Hip hop, arguably, remains somewhat of a mystery to me. I have my favourite albums and know what sounds subjectively good but until …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin was released in 2014, I had never heard of The Roots. They simply weren’t on my radar but I kept seeing the vinyl release of …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin and became captivated by the mixed media collage was created by Romare Bearden in 1964 and adopted for the cover and overall style of the album artwork. In years gone by, I would have likely picked up the album based on the cover art alone, but streaming services have allowed record collectors to sample music, before purchase, ensuring that we don’t pick up albums that we’ll never really play thereby proving that analog and digital formats can happily coexist.
While this review will champion the vinyl release, for it is an exceptional piece of art, both in the traditional and audible sense, the lossless Apple Music stream isn’t as dynamically charged as the vinyl counterpart but that isn’t a dig at the streamed version, it’s more a tip of the hat to the vinyl mastering and pressing that is nothing short of exceptional and is amongst some of the best sounding records in my collection.
Putting the record on the turntable is an immersive experience that I consider to be synonymous with hip hop as the music will not only radiate through your body but will also touch your soul. Yes, the digital stream gets you close, and if you have no interest in vinyl you won’t be disappointed in the sonic quality, but the vinyl tonality takes the album to a whole nother level while maintaining a record that is so quiet you’ll be hard-pressed to hear any surface noise, even in the dead wax.
Disappointingly, however, Theme From The Middle Of The Night, The Devil, and Dies Irae are omitted from the Apple Music stream; in Australia. A frustrating element considering these songs are available if you purchase the lossy album on iTunes; they’re the dreaded album only tracks. This streaming omission is a shame considering …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is a concept album satirising American culture. That said, the vinyl counterpart continues this story-arc through the exquisite vinyl artwork.
Starting with Bearden’s stunning collage, the art production team masterfully merged new creative elements so well that the artwork becomes the visual equivalent of sampling; a foundational element of the hip hop genre. It tells a story and on several occasions, I’ve been more captivated by the continuity of the visual tale than the music itself; a sign, in my opinion, that the vinyl artwork remains a value-added proposition to music lovers.
Unlike the vinyl release, the Apple Music stream doesn’t consecutively number songs; a shame considering this is a trademark of The Roots.
SIDE A
Theme From The Middle Of The Night is a magical introduction courtesy of the incomparable Nina Simone. As a fan of Miss Simone, I love this introduction despite it being somewhat truncated. If you’re interested, the original can be heard on The Amazing Nina Simone.
Never (Feat. Patty Crash) is an enveloping, eerie, sonic wonderland that is simply stunning. Add to that the unique feminine lyrical element and the masculine rap lyric throughout and you’ve got a song that on paper shouldn’t work but the culmination is extremely compelling.
When The People Cheer (Feat. Modesty Lycan & Greg Porn) is head-bopping gold; one of the best tunes on the album.
The Devil is a short interlude-styled song, sampled from the Mary Lou Williams original, but is pure genius and works extremely well on …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin.
Black Rock (Feat. Dice Raw) is a composition that grows on you the more you listen to it. Yes, initially, it may seem a little disjointed, but once you connect with a specific rhythm, you’ll be hooked. As a song on its own, however, it isn’t memorable but when listening to it via the album sequencing, it’s perfect.
Understand (Feat. Dice Raw & Greg Porn) simply explodes on vinyl and while the Apple Music stream isn’t lacking in oomph, low-frequency music lovers will most certainly want to hear the sound vibing from the grooves. If you like to enjoy your music visually, you need to check out the music video for no other reason than to witness the greatest organ ever, in a music video.
Dies Irae is one of the most annoying tracks ever recorded. Thankfully it’s short, but even after enjoying the album countless times, I still find myself being distracted by this instrumental, if you could call it that, as it is simply a shrill mess.
SIDE B
Thankfully, The Coming (Feat. Mercedes Martinez) makes up for the harshness of the Side A closer. The mix on The Coming is simply amazing. It’s subtle but the panning of the vocal, especially when listening via headphones, is one of those sonic experiences that needs to be heard firsthand. It’s a shame, however, that the musical interlude in the second half of the song detracts from the masterful first half.
The Dark (Trinity) [Feat. Dice Raw & Greg Porn] flows beautifully from The Coming and has a slow rhythm, and an utterly perfect lyrical delivery, that simply resonates with my soul. The best song on the album? Perhaps, but The Unraveling is next.
The Unraveling (Feat. Raheem DeVaughn) is sonically amazing; especially on vinyl as the warmth (think distortion) of the format adds significantly to the overall experience. The pause around the three-quarter mark, while stylistically cool, isn’t a necessary element in my opinion and does momentarily take you out of the rhythm but thankfully it doesn’t last and The Unraveling closes out masterfully.
Tomorrow (Feat. Raheem DeVaughn) closes the album on a lighter tone than much of …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin, but its melody ensures that I’m captivated enough to spin this masterpiece one more time.
…And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is a phenomenal release and while it’s on the short side at only 33 minutes, sometimes that is all you need as a longer runtime would be superfluous to the creative vision.