The Roots
The Roots performing in Toronto, Ontario on March 24, 2007.
Background information
Also known as	The Legendary Roots Crew, The Fifth Dynasty, The Square Roots
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Alternative hip hop, neo soul, soul, funk, alternative rock, jazz-rap
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Def Jam (2005-present) DGC, MCA, Interscope-Geffen-A&M (previous)
Associated acts	Soulquarians, Jill Scott, Martin Luther, Jaguar Wright, Amel Larrieux, John Legend, Dave Chappelle
Website	theroots.com
Members
Black Thought ?uestlove Kamal Gray F. Knuckles Captain Kirk Douglas Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson James Poyser Mark Kelley
Past members
Kenyatta "Kid Crumbs" Warren Josh "Rubberband" Abrams Malik B. Rahzel Scott Storch Martin Luther Ben Kenney Scratch Dice Raw Hub Owen Biddle

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 known for a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which includes live instrumentals.^[1] Malik B., Leonard "Hub" Hubbard, and Josh Abrams were added to the band, originally called The Square Roots.

Since their first independent album release, the band has released 10 studio albums, two EPs, two collaboration albums and have collaborated with a wide range of artists from different genres. On March 2, 2009, The Roots became the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The Roots' work is repeatedly met with critical acclaim.

Band history[link]

Rapper Black Thought is the lead vocalist of The Roots.

[edit] Organix

Organix was the band's first album, released and sold independently. It was released in 1993. It generated enough industry buzz for offers from music labels, and the band signed to DGC.

[edit] Do You Want More?!!!??!

The Roots' first album for DGC, Do You Want More?!!!??!, was released in 1995. It was a moderate hit among alternative music fans due in part to the group's appearance at Lollapalooza. The band performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival that year. Touring guests, beatboxer Rahzel and producer Scott Storch, joined The Roots.^[2]

[edit] Illadelph Halflife

The 1996 release Illadelph Halflife was the group's first album to crack the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart,^[2] spurred in part by MTV's airplay of the video for "What They Do" (a parody of rap video clichés)^[3] and "Clones", which was their first single to reach the top five on the rap charts. "What They Do" was also the group's first single to hit the Top 40 of Billboard's charts, reaching a peak of #34. While continuing on the path of live instrumentation, the album's sound was somewhat darker.

[edit] Things Fall Apart

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 #4 on the Billboard 200 charts and earning a gold record, signifying U.S. sales of at least 500,000 units.^[4] 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,^[5] peaked at #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^[6] and the album was nominated for Best Rap Album.^[7]

Steve Huey of the website allmusic perceived "a strong affinity for the neo-soul movement" in the album.^[8] 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.^[9]

[edit] Phrenology

Several members, including long time member Malik B., left the group. In December 2001, The Roots backed Jay-Z for his MTV Unplugged concert.^[10] With heightened popularity came mounting pressure. The Roots released Phrenology (named after the pseudoscience of phrenology) in 2002. Despite not charting as high as Things Fall Apart, reaching a peak of #28 on the charts, Phrenology was commercially successful, eventually going 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.^[2]

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.

[edit] The Tipping Point

After Phrenology, Ben Kenney and Scratch both left the group; Kenney joined the rock band Incubus.^[11] This culminated with the release of 2004's The Tipping Point, the byproduct of several jam sessions.^[2] 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'."^[12] The Tipping Point peaked at #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^[13] and was released on film two years later.^[14]

[edit] Game Theory

Game Theory was released August 29, 2006, on Def Jam records. Questlove describes the album as being very dark and reflective of the political state in America.^[15] 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 web sites. 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 2 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.

[edit] Rising Down

The Roots' eighth studio album, Rising Down, was released on April 29, 2008, the 16-year anniversary of the Los Angeles riots of 1992.

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 didn't fit in with the album's tone.^[16] 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 today. 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, P.O.R.N., 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.

[edit] How I Got Over

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, whose song "Serve This Royalty" is covered on the album. 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.^[17] 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.^[18]

[edit] Wake Up!

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.

[edit] Betty Wright: The Movie

The Roots 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".