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The Roots Herald New LP With ‘When the People Cheer’

The Roots 'When the People Cheer' 'And Then You Shoot Your Cousin'

In between The Tonight Showcollaborating with Elvis Costello, and playing a healthy amount of concerts, the Roots somehow found time to write and record their 11th studio album. The Philly crew offered up the first taste from the upcoming And Then You Shoot Your Cousin in the form of the beautifully bleak “When the People Cheer,” which highlights the record’s concept about growing up in gritty neighborhoods. “Am I a douchebag or just another do-rag?” Black Thought rhymes over a piano-inflected Questlove beat before a group of girls sing the chorus like some sort of schoolyard rhyme. And Then You Shoot Your Cousin, which is said to have a similar theme as 2011’s excellent undun, is due out May 13 from Def Jam.