What They Do

E65176

"What They Do" is a socially conscious hip hop track by The Roots, noted for its smooth, jazz-influenced production and satirical critique of mainstream rap culture.

Aliases (1)

Statements (28)
Predicate Object
instanceOf single
song
albumArtist The Roots
artist The Roots
backingBand The Roots
countryOfOrigin United States
featuresVocalsBy Black Thought
genre conscious hip hop
hip hop
hasMusicalStyle jazz rap
jazz-influenced production
hasMusicVideo What They Do (music video)
hasReputation classic track in The Roots’ catalog
influential socially conscious hip hop song
language English
lyricTheme critique of commercialism in hip hop
satire of mainstream rap culture
musicVideoFeature parody of rap video clichés
notableFor satirical critique of mainstream rap aesthetics
smooth, laid-back production
socially conscious lyrics
partOfAlbum Illadelph Halflife
performedBy Black Thought
performer The Roots
recordLabel DGC Records
Geffen Records
releaseDecade 1990s
usesInstrumentation live band instrumentation

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
What They Do ("What They Do (music video)")
hasMusicVideo
Illadelph Halflife
hasPart
The Roots
single

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