Milestones: Do You Want More?!!!??! by The Roots
The Roots’ essential second album (and major label debut) is their coming out party. Musically, no 1995 hip-hop highlight can measure up to this record.
Over 18 years, The Roots put out 14 studio albums, at least the majority of which are absolute knockouts. Even their supposedly “weaker” releases only fall short in comparison to their own discography—other bands would kill for albums like Organix and ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin to call their own. So the question isn’t whether this Philadelphia crew deserves a milestone but rather which part of their discography best fits the bill.
One might argue in favor of Things Fall Apart, thanks to the single “You Got Me”—along with many other classics like “The Next Movement” and “Dynamite”—which marked the group’s first major step into a broader spotlight beyond the international hip-hop scene. Phrenology brought their definitive breakthrough in 2002, and “The Seed 2.0” still fills dance floors a decade later. Game Theory never quite reached the love it deserves, while How I Got Over and Undun aren’t classic levels, but you cannot deny that the quality is impeccable.
Over time, the now truly Legendary Roots Crew underwent a remarkable evolution. More recently, they leaned toward singer-songwriters, with guest spots from Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and Cody ChesnuTT showcasing the soul influences of mastermind Questlove’s combo. Funk was always in the mix, and on the fringes of Phrenology, you could even hear rock and punk pushing through.
But it all started with jazz: Organix from 1993 and its follow-up two years later, whose close connection is made clear right in the intro: “You are all about to witness some organic Hip Hop-Jazz!” The follow-up was called Do You Want More—then came a flurry of punctuation: ?!!!??! It could only have been a rhetorical question.
After 75 minutes of pure groove and exuberance, you’ll find it hard not to press play again. Do You Want More?!!!??! has no real lulls, nor does it have obvious peaks. Instead, it floats at a steady level that stands out even in a busy year like 1995.
That’s saying something, considering Do You Want More?!!!??! kicked off a run of other classics early in the year: GZA’s Liquid Swords, Mobb Deep’s The Infamous, The Pharcyde’s Labcabincalifornia, and ODB’s masterpiece Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version were all released that same year—just to name a few. Each rightfully occupies a top spot in the imaginary Hip-Hop Hall of Fame: GZA and Mobb Deep with their atmospherically rich masterworks, Pharcyde with Golden Era anthems like few others have written since, and ODB simply for being the legendary old dirty bastard he was.
Musically, though, none of those albums can compete with Do You Want More?!!!??!. None of those other legends have such a phenomenally skilled group of musicians fusing genres so effortlessly—like no band before or since. The Roots don’t need samples. This raises the question: Is this jazz sprinkled with rap, or rap influenced by jazz? The answer is simple: It’s pure hip-hop—authentic, unpretentious, boundless, and alive. Exactly as it should be.
Let’s be honest: if Questlove’s dusty, pinpoint-precise drums and Scott Storch’s incredible keys make you start worrying about genre labels, then you probably haven’t grasped The Roots at all. And if the bagpipe on the title track sounds too out-there or you can’t dig Steve Coleman’s virtuoso sax on “Datskat,” maybe this isn’t the right band for you.
For everyone else, Leonard “Hub” Hubbard’s bass redefines the groove, while beatboxer Rahzel seems to shred his vocal cords (“Lazy Afternoon,” “? vs. Rahzel,” “The Lesson Part 1”). Somewhere in between, MCs Malik B. and Black Thought weave their raps off-beat into these sonic realms, as if hip-hop without jazz never even existed. These are those precious, rare moments when everything—from music to lyrics to atmosphere—syncs up perfectly, and Do You Want More?!!!??! has them in spades. That’s why singling out individual tracks is nearly impossible; it’s one cohesive work of art.
If anything, “Essaywhuman?!!!??!” deserves a mention because it perfectly illustrates why Black Thought is more underrated than any other MC. He’s not a flashy frontman; he’s one part of a bigger whole. In “Essaywhuman?!!!??!” his voice becomes another instrument in the jam session, thanks to a kind of scat-rap: “Bass check one-two, keys check one-two, drums check one-two. It’s The Roots!”
Black Thought’s greatest feat is making everyone forget over the years that he ever had a partner. You only realize what a huge loss Malik’s departure after Illadelph Halflife really was when you listen to Do You Want More?!!!??!. He eventually returned as a guest on Game Theory in 2006, prompting a terse but telling “Welcome Home” in the liner notes.
By that time, The Roots had become a major force. Their sound had changed, sure, but unlike so many other bands that keep repeating “evolution” to excuse their slow decline, these Americans actually evolved. It’s an evolution built on the solid, unshakable foundation of Do You Want More?!!!??!, which made Black Thought’s vow in “Proceed” all the more direct: “I shall proceed and continue to rock the mic.” Anything else would’ve been unimaginable.
Standout (★★★★½)