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Having a permanent stationary gig has allowed The Roots to hone their chemistry as a unit and make albums that sound more cohesive than a typical act working on a record label’s time clock.

The Philly band’s lead vocalist Black Thought recently checked in with XXL to announce that the Legendary Roots Crew are picking up where their Elvis Costello collaboration Wise Up Ghost and undun LP left off with their eleventh studio album, …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin.

“It’s conceptual; it’s another concept album in the spirit of undun, but it’s not just about just one kind of character, we create quite a few different characters in this record,” Thought tells XXL’s Dan Rhys. “It’s satire, but in that satire it’s an analysis of some of the stereotypes perpetuated in not only the Hip-Hop community, but in the community. I don’t know if that makes any sense.”

The Roots have been Jimmy Fallon’s house band since 2009, and recently joined him on the milestone move as he took over for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show, so this album could potentially garner the most exposure the band has ever witnessed.

“Hopefully you’ll get something new from it every time you listen to it, you’ll hone in on something different,” Thought continued. “It’s short enough to do that, to take in, to digest in one sitting, so to speak. There’s very many layers to this record, but it doesn’t take place over very much time.”

What is your favorite Roots album? Do you think …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin will measure up to it musically? Let us know in the comment section por favor.

Photo: Mr. Blue/WENN.com