The Roots

Released: June 22, 2010

Songwriter: ?uestlove Black Thought John Legend

Producer: ?uestlove

[Hook: John Legend]
I keep it doin' it again
Oh, I'm doin' it again
Yes, I'm doin' it again
I said it would end

[Verse 1: Black Thought]
Uh, remix, rising up out of the flames like a phoenix
Straining to carry the weight of my brain like a genius
Knowing I'm sowing seeds, let's see whose thumb is the greenest
If I said, I mean it, I did it because I need it
Eat, sleep it or bleed it, write it down and then read it
Asphalt to the cement, your trash talk, deleted
I blast off, then lay 'em out like a Tempurpedic
It's Black Thought, for certain I'ma win eventually
This unsung, underrated, under-appreciated
The one them underachievers had underestimated
Finally graduated, I'm one of the most hated
Something that's so sacred, nobody gon' take it
Face it, I keep doin' it well
Doin' it sans assistance, just do it yourself
Doin' it below the radar, we doin' it stealth
Doin' it again for Illadelph, yo, who else?
We gon' do it again!

[Hook: John Legend]
I keep it doin' it again
Oh, I'm doin' it again
Yes, I'm doin' it again
I said it would end

[Verse 2: Black Thought]
Yeah, ayo, I'm on my job, see my eyes focused where the prize be
Even though they tried to rob me and sabotage the spot
Just like 'Pac when they got him in the lobby
Tried to tax and fine me like Ronald Isley
I's a changed man, ain't no if, and's or probably's
Niggas used to know me, they don't even recognize me
Yep, the P-5-D is who the repertoire be
Doin' it again just like Poitier and Cosby
I'm like Martin Luther King, you like Rodney
The difference is I give it everything inside me
Dear diary, the fans still swear by me
Even though I'm late night now like, "Here's Johnny"
Swimming with them Great Whites now, that's where to find me
Funny how it break right down, but never mind me
Forever grimey, I guess it's just Philly shining
Rock roller, bipolar like Phyllis Hyman

[Hook: John Legend]
I keep it doin' it again
Oh, I'm doin' it again
Yes, I'm doin' it again
I said it would end

The world’s premiere hip-hop band, The Roots were formed in Philadelphia in 1987 by MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and drummer and bandleader Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Since those early days, the band has weathered changes in personnel and record labels while performing hundreds of shows a year and releasing a string of well-regarded (if not always top-selling) albums.

While the musicianship of Thompson and the other band members, as well as their seemingly limitless repertoire, gets most of the attention, real hip-hop fans know that the rapping skills of Black Thought (along with former group member Malik B.) are the group’s hidden weapon. Thought, one of the few MCs brave enough to go toe to toe with Big Pun, handles any groove the band throws at him with aplomb, style, and flash.

Today, The Roots are seen by millions every night as the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a move that has given the group the chance to indulge its not-insignificant comic side.

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