The Roots

Black Thought with the Roots in 1999

The Roots originated in Philadelphia with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter while they were both attending the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts.[8] They would busk out on the street corners with Questlove playing bucket drums and Black Thought rapping over his rhythms. Their first organized gig was a talent show in 1989 at the school where they used the name Radio Activity, which began a series of name changes that progressed through Black to the Future and then The Square Roots.[9] Another MC, Malik B., and a permanent bass player, Leonard "Hub" Hubbard, were added to the band before the release of their first album. In 1992, they dropped the "Square" from "Square Roots" because a local folk group had claim to the name.

Unable to break through in their native Philadelphia, the band briefly moved to London, where they would release their 1993 debut, Organix. The album was released and sold independently. In the span of a year, the band developed a cult following in Europe, boosted by touring. The Roots would receive offers from music labels, and the band eventually signed with DGC/Geffen.

The Roots' first album for DGC, Do You Want More?!!!??!, was released in the United States the year following the signing. During the recording process, beatboxer Rahzel and keyboardist Scott Storch joined the band.[10] The addition of the two members provided additional depth to the band's sound, and energized the Roots' Philadelphia jam sessions, which the band would later sample for songs on Do You Want More?!!!??!. The album's opening track features Black Thought introducing the band's sound as "organic hip hop jazz"; the album is characterized by a combination of contemporary East Coast hip hop and jazz influences, with a heavy reliance on Storch's Fender Rhodes and the occasional saxophone of guest musician Steve Coleman. The album spawned three singles with accompanying videos: "Proceed", "Distortion to Static", and "Silent Treatment". The album was a moderate hit among alternative music fans, boosted by the group's appearance at Lollapalooza. In 1995, the band performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In the years since its release, Do You Want More?!!!??! has come to be considered to be a classic jazz rap album.[11]

The Roots in 1999

The 1996 release Illadelph Halflife was the group's third album and their first to break the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart,[10] spurred in part by MTV's airplay of the video for "What They Do" (a parody of rap video clichés)[12] and "Clones", which was their first single to reach the top five on the rap charts. The band added "What They Do" was also the group's first single to hit the Top 40 of Billboard's charts, reaching a peak of No. 34. Scott Storch left the band and was replaced by a new keyboardist, Kamal Gray. The band's sound would take a darker turn during this period, heavily influenced by the Wu-Tang Clan and the RZA's grimy and haunting production style, replete with samples from old jazz and classical music. The album is also notable for its many guests and collaborators, including Common, D'Angelo, Q-Tip, and others. These collaborations would provide the foundation for the creation of the Soulquarians and forged the Roots' association with the neo-soul subgenre.

The group released Things Fall Apart in 1999 (named after Things Fall Apart, a novel by Chinua Achebe, which in turn was named after a line from "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats). This was their breakthrough album, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 charts and earning a gold record, signifying U.S. sales of at least 500,000 units.[13] The album was eventually certified platinum in April 2013. Mos Def contributed to the track entitled "Double Trouble". The track "Act Two" features African-Belgian band Zap Mama and Common. The track "You Got Me", a duet with R&B singer Erykah Badu and Eve and Jill Scott intended by Black Thought for the "unconscious" population,[14] peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. At the 42nd Grammy Awards "You Got Me" won the award for Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group[15] and the album was nominated for Best Rap Album.[16]

Steve Huey of the website allmusic.com perceived "a strong affinity for the neo-soul movement" in the album.[17] First-time cameos on Things Fall Apart for Philadelphia natives Beanie Sigel and Eve helped to earn them major record deals later (with Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders, respectively). After this album, Dice Raw left the collective to record his solo debut album Reclaiming the Dead. In the summer, the band performed at the Woodstock '99 concert in New York state.[18]

Several members, including longtime member Malik B., left the group. In December 2001, the Roots backed Jay-Z for his MTV Unplugged concert.[19] With heightened popularity came mounting pressure. The Roots released Phrenology (named after the pseudoscience of the same name) in 2002. Despite not charting as high as Things Fall Apart, reaching a peak of No. 28 on the charts, Phrenology was commercially successful, being certified gold, and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. At the time, however, there came rumors that the Roots were losing interest in their signing with MCA.[10] During this time, the band backed Jay-Z for his 2003 farewell concert in Madison Square Garden and appeared in the accompanying Fade to Black concert film.

After Phrenology, Ben Kenney and Scratch both left the group; Kenney joined the rock band Incubus.[20] This culminated with the release of 2004's The Tipping Point, the byproduct of several jam sessions.[10] The album earned two more Grammy nominations: one for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Star/Pointro" and another for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for the track "Don't Say Nuthin'."[21] The Tipping Point peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard album chart. In 2005, Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide to Understanding the Roots, Volumes 1 & 2, a two-disc compilation album, was released. The Roots were among several performers on the 2006 film Dave Chappelle's Block Party, whose event took place on September 18, 2004,[22] and was released on film two years later.[23]

Game Theory was released August 29, 2006, on Def Jam Recordings. Questlove describes the album as being very dark and reflective of the political state in America.[24] The first single from the album, "Don't Feel Right", appeared on the internet in May 2006, and is available for free download on several websites. The album's first video, titled "The Don't Feel Right Trilogy", premiered on August 21, 2006, and features three songs, "In the Music", "Here I Come", and "Don't Feel Right". It earned an 83 on Metacritic and two Grammy Nominations. The late J Dilla is honoured on different occasions throughout the album. Track 1 is credited to be "Supervised by J Dilla". Track 13 "Can't Stop This" is devoted to his persona, the first part being an edited version of a track ("Time: The Donut of the Heart") of his Donuts album, released three days before his death. This version comprises vocals by Black Thought. Secondly, a string of kindred artists reminisce about J Dilla in the form of answering machine messages.

The Roots' eighth studio album, Rising Down, was released on April 29, 2008, the 16-year anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. In the weeks before the album's release, the original first single "Birthday Girl", a radio-friendly collaboration with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump was removed from the album reportedly because it did not fit in with the album's tone.[25] It remained as a digital download available from iTunes as a bonus track, as well as on international releases. Picking up where Game Theory left off, the album maintains a dark and political tone, with Black Thought and several guests venting about the ills of society. The album's guests include Chrisette Michele, Common, Mos Def, Saigon, Styles P, Talib Kweli, and Wale; it also features Philadelphia artists Dice Raw, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Peedi Crakk, Greg Porn, and Truck North, as well as former member Malik B. Rising Down features the Roots incorporating a more electronic and synth-heavy feel into their sound. Rising Down was released to critical acclaim, garnering an overall score of 80 on Metacritic. The album's first single was "Rising Up" featuring Chrisette Michele and Wale.

How I Got Over reflects the relief the band felt at the end of the Bush administration and the beginning of the Obama presidency. Guests include Blu, Phonte, and Patty Crash. A cover of Cody Chesnutt's song "Serve This Royalty" was expected to be covered on the album, similar to the group's reworking of his single for "The Seed 2.0" on Phrenology.[26] Rather than relying on samples, the album was recorded live, with covers (including "Celestial Blues", featuring the song's original artist, Andy Bey) being reinterpreted by the band.[27] The album was released on June 22, 2010.

On June 24, 2009, the Roots debuted the first single and title track from the album live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The song features longtime Roots collaborator Dice Raw.[28] The Roots collaborated with R&B singer John Legend on the album Wake Up!. The album was released on September 21, 2010, and was publicized two days later with a live concert at Terminal 5 in New York City with John Legend and Jennifer Hudson that was streamed on YouTube. On October 30, 2010, the Roots and John Legend played live at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C.

The Roots released their 13th album Undun via Def Jam Records on December 6, 2011.[29] The first single "Make My" leaked on October 17, 2011. Undun tells the story of their semifictional character, Redford Stephens, who struggles unsuccessfully to avoid a life of crime and fast money. The album's name is inspired by The Guess Who's song "Undun", and the character was named after the Sufjan Stevens song "Redford".[30] The album features artists including Aaron Livingston, Big K.R.I.T., Phonte, Dice Raw, Greg Porn, Truck North, Bilal, and Sufjan Stevens. The Roots also collaborated with R&B singer Betty Wright on the 2011 album Betty Wright: The Movie, credited to Betty Wright and the Roots. The album, co-produced by Wright and Questlove, was nominated for a 2012 Grammy in the "Best Traditional R&B Performance."

The Roots and Elvis Costello released Wise Up Ghost on September 17, 2013, via Blue Note Records.[31] On July 22, 2013, they released a music video for the first single, "Walk Us Uptown".[32] The Roots released ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin on May 19, 2014. The first single, "When the People Cheer", was released on April 7, 2014. Black Thought described the album as a satirical look at violence in hip-hop and American society overall.[33]

In an interview with Fuse TV, Questlove said he also had "two or three secret, major musical projects that I'm working on that I can't really talk about."[34] In September 2016 The Roots backed up Usher at a Global Citizen benefit concert in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, launching speculation of a major collaboration between the two acts. In October 2016, the group announced their 17th studio album, End Game.[35] Black Thought in June 2017 further revealed that producers 9th Wonder and Salaam Remi will contribute to the album,[36] and in March 2019, Questlove revealed there will be an unreleased J Dilla beat on it as well.[37]

The Roots was among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[38] Responding to an earlier Times report, Questlove confirmed that the masters for Do You Want More?!!!??! and Illadelph Halflife were among those lost in the fire.[39]

• Black Thought – rap and singing vocals (1987–present)
• Questlove – drums, backing rap vocals, beatboxing (1987–present)
• Kamal Gray – keyboards, backing rap vocals (1994–present)
• Captain Kirk Douglas – guitars, singing vocals (2003–present)
• Tuba Gooding, Jr. (Damon Bryson) – sousaphone, tuba (2007–present)
• James Poyser – keyboards (2009–present)
• Ray Angry – keyboards (2010–present)
• Mark Kelley – bass, synthesizer bass, moog (2011–present)
• Ian Hendrickson-Smith – flutes, saxophones (2015–present)
• Dave Guy – trumpet (2015–present)
• Stro Elliot – beatbox, percussion, sampling, tambourine, Ableton, HandSonic, SPD-SX, finger drumming, keyboards (2017–present)
• Jeremy Ellis – beatbox, sampling, Maschine, Arcade machine sampler, midi fighter, finger drumming (2014–present)

• Malik B. – rap vocals (1987–1999; died 2020)
• Josh 'Rubberband' Abrams – bass (1992–1994)
• Kenyatta 'Kid Crumbs' Warren – rap vocals (1993)
• Scott Storch – keyboards (1993–1995)
• Nikki Yeoh – keyboards (1994)
• Hub  – bass (1994–2007; died 2021)
• Rahzel – beatboxing (1995–2001)
• Dice Raw – rap vocals (1995–2001) (frequent collaborator with the band)
• Scratch – beatboxing (1996–2003)
• F. Knuckles – percussion (2001–2017)
• Ben Kenney – guitars, bass (2000–2003)
• Martin Luther – guitars, vocals (2003–2004)
• Owen Biddle – bass (2007–2011)

• One of the first sketches involving the Roots was "Freestyling with the Roots." Fallon finds an audience member and gets them to talk about themselves and a topic. The information is relayed to Trotter along with a genre of music, and they then compose a song on the spot. In the early days of the show in 2009, there was apprehension about their overall fit with the show, but after the first appearance of this sketch and its successful reception, ". . . They knew they were there for life."[66]
• Thank You Notes, a segment every Friday, involves keyboardist James Poyser prominently. The segment starts with "Can I get some thank you writing music, James?" with Poyser playing and typically acting upset. Fallon then tries to engage with him to get him to smile before continuing the segment.
• Slow Jam the News features Fallon and Trotter, often with a celebrity guest, rhyming over a "slow-jam" played by the Roots. The lyrics are often political or current events related, with guests usually appearing to talk about an issue pertinent to them. Brian Williams is a frequent popular guest "vocalist," talking about the news as if he were still behind his anchor desk.[67] Some of the notable guest slow-jammers include former President Barack Obama[68] and former Governor Mitt Romney.[69] Like the majority of the show, the segments are uploaded to YouTube after airing on NBC and often go viral; President Obama's clip has received over 8 million views[70] and the Mitt Romney clip received 2.7 million views in less than a week.[71]
• The Roots have contributed to additional online successes with the Classroom Instruments sketch. Fallon and a musical guest from the show will record an arrangement of a song with the Roots providing accompaniment on instruments that would be found in an elementary school music class. Examples of these instruments are wood blocks, pixiphones, kazoos, tambourines, melodica, shakers, and recorders. They have performed "Call Me Maybe" with Carly Rae Jepsen,[72] "Blurred Lines" with Robin Thicke,[73] "All I Want for Christmas" with Mariah Carey, "Hello" with Adele,[74] the Sesame Street theme song with several members of the cast,[75] and "Enter Sandman" with Metallica.
• The Roots also provide the backing tracks for Fallon's and Justin Timberlake's episodic "History of Rap." As of March 2014, the incredibly popular[76] History of Rap saga consists of 5 parts and 101 individual songs, all performed with a comedic approach.[77][78] The fifth installment was performed during the inaugural week of Fallon's Tonight Show.[78]

• First Hip-Hop group to perform at Lincoln Center, January 2002[85]
• Named one of the "Twenty Greatest Live Acts in the World" by Rolling Stone, 2003
• "Heroes Award" from the Philadelphia chapter of the Recording Academy, 2004[86] (Recipient)