The Roots grew from street performance in Philadelphia into a hip-hop band built around live instruments. Founders Black Thought and Questlove brought rap vocals and drums to a group whose arrangements draw on jazz,...
View background statusThe Roots
2 catalog entries, grouped by year.
About The Roots
The Roots grew from street performance in Philadelphia into a hip-hop band built around live instruments. Founders Black Thought and Questlove brought rap vocals and drums to a group whose arrangements draw on jazz, rock and electronic textures. The independent album Organix preceded records including Things Fall Apart and Phrenology. Concert touring also led to work as the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Artist background sources
The Roots - Universal Music Japan biography
Philadelphia street-performance origins, founders and roles, live-instrument approach, album sequence and historical Late Night television work. The older lineup and current-release language are not presented as current facts; later Tonight Show employment is not inferred from this source. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
No annual list year
The Roots grew from street performance in Philadelphia into a hip-hop band built around live instruments. Founders Black Thought and Questlove brought rap vocals and drums to a group whose arrangements draw on jazz,...
View background statusBrowse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.