The Rundown: The Roots, ...and then you shoot your cousin

A track-by-track look at the crew's eleventh album.

The Roots, ...and then you shoot your cousin - One can only wonder how The Roots could know your deepest and most inner-thoughts and secrets and transform them into the cinematic sounds of ...and then you shoot your cousin, their eleventh studio album. But after more than two decades in the game, anything is possible for the first official hip hop band. Their latest effort is an amalgamation of the genre, plus neo-soul and jazz, picking up where undun left off, but with a twist. Instead of focusing on the life and death of Redford Stevens, a fictitious character, The Roots bring several characters to life with each of Questlove's drum solos and Black Thought's straight forward poeticism. With some assistance from Raheem DeVaughn, Patty Crash, Mary Lou Williams, the Metropolis Ensemble and more, ...and then you shoot your cousin is a progressive e...

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The Roots, ...and then you shoot your cousin - One can only wonder how The Roots could know your deepest and most inner-thoughts and secrets and transform them into the cinematic sounds of ...and then you shoot your cousin, their eleventh studio album. But after more than two decades in the game, anything is possible for the first official hip hop band. Their latest effort is an amalgamation of the genre, plus neo-soul and jazz, picking up where undun left off, but with a twist. Instead of focusing on the life and death of Redford Stevens, a fictitious character, The Roots bring several characters to life with each of Questlove's drum solos and Black Thought's straight forward poeticism. With some assistance from Raheem DeVaughn, Patty Crash, Mary Lou Williams, the Metropolis Ensemble and more, ...and then you shoot your cousin is a progressive e...

"Theme From the Middle of the Night" feat. Nina Simone - The album kicks off with a blast from the past, with Nina Simone's 1959 recording of "Theme From the Middle of the Night." The string-led song sets the tone for the album, foreshadowing the elements of musical eeriness and a search for self through dimensions of musical conquest.(Photo: Courtesy of Island Def Jam)

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"Theme From the Middle of the Night" feat. Nina Simone - The album kicks off with a blast from the past, with Nina Simone's 1959 recording of "Theme From the Middle of the Night." The string-led song sets the tone for the album, foreshadowing the elements of musical eeriness and a search for self through dimensions of musical conquest.(Photo: Courtesy of Island Def Jam)

"Never" feat. Patty Crash - With a Portishead-like feel, "Never" reels you in with its ghostly intro, a mix of ethereal echoes and sleepy snare. Patty Crash takes the already melancholy track to a deeper state of euphoric depression with her soothing whines and "tear drops" for her fallen street dreams. And Black Thought capsulizes the despair of urban realities, "I was born faceless in the oasis/Folks disappear here and leave no traces/No family ties, n---a no laces/ Less than a full deck, n---a no aces/Waiting on Superman, losing all patience."(Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Rolling Stone)

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"Never" feat. Patty Crash - With a Portishead-like feel, "Never" reels you in with its ghostly intro, a mix of ethereal echoes and sleepy snare. Patty Crash takes the already melancholy track to a deeper state of euphoric depression with her soothing whines and "tear drops" for her fallen street dreams. And Black Thought capsulizes the despair of urban realities, "I was born faceless in the oasis/Folks disappear here and leave no traces/No family ties, n---a no laces/ Less than a full deck, n---a no aces/Waiting on Superman, losing all patience."(Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Rolling Stone)

The Roots - On "Never," The Roots, alongside Patty Crash, deliver a painful journey through life, detailing the struggles that it sometimes comes with. The record is nominated for Impact Track.(Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images) 

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"When the People Cheer" - The lead single off the album is rightfully placed after “Never,” extending the road trip to the dark side with a cruise down the sinful alley of Greg Porn and Black Thought’s most inner thoughts. The restrained, piano-and-drum-led track provides the type of honest, raw, self-reflection which exposes society’s truths by way of the lyricism of the emcees' and the infectious female touch on the hook.(Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

"The Devil" feat. Mary Lou Williams - In the spirit of self-reflection, The Roots remind you “the devil looks a lot like you” on this choir-inspired acapella interlude. “The Devil” is not your traditional devil, but a thespian of sorts disguised in classic hip hop.(Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

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"The Devil" feat. Mary Lou Williams - In the spirit of self-reflection, The Roots remind you “the devil looks a lot like you” on this choir-inspired acapella interlude. “The Devil” is not your traditional devil, but a thespian of sorts disguised in classic hip hop.(Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

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"Black Rock" feat. Dice Raw - If you haven't already concluded that The Roots are diverse and continuously evolving, then this song will confirm that theory. The opening, which features a conundrum of piano keys and controlled yet chaotic guitar riffs, has an old funk flow infused with jazz, rock and roll and hip hop in ways only The Roots can. Dice Raw and Black Thought have no issues slaying the beat, singing and rhyming about hopelessness and the longing to make it out of desperation.(Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Rolling Stone's Volkswagen Rock & Roll Tailgate)

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"Black Rock" feat. Dice Raw - If you haven't already concluded that The Roots are diverse and continuously evolving, then this song will confirm that theory. The opening, which features a conundrum of piano keys and controlled yet chaotic guitar riffs, has an old funk flow infused with jazz, rock and roll and hip hop in ways only The Roots can. Dice Raw and Black Thought have no issues slaying the beat, singing and rhyming about hopelessness and the longing to make it out of desperation.(Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Rolling Stone's Volkswagen Rock & Roll Tailgate)

"Understand" feat. Dice Raw - The hook, "People ask for God until the day he comes/See God's face, turn around an' run/God see's the face of a man, he turns around and says, he'll never understand," over the drums and church organ-infused beat, undoubtedly picks up the pace while maintaining the theme of soul searching, blasphemy and sin.(Photo: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)

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"Understand" feat. Dice Raw - The hook, "People ask for God until the day he comes/See God's face, turn around an' run/God see's the face of a man, he turns around and says, he'll never understand," over the drums and church organ-infused beat, undoubtedly picks up the pace while maintaining the theme of soul searching, blasphemy and sin.(Photo: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)

"Dies Irae" - This instrumental interlude is eerie, short, powerful and saturated in religious symbolism. Derived from the Latin hymn "Day of Wrath," "Dies Irae" is an ode to the day of the "Last Judgment," or the final hour in which trumpets are used to summon the souls to God, weeding out the devotees and leaving the unsaved to be burned in the flames. Word are not needed here. The title alone speaks volumes.(Photo: Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)

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"Dies Irae" - This instrumental interlude is eerie, short, powerful and saturated in religious symbolism. Derived from the Latin hymn "Day of Wrath," "Dies Irae" is an ode to the day of the "Last Judgment," or the final hour in which trumpets are used to summon the souls to God, weeding out the devotees and leaving the unsaved to be burned in the flames. Word are not needed here. The title alone speaks volumes.(Photo: Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)

"The Coming" feat. Mercedes Martinez  - Mercedes Martinez performs a sonic baptism and The Roots are reborn on this piano-driven track. When it opens up, it appears as though it could be a possible ballad, but a surprising piano and strings solo drives the lucid track into another lane, which lies somewhere between a sacred ballad and advanced level "Chopsticks."(Photo: Joseph Marzullo/Wenn.com)

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"The Coming" feat. Mercedes Martinez  - Mercedes Martinez performs a sonic baptism and The Roots are reborn on this piano-driven track. When it opens up, it appears as though it could be a possible ballad, but a surprising piano and strings solo drives the lucid track into another lane, which lies somewhere between a sacred ballad and advanced level "Chopsticks."(Photo: Joseph Marzullo/Wenn.com)

RHYME SCHEMES - Black Thought spit lyrical fury at the Roots & Friends concert.(Photo: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for BET)

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"The Dark (Trinity)" feat. Dice Raw and Greg Porn - Questlove rules this classic Roots beat, which immediately takes you back to their live band origins. It's all hip hop as Dice Raw, Black Thought and Greg Porn expose the plight of the underlings of society as they see it. The wordless chorus provides a church-like feel.   (Photo: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for BET)

Photo By Photo: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for BET

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“The Unraveling" feat. Raheem DeVaughn - Unlike the title, it all comes together (again) on this track, as the album nears its closing curtain. With a piano-driven, bass-heavy beat, Raheem DeVaughn's soothing assertiveness keeps in line with the somber leitmotif as he sings, "I died here again to be reborn again … a man with no future," on the hook. If you weren't sold that you were at a funeral, Black Thought emerges with a brief poem, which brings you closer to theoretical man's final resting bed.(Photo: Matthew Eisman/WireImage)

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“The Unraveling" feat. Raheem DeVaughn - Unlike the title, it all comes together (again) on this track, as the album nears its closing curtain. With a piano-driven, bass-heavy beat, Raheem DeVaughn's soothing assertiveness keeps in line with the somber leitmotif as he sings, "I died here again to be reborn again … a man with no future," on the hook. If you weren't sold that you were at a funeral, Black Thought emerges with a brief poem, which brings you closer to theoretical man's final resting bed.(Photo: Matthew Eisman/WireImage)

"Tomorrow" feat.  Raheem DeVaughn - It's almost as if Raheem DeVaughn is an honorary member of The Roots the way he blends in with the band on this jazz-inspired farewell bid. "'Cause everybody needs an angel/And everybody needs to smile/And everybody has an angle/And everybody wants tomorrow right now," he sings.The Roots then end where they began: with an immaculate, suggestive piano solo.(Photo: Evan Agostini/PictureGroup)

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"Tomorrow" feat.  Raheem DeVaughn - It's almost as if Raheem DeVaughn is an honorary member of The Roots the way he blends in with the band on this jazz-inspired farewell bid. "'Cause everybody needs an angel/And everybody needs to smile/And everybody has an angle/And everybody wants tomorrow right now," he sings.The Roots then end where they began: with an immaculate, suggestive piano solo.(Photo: Evan Agostini/PictureGroup)