THE ROOTS

“You are all about to witness some organic hip-hop jazz, 100% groove—And ya don’t stop”: With those famous words at the start of 1995’s iconic Do You Want More?!!!??!, Black Thought introduced one of hip-hop’s great institutions back to the United States: The Roots. During the last three decades, the Philadelphia crew that first found success in Europe before returning stateside with a record deal has become synonymous globally with the form’s expansive possibilities—that is, with the ability of a jazz-rooted ensemble to play most everything behind one of the form’s most expansive and incisive storytellers. A highly collaborative gyre of sound, The Roots have made records with Betty Wright and Elvis Costello, backed Jay-Z for MTV Unplugged, and woven guests from Raphael Saadiq and DJ Jazzy Jeff to Phonte and Joanna Newsom into their own audacious LPs. The Roots have also, of course, worked as America’s hip-hop house band for nearly two decades after joining Jimmy Fallon for an ongoing late-night television run.

The Roots emerged from the serendipitous encounter of Black Thought and drummer and producer Questlove at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. Busking under a series of names on the city’s streets, the pair steadily built a sprawling band that, in 2003, Rolling Stone ranked as one of music’s best live acts. “They are not merely the world’s best hip-hop band,” the magazine proclaimed, “but one of the great musical outfits of our time.” With shows around the world, their nightly and highly improvisational television appearances, and a series of dazzling concept albums, their power, finesse, and flexibility—bolstered by keyboardists Kamal Gray and James Poyser, horn player Damon Bryson, percussionist F. Knuckles, and legendary guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas—have only grown in the last quarter-century. That is, The Roots remain unrivaled.