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 | |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | |
| Website | theroots |
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
[change | change source]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
- Malik B. – rap vocals (1987–1999; died 2020)
- Josh 'Rubberband' Abrams – bass (1992–1994)
- Kenyatta 'Kid Crumbs' Warren – rap vocals (1993)
- Scott Storch – keyboards (1993–1995)
- Nikki Yeoh – keyboards (1994)
- Hub – bass (1994–2007; died 2021)
- Rahzel – beatboxing (1995–2001)
- Dice Raw – rap vocals (1995–2001) (frequent collaborator with the band)
- Scratch – beatboxing (1996–2003)
- F. Knuckles – percussion (2001–2017)
- Ben Kenney – guitars, bass (2000–2003)
- Martin Luther – guitars, vocals (2003–2004)
- Owen Biddle – bass (2007–2011)
Awards and nominations
[change | change source]Grammy Awards
[change | change source]| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "You Got Me" (with Erykah Badu)[6] | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Won |
| Things Fall Apart | Best Rap Album | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Phrenology | Nominated | |
| 2005 | "Star" | Best Urban/Alternative Performance | Nominated |
| "Don't Say Nuthin'" | Best Rap Performance By a Duo/Group | Nominated | |
| 2007 | "Don't Feel Right" (featuring Maimouna Youssef) | Nominated | |
| Game Theory | Best Rap Album | Nominated | |
| 2011 | "Hang On in There" (with John Legend) | Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance | Won |
| Wake Up! (with John Legend) | Best R&B Album | Won | |
| "Shine" (with John Legend) | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Nominated | |
| "Wake Up Everybody" (with John Legend, Melanie Fiona & Common) | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | Nominated | |
| How I Got Over | Best Rap Album | Nominated | |
| 2012 | "Surrender" (with Betty Wright) | Best Traditional R&B Performance | Nominated |
| 2013 | Undun | Best Rap Album | Nominated |
MTV Video Music Awards
[change | change source]| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Seed 2.0 | MTV2 Award | Nominated |
mtvU Woodie Awards
[change | change source]| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Roots | Road Woodie | Nominated |
| Welcome Back Woodie | Nominated[7] |
BET Awards
[change | change source]| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Roots | Best Group | Nominated |
| 2009 | The Roots | Best Group | Nominated |
NAACP Image Awards
[change | change source]| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Roots | Outstanding Duo or Group | Nominated |
| 2007 | The Roots | Outstanding Duo or Group | Won[8] |
| 2011 | Wake Up! | Outstanding Collaboration | Won[9] |
| Outstanding Album | Won[9] |
Discography
[change | change source]Studio albums
- Organix (1993)
- Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995)
- Illadelph Halflife (1996)
- Things Fall Apart (1999)
- Phrenology (2002)
- The Tipping Point (2004)
- Game Theory (2006)
- Rising Down (2008)
- How I Got Over (2010)
- Undun (2011)
- ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (2014)
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Bush, John (n.d.). "The Roots: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ↑ Patrin, Nate (June 25, 2010). "The Roots: How I Got Over Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ↑ Nieman, Carrie. "Digging the Roots". Style Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ↑ Gross, Jason (May 10, 2006). "The Roots: They're a (funky) American band". Creative Loafing Charlotte. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ↑ Lewis, Miles Marshall (August 9, 2007). "Common". Dallas Observer. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
- ↑ "Past Winners Search". Grammy.com. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ↑ "mtvU Woodie Awards 2004". mtv.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ↑ "38th annual NAACP Image Awards winners". USAtoday.com. Associated Press. March 3, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Kuperstein, Slava (March 6, 2011). "Ice Cube, LL Cool J, The Roots Win NAACP Image Awards". HipHopDx.com. Retrieved January 27, 2014.