In 2025, it is safe to say Philadelphia’s The Roots is a household name. With their tenure as The Tonight Show’s house band, numerous books published by ring leaders Questlove and Black Thought, and classic and commercially successful albums, the live Hip-hop band has carved a lane that reaches beyond their music and into the pop culture stratosphere. When a band reaches this level of success for this long, it’s hard to imagine when albums like Things Fall Apart weren’t a part of your rotation. The Roots were far from an overnight success, and their rise to the top began on this day (January 17) in 1995.
The Roots released their second album, Do You Want More?!!!??! thirty years ago on 1/17/95. The sprawling yet honed effort introduced the world to the band’s master plan of fusing their influences with the modern hip-hop scene. The 16-song LP marked the band’s move to a major label after DGC Records and independently releasing their Organix LP in 1993. The album was dripping with innovation as their jazzy roots shined through Black Thought’s head-spinning rhyme schemes and Questlove’s all-encompassing approach to production. Although the marriage between jazz and Hip-hop had been prevalent and cemented by Guru’s Jazzmatazz in 1993, The Roots’s approach to this sonic marriage was more off-kilter and daring.
Recorded within two years, between ‘93 and ‘94, The Roots had much to prove going into Do You Want More. With artists like Big L and the avalanche of Wu-Tang solo albums released in 1995, the genre aimed for a dark and gritty sound. The Roots, however, seemed widely untouched by the burgeoning New York scene. Rather than play into modern tropes, the band released the album’s lead single, “Distortion To Static,” in the summer of ‘94. The loose melodies and lighthearted tones quickly separated The Roots from their peers, quickly placing the band in a league of their own. The two proceeding singles, “Proceed” and “Silent Treatment,” had the band leaning even harder on their jazz influences and showcasing the songwriting range of Black Thought and Malik B.
The Roots’ risks paid off tremendously. The album received glowing reviews from The Philadelphia Inquirer, Spin, and The Source. Do You Want More reached 104 on the Billboard 200, 22 on the Hip-hop charts, and two on the Heatseekers chart. In 1998, The Source placed the album on their “100 Best Rap Albums.” Twenty years after its release, it was certified gold in 2015, showcasing the longevity The Roots have continued to push into modern times. In 2008, a fire at Universal Studios destroyed the master tapes of Do You Want More, including some unreleased material from the original recording sessions. Despite this, the band released a deluxe version of their debut in 2021, including some remixes of the original album.
Three decades later, The Roots’ proper studio debut still sounds refreshing. Classics like “Mellow My Man” and “Datskat” are statuesque testaments to the band’s fearless creativity and restless spirit. Do You Want More?!!!??! started one of the most colorful and awe-inspiring discographies Hip-hop has ever seen, as The Roots laid the foundation for jazz rap with a soaring and timeless debut.
