The Roots

Released: July 1, 1997

Featuring: D’Angelo

Songwriter: Black Thought ?uestlove James Poyser Maurice White Philip Bailey Larry Dunn

Producer: James Poyser Kelo Saunders The Roots

[Vocals from D'Angelo]

[Verse 1: Black Thought]
This beautiful blend, I knew her through a mutual friend
She was a work of art, a part of my heart from back then
A brown skin singer with a knack for actin'
Alana's whole attraction just fractionally based on surface
I got into her mental on purpose
And with alertness, as I flirt with her emotion
Walls we built up out of nervousness was broken
I reminisce on how this Black Thought had her open
With the energy that got the whole summertime smokin'
Very hypnotized, when it was time, we spent time
It's no way to rewind or prevent time from slippin' away like day
Into the dark and the way that Things Fall Apart
Will make some start to feel more weak or insecure
But for whatever reason, our relationship remain mature
Even when she caught feelings 'cause I stay on tour
As I reflect on before and recap the situation
I guess from experience comes education
We set on a path to opposite destinations
It's best to chalk it up and add it to the elevation
Then, eventually flow on to lost communication
I called but lost all information
And with time, forgot it, it's not like I'm all in tears about it
But the fact of the matter remains that I miss The Hypnotic

[Hook x2: D'Angelo]
You're a shinin' star
No matter where you are
For the world to see
What you truly be

[Verse 2: Black Thought]
Yo, she was The Hypnotic and potent as a narcotic
The bizarre logic of it all, is while the clock tick
Pages of the calendar flip, we can't stop it
Time will either tell the tale or turn a love toxic
Now, was she real? Or an illusion of this optical
Confusion with the accent of Ancient Egypt?
Or could it be that she's the one I was supposed to be with
And together walk this twisted staircase to somethin' realistic?
Damn, her lips havin' me addicted to her presence
Front page material on Essence
A queen, imperial before her adolescence
And as she grew into a woman, she became refined
I never knew another like her in my lifetime
So, now I travel through a tunnel of space without a place
On the face of this Earth, with this pain gettin' worse
Drivin' me insane, or at least, I'm touchin' the brink of sanity
To think of how I can link or contact her
I was a fool before, but more wise after the fact
I'm analyzin' how I'm wantin' her back
And wonderin' exactly where she could be on the map
I'm just sittin' here, spinnin' the world on one finger
Reoccurrin' thoughts of this brown skin singer
Yo, the psychotic, The Hypnotic
Yo, check it out, the most melodic Hypnotic, yeah

[Hook x4]

[Piano Outro]

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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