…and then you shoot your cousin

…and then you shoot your cousin is a satirical look at the Dionysian impulse in contemporary hip-hop as told through a series of characters who have found themselves trapped in the permanent underclass. Lost in history’s shuffle, broken, yet self-aware, they see their lives both from within and from without. Self-possessed, they’re ever ready to scale the fourth wall.

The core of the event is the new album by the Roots of the same name, …and then you shoot your cousin. The album’s lyrics seed the character’s internal monologues and provide their personal and political context. Its melodies and rhythms are all set against a background of cascading absurdist monologues, flat-footed rap verse, deconstructed samples, found sounds, and improvisational movement pieces.

Featuring Roots members Black Thought on vocals and Questlove on turntable; along with the legendary sampling artist Jeremy Ellis; the ground breaking chamber orchestra Metropolis Ensemble; the award-winning jazz pianist, composer, and arranger D.D. Jackson; the highly acclaimed dancer/motion artist Storyboard P; the extraordinary musician and beatboxer, Rahzel; and the incomparable jazz composer and multi-instrumentalist Craig S. Harris.