The Roots, one of the most prolific rap groups in history, were also one of the most innovative acts in contemporary music. Their 1993 debut was followed by their 2010s conceptual releases. Although they had to operate as a rap group with multiple instrumentalists, the Roots were able to create without restraint, regardless of their archaic practices — starting in 2007, their lineup included a sousaphonist. With each studio release, they went platinum and then gold and won a few Grammy awards. Through a close partnership, Jimmy Fallon became a national television audience and they kept challenging listeners with new works that were not restricted by genre. The Roots began their focus on live music in 1987 when Black Thought (Tariq Trotter), and drummer?uestlove, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, became close friends at Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. The pair started to make money playing around school, on the streets, and at talent shows with?uestlove’s drum kit backing Black Thought’s rhymes. They also began to hook up with Hub (Leon Hubbard), and rapper Malik B. The Roots quickly became a popular underground band in Philadelphia and New York, moving from street music to clubs. The Roots were invited to perform at a concert in Germany as stateside hip-hop. They recorded an album for shows and released Organix in May 1993 via Remedy Records. The Roots enjoyed a lot of attention from the music industry and received offers from many labels before they signed with DGC in the same year. The Roots’ debut major-label album, “Do You Want More ?” was released in January 1995. In January 1995,! was released. The album was made without samples or any previously recorded material, breaking with hip-hop conventions. It reached the Top 100 on the Billboard 200, but it did not make the Top 100. The album also made more tracks in other circles partly because the Roots played the second stage at Lollapalooza. They also traveled to Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival. The album featured two guests who had toured with the band before, human beatbox Rahzel “the Godfather of Noyze” — formerly a performer in Grandmaster Flash and LL Cool J — as well as Scott Storch (later replaced with Kamal Gray). Both became permanent members. The Roots released “Clones” in 1996 as the trailer for their second album. It reached the Top Five in Rap and generated a lot of buzz. Illadelph Halflife made it to number 21 on Billboard 200 in September that year. The second Roots LP, however, was difficult to listen to, much like the first. Although it made a few concessions to mainstream Rap, the Roots’ second album was not a success. The band members sampled material they had previously recorded at jam sessions but did not make any hits with their own unique sound. Their third album, Things Fall Apart (February 1999), was their most commercially and critically successful. It was released on MCA and went platinum. “You Got Me,” a collaboration with Erykah badu, peaked in the Top 40. The song also won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Group or Duo. Phrenology, the long-awaited album, was released in November 2002. There were rumors that the Roots had lost interest in their MCA label agreements. The Okayplayer company was created by the band in 2004 to remedy the situation. Okayplayer was named after their website. It included a record label as well as a promotion/production company. In the same year, they held a series jam sessions to loosen up their next album. The Tipping Point was released in July 2004 by Geffen. The Roots Present, a 2004 concert at Manhattan’s Webster Hall featuring special guests such as Jean Grae, Young Gunz and Mobb Deep was released on CD and DVD in February 2005. The Home Grown series contains two volumes. At the end of the year, the Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Roots was published. The subsequent deal with Def Jam facilitated a series riveting, sometimes grim sets that began with Game Theory (August 2006), and Rising Down (April 2008.). The group became the versatile house band featured on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in 2009. They didn’t stop recording despite the new gig. In 2010, they released How I Got Over (June) and Wake Up! (September), in which they supported John Legend on covers of socially-relevant soul classics such as Harold Melvin
