ATTN: The Roots are totally one of the greatest live shows ever, of course). If that works for you - then this album will find a home close to your heart. It's pure early-90's boom-bap/jazz fusion rap in the era of Native Tounges and KRS-One, Preemo and Pete Rock. Heavy hitters were the norm - but The Roots immediately separated themnselkves from the pack with said live band atheistic. And on DYWM??!?!! they push that atheistic to new heights. Questlove has essentially recorded a live album in it's purest form - on the street. At least, that's the feeling you get from the beautifully simple album cover (both front & back) which enters your mind and never really leaves. To be sure - this is definitely a studio-recorded album. But the way that Black Thought & Malik B. - North Philly's answer to Ghost & Raekwon - play off each other and play verbal hot potato is very live concert-esque. Questlove & Co. end many tracks with quick quips and other ad-libs usually reserved for the cutting-room floor. Stand-out track 'Essaywhuman??!?" is a now-Roots' show staple and crowd can actually be heard through-out it's 5:01 length. And the track 'Dat Skat' is exactly that - skat singing ala 1930's jazz / Louie Armstrong & Co. which was a form of lyrical filler excluesevly used at - you guessed it - live shows. It also pays homage to the album's obvious jazz roots (no pun intended). If your looking for an album that track-for-track can compete with any album in any genre, in both live and studio form, then look no further than 'Do Yo Want More!!??!'. It is quintessential golden-era hip-hop, indeed, but also live album, jazz fusion album, concept album, and so many others. It plays to so many strengths. Regardless of your tastes,listen to 'Do You Want More??!!' for at one track. I pretty much guarantee it'll leave you, well, wanting more.