The Seed (2.0)
Encyclopedia
"The Seed" is the second single by The Roots
from their fifth album Phrenology
(2002). The track, which features Cody Chesnutt
on the guitar and vocals, is an "uptempo retooling" of his song "The Seed" from the album The Headphone Masterpiece
. The song's music video was nominated for the MTV2 Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards
. Jeff Vrabel of Billboard
described the track as "a genre-bending mix of rock guitars and Prince
-styled keyboards and drums".
". Brett Berliner of Stylus Magazine
wrote that although the track features black singers and rappers, "it is a rock song, featuring a little bit of funk and just a very little bit of hip-hop." The song was favorably received from music critics. Robert Christgau
called it the album's "centerpiece" and "jammingest avant rap track". Pitchfork Media
editor Sam Chennault described the song as an "orgiastic garage funk number" and called it the album's "most immediately satisfying track". In 2009, Pitchfork Media listed it at number 330 in "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s". Stylus Magazines Brett Berliner declared it the album's "best track" with its "catchy hook that stays with listeners for days". In The A.V. Club
s 2002 top fifteen "Songs of the Year", Stephen Thompson listed the single at number nine. Jake Coyle of the Associated Press
called it "one of the best rock songs of the decade".
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
from their fifth album Phrenology
Phrenology (album)
Phrenology is the fifth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released November 26, 2002, on Geffen Records and MCA Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 2000 to September 2002...
(2002). The track, which features Cody Chesnutt
Cody ChesnuTT
Cody Chesnutt is an American R&B and neo soul musician.-Biography:Cody Chesnutt is an African American musician from Atlanta, Georgia, whose music blends elements of rock, funk, soul, hip hop, and blues. Chesnutt and his former band, The Crosswalk, had a brief stint with Hollywood Records in which...
on the guitar and vocals, is an "uptempo retooling" of his song "The Seed" from the album The Headphone Masterpiece
The Headphone Masterpiece
The Headphone Masterpiece is neo-soul artist Cody ChesnuTT's debut double album, which was released in 2002. Recorded with basic arrangements at his home on a 4-track tape recorder, it is arguably the only prominent instance of the lo-fi aesthetic being applied to contemporary R&B music...
. The song's music video was nominated for the MTV2 Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards
2003 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City...
. Jeff Vrabel of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
described the track as "a genre-bending mix of rock guitars and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
-styled keyboards and drums".
Music and reception
"The Seed (2.0)" is a hybrid mix of "distorted rock, hip-hop and psychedelic soulPsychedelic soul
Psychedelic soul, sometimes called black rock, is a sub-genre of soul music, which mixes the characteristics of soul with psychedelic rock...
". Brett Berliner of Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
wrote that although the track features black singers and rappers, "it is a rock song, featuring a little bit of funk and just a very little bit of hip-hop." The song was favorably received from music critics. Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
called it the album's "centerpiece" and "jammingest avant rap track". Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
editor Sam Chennault described the song as an "orgiastic garage funk number" and called it the album's "most immediately satisfying track". In 2009, Pitchfork Media listed it at number 330 in "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s". Stylus Magazines Brett Berliner declared it the album's "best track" with its "catchy hook that stays with listeners for days". In The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s 2002 top fifteen "Songs of the Year", Stephen Thompson listed the single at number nine. Jake Coyle of the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
called it "one of the best rock songs of the decade".
Charts
| Charts (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Danish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 35 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 5 |
| German Singles Chart | 67 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 22 |
| UK Singles Chart | 33 |
External links
- "The Seed (2.0)" music video at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....