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“Spectacular… the astringent strings swarm like locusts clouding a window… the wildest, most anarchic sound.”

(Pitchfork)

 
 
 
 

About the Album

Released May 19, 2014 on Def Jam Records

…And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is the eleventh studio album by American hip hop band The Roots. The album is conceptual, but unlike their previous release Undun (2010) — which was also a collaboration with Metropolis Ensemble — this album features several characters in this story, not just one, in a satirical look at violence in hip hop and American society overall.

To celebrate the album’s release, Metropolis artists joined The Roots and DJ A-Trak on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” (NBC) to perform the new track “Never” on May 20, 2014.

 
 

Recent Reviews

Featured
Genius: Cousin Review
Genius: Cousin Review

Nina Simone's creepy-while-somehow-soothing voice is a perfect paint for the canvas that the string-heavy beat provides.

Spectrum Culture: Cousin Review
Spectrum Culture: Cousin Review

The angular melody, dissonant background strings and Simone’s nervous, vibrato-laden voice establishes a menacing presence.

Pop Matters: Cousin Review
Pop Matters: Cousin Review

It manages to balance its weird orchestra breakdown with a rather contemporary beginning and ending.

Pitchfork: "And Then You Shoot Your Cousin" Review
Pitchfork: "And Then You Shoot Your Cousin" Review

“Roots albums, no matter the landscape around them, always feel sturdy, firm—responsible, in the classic Gangstarr way.”

Paste: "And Then You Shoot Your Cousin" Review
Paste: "And Then You Shoot Your Cousin" Review

In “…And Then You Shoot Your Cousin,” The Roots prove their mastery of mixing high and low culture for diverse audiences. It’s a headier album, but one rife with significance.

HipHopDX: "Cousin" Review
HipHopDX: "Cousin" Review

“It’s a curious turn, but one that finds them as oddly whimsical and satisfying as ever.”

 
 
 

“It’s a thirty-three minute opera. Each song is a different character… looking at how to cope in hard times.”

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson

A long-time Metropolis collaborator, The Roots’ bandleader has invited Metropolis to join projects over the years, including Shuffle Culture and Electronium (both at BAM) and live performances on Jimmy Fallon (NBC).

 
 
 

WATCH: The Roots perform “Never” with Metropolis and DJ A-Trak on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC), May 20, 2014.

Project In-Depth

“Cousin” is a satirical look at the Dionysian impulse in contemporary hip-hop told through a series of ne'er-do-wells and outlaws. The characters are dysfunctional, alienated, occasionally mean-spirited, but always meaningful – denizens of the permanent underclass who have become lost in history's shuffle without losing their sense of the broader comedy of existence.

  • Theme From Middle of the Night
    Nina Simone

    Never
    The Roots, Patty Crash

    When The People Cheer
    The Roots, Modesty Lycan, Greg Porn

    The Devil
    Mary Lou Williams

    Black Rock
    The Roots, Dice Raw

    Understand
    The Roots, Dice Raw, Greg Porn

    Dies Irae
    Michel Chion

    The Coming
    The Roots, Mercedes Martinez

    The Dark (Trinity)
    The Roots, Dice Raw, Greg Porn

    The Unraveling
    The Roots, Raheem DeVaughn

    Tomorrow
    The Roots, Raheem DeVaughn

  • The Roots

    • Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, drums

    • Kirk "Captain Kirk" Douglas, guitar

    • James Poyser, keyboards

    • Kamal Gray, keyboards

    • Frank "Knuckles" Walker, percussion

    • Damon Bryson, sousaphone

    • Mark Kelley, bass

    Featured Artists

    • Dice Raw

    • Greg Porn

    • Mercedes Martinez

    • Michel Chion

    • Modesty Lycan

    • Nina Simone

    • Patty Crash

    • Raheem DeVaughn

    Metropolis Ensemble

    • Emily Smith, violin

    • Henry Wang, violin

    • Sean Lee, violin

    • Siwoo Kim, violin

    • Danny Kim, viola

    • Jack Stulz, viola

    • Dane Johansen, cello

    • Alice Yoo, cello

    • Andrew Cyr, conductor

    • Richard Nichols, executive producer

    • Producers: Anthony Woods SJ, Tarik "Black Thought" Trotter, Damion Ward, DD Jackson, Dice Raw, Hecky Krasnow, Mary Lou Williams, Mike Jerz, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Ray Angry, Rev Run, Trapzillas & The Wurxs

    • Andrew Cyr, conductor

    • DD Jackson, strings arranger

    • Dave Kutch, mastering engineer

    • Jason Goldstein, mixing engineer

 
 

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson

Ahmir Khalib Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ?uestlove), is an American musician, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thought) for the hip hop band the Roots. He is the Musical Director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where his beloved Roots crew serves as house band. Beyond that, this 4-time GRAMMY Award winning musician’s indisputable reputation has landed him musical directing positions with everyone from D’Angelo to Eminem to Jay-Z. Questlove has also released two books including the New York Times Bestseller Mo’ Meta Blues and Soul Train: The Music, Dance and Style of a Generation. One of this latest endeavors includes scoring Chris Rock’s new film, Top Five, and also working as the music supervisor. More »

 

Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter

Tariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove . Regarded as "one of the most skilled, incisive, and prolific rappers of his time" by Andy Kellman of AllMusic, he is widely lauded for his live performance skills, continuous multisyllabic rhyme schemes, complex lyricism, double entendres, and politically aware lyrics. With the Roots, he is a singer and rapper on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, frequently playing games with Fallon and his guests. More »

 
 

Meet the Artists