--- description: Their new album is due out May 13 on Def Jam title: The Roots "When the People Cheer" New Single image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt67506e3f6f00c121/6986897835ba6f1ba6c01669/14224-0329-v2.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Hear the Roots' "When the People Cheer": The First Single Off Their New Album by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 8, 2014 7:10 PM CUT  The Roots The RootsDef Jam Recordings by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 8, 2014 7:10 PM CUT In between singing the [_Frozen_](http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/03/04/watch-jimmy-fallon-idina-menzel-and-the-roots-sing-let-it-go/ "undefined")[ soundtrack ](http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/03/04/watch-jimmy-fallon-idina-menzel-and-the-roots-sing-let-it-go/ "undefined")with Idina Menzel, performing [“We Can’t Stop” ](http://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/09/watch-miley-cyrus-jimmy-fallon-and-the-roots-perform-we-cant-stop/ "undefined")with Miley Cyrus and completing the rest of their _Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon_ duties, The Roots have somehow managed to make a brand-new album. The ominously titled _And Then You Shoot Your Cousin_ is due out May 13 on Def Jam Records, as confirmed [via Instagram](http://instagram.com/p/mgc6fzQa%5FR/ "undefined") by Questlove. Band member Black Thought described the band’s forthcoming 11th album in an interview with [XXL](http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2014/02/the-roots-new-project-will-be-another-concept-album/ "undefined"): “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. 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.” The first single, “When the People Cheer,” helps explain how the band is incorporating that heady concept into the albums’ tracks. The song starts out with a nursery rhyme and then quickly veers into darker territory with heavy lyrics. Listen here: **MORE**: [10 Questions for Questlove](http://entertainment.time.com/2013/06/13/10-questions-for-questlove/ "undefined") **MORE**: [The Roots of The Roots: Everything You Need to Know About Jimmy Fallon’s Band](http://entertainment.time.com/2014/02/19/the-roots-jimmy-fallon-band-tonight-show/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/53842/the-roots-when-the-people-cheer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/53842/the-roots-when-the-people-cheer/"},"headline":"Hear the Roots' \"When the People Cheer\": The First Single Off Their New Album","datePublished":"2014-04-08T19:10:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T07:34:25.185Z","description":"Their new album is due out May 13 on Def Jam","url":"https://time.com/53842/the-roots-when-the-people-cheer/","keywords":["Music","The Roots"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt67506e3f6f00c121/6986897835ba6f1ba6c01669/14224-0329-v2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt67506e3f6f00c121/6986897835ba6f1ba6c01669/14224-0329-v2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"14224-0329-v2","caption":"The Roots","creditText":"Def Jam Recordings","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/53842/the-roots-when-the-people-cheer/","name":"Hear the Roots' \"When the People Cheer\": The First Single Off Their New Album"}}]}] ```