The Roots

BIOGRAPHY

The Roots formed in 1987 in Philadelphia when Black Thought and Questlove met as students, initially performing as the Square Roots on street corners before Malik B and Hub joined to help the group build a following in Philadelphia and New York City clubs. Rather than relying on samples, the band plays its source material live, establishing itself as a jazz-inflected hip-hop band built around real instruments. Their 1999 album Things Fall Apart became their critical and commercial breakthrough, earning a first platinum plaque, and its single "You Got Me," featuring Erykah Badu, won a Grammy Award in 2000. The Roots later became the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2009 and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2014.

WHY THEY'RE COOL

The Roots built their identity by refusing hip-hop's usual sampling toolkit, instead playing everything live as a full band, a choice that made them stand out as what one outlet called hip-hop's first legitimate band. That approach paid off commercially and critically with Things Fall Apart, their platinum-selling 1999 breakthrough, and with the Grammy-winning

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