The roots band members biography samples

American hip hop band and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon house band

The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, having served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014. Current regular members of The Roots on The Tonight Show are Captain Kirk Douglas (guitar), Mark Kelley (bass), James Poyser (keyboards), Ian Hendrickson-Smith (saxophone), Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson (sousaphone), Stro Elliot (keyboards and drums), Dave Guy (trumpet), Kamal Gray (keyboards), and Raymond Angry (keyboards).

The Roots are known for a jazzy and eclectic approach to hip hop featuring live musical instruments and the group's work has consistently been met with critical acclaim. ThoughtCo ranked the band #7 on its list of the 25 Best Hip-Hop Groups of All-Time, calling them "Hip-hop's first legitimate band."

In addition to the band's music, several members of the Roots are involved in side projects, including record production, acting, and regularly serving as guests on other musicians' albums and live shows.

Band history

1987–1993: early years

The Roots originated in Philadelphia with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter while they were both attending the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. They would busk out on the street corners with Questlove playing bucket drums and Black Thought rapping over his rhythms. Their first organized gig was a talent show in 1989 at the school where they used the name Radio Activity, which began a series of name changes that progressed through Black to the Future and then The Square Roots. Another MC, Malik B., and a permanent bass player, Leonard "Hub" Hubbard, were added to the band be

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.

Band members

Current members

• Black Thought – rap and singing vocals (1987–present)
• Questlove – drums, backing rap vocals, beatboxing (1987–present)
• Kamal Gray – keyboards, backing rap vocals (1994–present)
• Captain Kirk Douglas – guitars, singing vocals (2003–present)
• Tuba Gooding, Jr. (Damon Bryson) – sousaphone, tuba (2007–present)
• James Poyser – keyboards (2009–present)
• Ray Angry – keyboards (2010–present)
• Mark Kelley – bass, synthesizer bass, moog (2011–present)
• Ian Hendrickson-Smith – flutes, saxophones (2015–present)
• Dave Guy – trumpet (2015–present)
• Stro Elliot – beatbox, percussion, sampling, tambourine, Ableton, HandSonic, SPD-SX, finger drumming, keyboards (2017–present)
• Jeremy Ellis – beatbox, sampling, Maschine, Arcade machine sampler, midi fighter, finger drumming (2014–present)

Former members

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

mtvU Woodie Awards

BET Awards

NAACP Image Awards

Discography

Studio albums

References

The Roots, also known as The Legendary Roots Crew, The Square Roots and The Foundation, is an influential, Grammy winning hip hop group based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, famed for a heavily jazzy sound and live instrumentation. Inspired by the "hip-hop band" concept pioneered by Stetsasonic, the Roots themselves have garnered critical acclaim and influenced later hip-hop and R&B acts.

The Roots' original lineup included Black Thought (MC vocals) and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), who were classmates at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. As they began to play at school and on the streets, they added another MC named Malik B., bassist Leonard Hubbardand keyboardist Scott Storch. Another MC, Dice Raw, frequently made album appearances with the group from 1995 to 1999 before leaving to record a solo album. Scott Storch also left to pursue career as a producer following the Do You Want More?!!!??! album, He produced songs such as Still D.R.E. by Dr Dre. The Roots filled his void with another keyboardist, Kamal who is still a member. A beatboxer named Rahzel also joined the group and contributed from 1995-1999. Alongside Rahzel was vocal turntablist, Scratch who greatly contributed to The Roots' sound, most notably in live concerts. He left the group in 2003. Malik B. left the group in 2000. A guitarist, Ben Kenney, enjoyed a short stint with the group and contributed to their Phrenology album, but left to join Incubus. A percussionist, Knuckles, was added in 2002 and guitarist, Kirk Douglas (a.k.a. "Captain Kirk") repleaced Kenney. A vocalist, Martin Luther toured with The Roots in 2003 and 2004 and contributed to their album The Tipping Point. The current members of The Roots are Black Thought (MC vocals), ?uestlove (drums), Hub (bass), Kamal (keyboard), Knuckles (percussion), and Captain Kirk (guitar).

The Roots' debut album, Organix released in 1993, was actually a live recording

The Roots are a Philadelphia-based hip-hop band that originated in 1987 when Ahmir Thompson and Tariq Trotter first met while attending Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. Thompson was a jazz drummer and Tariq was an aspiring MC. Soon after meeting they decided to collaborate in an effort to pursue their mutual dream of making innovative music. Both Thompson and Trotter chose to adopt more clever stage names, so Ahmir Thompson took on the name "Questlove" and Tariq Trotter changed his name to "Black Thought." Together they called themselves Square Roots. The Square Roots trained day in and day out by performing throughout the streets of Philadelphia and at various talent shows. They focused their work on into live music and influential lyrics.

In 1991, Black Thought attended Millersville University in Millersville, Pennsylvania. There he met rapper Malik B., who was also a student. Bassist Leonard "Hub" Hubbard and keyboardist Scott Storch, later replaced by Kammal Gray in 1995, also joined the band. After these three members were added to the group, they changed their name to "The Roots." In 1993, the group traveled oversees to Germany, where they recorded and released their debut album Organix on Remedy Records. It was not long before the music industry picked up on the group's talent and offered them numerous record label contracts. That same year, The Roots signed with Geffen Records, also known as D.G.C., and in January 1995 released their first major label album, Do you want more?!!!??! The album was unique among others because it included no samples.

The Roots showcased their album at the Lollapalooza tour that summer, and then at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Guests on the album included beatboxer Rahzel the Godfather of Zoyze, best known for performing with Grandmaster Flash and LL Cool J, jazz artist Joshua Roseman, saxophonist Steve Coleman, and vocalist Cassandra Wilson. On September 24, 1996, The Roots rel