The Roots

The Roots
The Roots performing in 2016
Background information
Also known as	The Legendary Roots Crew The Fifth Dynasty The Square Roots
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop[1] alternative rap[2] conscious rap[3] progressive soul[4] progressive rap[5]
Years active	1987 (1987)–present
Labels	Def Jam DGC GOOD Interscope Geffen A&M MCA Okayplayer
Spinoffs	Nouveau Riche Soulquarians
Website	theroots.com

The Roots is an American hip hop band. It was formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2014, the Roots became the house band on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. They were also the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014.

The band is one of the few hip hop groups to use mostly live instruments instead of sampling and to produce electronically. They have released several albums that are very popular within the genre. Things Fall Apart is considered by many to be their best.

1. ↑ Bush, John (n.d.). "The Roots: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
2. ↑ Patrin, Nate (June 25, 2010). "The Roots: How I Got Over Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
3. ↑ Nieman, Carrie. "Digging the Roots". Style Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
4. ↑ Gross, Jason (May 10, 2006). "The Roots: They're a (funky) American band". Creative Loafing Charlotte. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
5. ↑ Lewis, Miles Marshall (August 9, 2007). "Common". Dallas Observer. Retrieved July 14, 2021.