The Roots
- Type: Band/Group
- Country: United States
- Born: 1987 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Active: 1987 - present
Biography
Formed in Philadelphia in 1987 by *Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter* and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, The Roots are a pioneering hip-hop group renowned for their use of live instrumentation. Their sound is a groundbreaking fusion of hip-hop with jazz, soul, and funk, an approach that established them as one of the genre's first legitimate bands. After gaining a following with albums like 'Illadelph Halflife', they achieved mainstream success and critical acclaim with 'Things Fall Apart', which featured the Grammy-winning song "You Got Me" with *Erykah Badu*. Their cultural significance was further cemented by their long-standing role as the house band for "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", introducing a live hip-hop dynamic to a broad audience.
Genres
The Roots Discography
- Organix (1993) - Album - rated 3.55/5
- Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995) - Album - rated 3.9/5
- Illadelph Halflife (1996) - Album - rated 3.91/5
- Adrenaline / Don't See Us (1998) - Single
- The Roots Come Alive (1999) - Album - rated 3.77/5
- The Legendary (1999) - Album - rated 3.4/5
- You Got Me (1999) - Single - rated 4.07/5
- Act Too (Love of My Life) (1999) - Single - rated 3.85/5
- The Next Movement (1999) - Single - rated 3.91/5
- Things Fall Apart (1999) - Album - rated 4.22/5
- Phrenology (2002) - Album - rated 3.79/5
- The Seed (2.0) (2003) - Single - rated 3.89/5
- The Tipping Point (2004) - Album - rated 3.68/5
- Game Theory (2006) - Album - rated 4.51/5
- Rising Down (2008) - Album - rated 3.7/5
- How I Got Over (2010) - Album - rated 4.03/5
- undun (2011) - Album - rated 3.89/5
- ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (2014) - Album - rated 3.44/5
Members
- Tariq Trotter - lead vocals (1987–Present)
- Ahmir Thompson - drums, vocals (1987–Present)
- Kamal Gray - keyboards (1994–Present)
- Kirk Douglas - guitar, vocals (2003–Present)
- Damon Bryson - sousaphone (2007–Present)
- James Poyser - keyboards (2009–Present)
- Raymond Angry - keyboards (2010–Present)
- Mark Kelley - bass (2011–Present)
- Jeremy Ellis - beatboxing, production (2014–Present)
- Ian Hendrickson-Smith - saxophone (2015–Present)
- Dave Guy - trumpet (2015–Present)
- Stro Elliot - production, keyboards (2017–Present)
- Malik B. - vocals (1987–1999)
- Leonard Hubbard - bass (1994–2007)
- Rahzel - beatboxing, vocals (1995–2001)
- Dice Raw - vocals (1995–2001)
- Scratch - beatboxing, turntables (1996–2003)
- F. Knuckles - percussion (2001–2017)
- Owen Biddle - bass (2007–2011)