The Seed (2.0)

This is a reworking of an original recording, "The Seed," by Cody Chestnutt, who is a featured vocalist on this track. It appeared on his 2002 debut album Headphone Masterpiece, which he recorded in his bedroom. This version with The Roots is much more polished and became the hit.

The Roots' version of the "Seed 2.0" is a genre-bending song - most critics couldn't figure out exactly what to call it. Alexis Petridis probably found the best descriptor when he wrote in the Guardian he called it "an individual hybrid of distorted rock, hip-hop and psychedelic soul, blessed with a fantastic chorus." The lyrics speak from the perspective of a guy trying to get women knocked up behind his wife's or his girlfriend's back (this is never specified). He's shameless about this. He sees it as keeping his legacy alive. And I'm left to shine, but the legacy I leave behind Be the seed that'll keep the flame I don't ask for much but enough room to spread these wings And the world gonna know my name There are hints of the broader story at play, but it becomes convoluted when you try to pin it down. He appears to have had a baby with his "main" woman already, and she's greedy and demanding. She want platinum or ice or gold She want a whole lot of somethin' to fold After that, the song discusses a woman named Mary and a woman named Cadillac, and the singer identifies himself as the code name The Only One. The chorus declares that if Mary's baby drops that night, he'll name her Rock and Roll. This references back to the song's first verse: Knocked up nine months ago And what she gonna have she don't know She want neo-soul, this hip-hop is old She don't want no rock'n'roll It's one of those songs that becomes more convoluted the more you try to put together a precise linear narrative. Either way, the general spirit is that the guy wants to get as many women pregnant as possible.

The music video, directed by Jesse Peretz, was nominated for the MTV2 Award in 2003. It lost to "Girl's Not Grey" by AFI.