“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
“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).
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.
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Theme From Middle of the Night
Nina SimoneNever
The Roots, Patty CrashWhen The People Cheer
The Roots, Modesty Lycan, Greg PornThe Devil
Mary Lou WilliamsBlack Rock
The Roots, Dice RawUnderstand
The Roots, Dice Raw, Greg PornDies Irae
Michel ChionThe Coming
The Roots, Mercedes MartinezThe Dark (Trinity)
The Roots, Dice Raw, Greg PornThe Unraveling
The Roots, Raheem DeVaughnTomorrow
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
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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 »
