Versatility, endurance, and longevity are traits that countless bands court, but few achieve. Ten years at the top of the game is impressive. Twenty makes you an icon. So what do you call a group that’s more than 30 years into their career and still commanding the same level of respect and acclaim as when they first started out…The Roots, one of the most successful and hardest-working groups of all time. Over the course of 14 albums, the three time Grammy-winning band broke free of the traditional constructs of hip-hop, expanding as a live band into R&B, jazz, and rock, among other genres, and creating their own template that would inspire countless other groups.
The Roots core remains Questlove and Black Thought. From the beginning, the duo cemented the group’s reputation for incendiary live gigs helmed by a relentless, years-long touring schedule that took them all over the world. “They are not merely the world’s best hip-hop band,” Rolling Stone wrote, “but one of the great musical outfits of our time.” The Roots Picnic, founded by the group in 2008, has become a Philly institution and has now become, to quote Rolling Stone, “hip-hop’s greatest festival.”
The Roots have long been exponentially more than their catalog and live shows. For 15 years, they’ve been the house band, sidekicks, and occasional comic foil for Jimmy Fallon. They’ve been the go-to backing band for dozens of artists for years. They’re the first call from presidents and other leaders alongside the world’s most influential cultural figures who need a gifted, intensely creative group to back them up at events. They’re low-key behind-the-scenes connectors in an industry where nonstop visibility is one of the most important currencies. Questlove and Black Thought have become lauded cultural arbiters; the conduit that bonds myriad subcultures under the auspices of eternal cool.
In an era where moments are measured by speed over talent – where ephemeral virality trumps the enduring and extraordinary – The Roots have distinguished themselves as both music veterans and iconic explorers constantly looking for the next challenge.