Everyone associates The Roots’ debut with their iconic Do You Want More?!!!??! LP from 1995. That album introduced the world to Questlove’s infectious drum patterns and Black Thought’s deadly verses that, at the time, were paired with the equally jaw-dropping rhymes from Malik B. The Roots established themselves as innovators early on with their jazzy approach to hip-hop and combining live instrumentation within the structure of the genre.
Before The Roots built a catalog centered around fresh takes and undeniable musicianship and before they were rubbing elbows with Jimmy Fallon as the resident band for The Tonight Show, they were a group of Philadelphia natives reaching for the attention of the masses. Just like any other young musicians of the time, The Roots were toting around a demo tape that displays their natural chemistry as a band. It was 1992 when the band’s tireless creativity outgrew their beloved hometown as The Roots looked to London to set up a new home base. The band spent a year recording and perfecting what we now know as Organix, the forgotten Roots project that changed the band, and eventually hip-hop, as we know it.
Organix was released on May 19, 1993, 30 years to the date. While those three decades would have The Roots cementing themselves as one of the most consistently impressive and innovative music acts of the time, that journey had to start somewhere. The Roots began selling copies of Organix at gigs they would find while living overseas. The album circulated enough that The Roots became a common name mentioned when discussing London’s underground scene and led to a few road gigs around Europe for the band with more copies of their debut being sold at every stop. The album created such a buzz that major labels began knocking at The Roots’ door. They navigated some of the biggest labels at a time when majors were still in control and were able to sneak in tricky clauses in contracts, ultimately putting more money into the label head’s bi-weekly paycheck and giving less to the artist. It was a time when the sliminess of the industry was known but not well enough for them to find their morals. The Roots miraculously emerged from these negotiations unscathed and Organix landed The Roots a deal at DGC/Geffen, who would release their aforementioned studio debut two years later.
Organix has become somewhat of hip-hop folklore. While the internet brought us countless means to listen to the demo tape and The Roots fame brought on a few repressings of the LP in the following years, the album seems to be missed when discussing the legacy of The Roots. So what was on this demo tape that threw the music industry into a frenzy upon its release? What is it about these rough mixes that sparked such a historic career for The Roots?
Organix features 17 songs that put The Roots’ unique approach to hip-hop on full display. Upon pressing play, a spiritual chant warns you about the incoming Roots crew over a funky bassline. This bleeds into a venomous verse from Black Thought and every hip-hop fan remembers the first time they heard Thought spit. You don’t need to look much further than track two to understand why this album became an instant fan favorite. “Pass The Popcorn” not only features a rare vocal appearance from Questlove but is also a key to understanding The Roots and their approach to music. From day one, The Roots moved as a unit.
The music of Organix is dense and layered, a level of textured hip-hop that is only achievable via egoless creativity and a passion for creating the greatest music possible. The album was innovative and refreshing and still feels that way 30 years later. The Roots took the skeleton of hip-hop and replaced certain appendages with tropes from jazz and soul to create a sound that has yet to be duplicated.
Organix sounds like much more than a demo tape, these are fully throughout ideas that showed early signs of The Roots’ fearless art.
Escaping from the confines of early 90’s east coast hip-hop, The Roots’ trip to London yielded more than a new approach to their craft, it birthed their careers. The Roots are now synonymous with hip-hop and have achieved things outside of the genre that most artists dream of but regardless of any awards or critical acclaim, The Roots are hip-hop to their core. Organix proves that The Roots had their illustrious careers in sight all along and they found the right ears and hearts to fill overseas in order to push themselves to the next level, and they haven’t looked back since.
