ALBUMAsk Your MamaSan Francisco Ballet Orchestra, George Manahan & The Roots
ALBUM...And Then You Shoot Your CousinThe Roots
ALBUMWise Up Ghost (And Other Songs) [Bonus Tracks]Elvis Costello & The Roots
ALBUMBetty Wright: The MovieBetty Wright & The Roots
ALBUMUndunThe Roots
ALBUMWake Up!John Legend & The Roots
ALBUMHow I Got OverThe Roots
ALBUMRising Down (Bonus Track Version)The Roots
ALBUMGame Theory (Bonus Track Version)The Roots
ALBUMThe Tipping PointThe Roots
The Roots's Popular Music Videos
Wake Up Everybody (feat. Common & Melanie Fiona)
John Legend & The Roots
You Got Me
The Roots
How I Got Over
The Roots
Break You Off (feat. Musiq)
The Roots
The Seed (2.0)
Cody ChesnuTT & The Roots
Little Ghetto Boy (Live In Studio Performance)
John Legend & The Roots
What They Do
The Roots
What They Do
The Roots
Proceed
The Roots
The Next Movement
The Roots
Artist Playlists
The Roots Essentials
Their live-band lineup reveals hip-hop's bohemian possibilities.
Artist Biography
Blending elements of jazz, neo-soul, and hip-hop with impeccable live instrumentation, The Roots established themselves as the world’s premier rap band at the turn of the century.
• Rapper Black Thought and drummer Questlove cofounded The Roots in 1987 while attending the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts.
• The group released its debut album, Organix, in 1993. Future multi-platinum producer Scott Storch would leave his position as Roots keyboardist in 1995.
• In 1999, The Roots dropped Things Fall Apart, an exercise in soulful alternative rap that Rolling Stone lauded as one of the 500 greatest albums ever made.
• The Roots took home their first Grammy in 2000, winning Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “You Got Me,” featuring Erykah Badu and Eve.
• The Roots are perhaps best known for their role as the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a gig they landed in 2009.