The Roots

Formed in Philadelphia in 1987 by high school classmates Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, The Roots is a musical quintet that was among the first to pioneer a jazzy approach to hip-hop, preferring live instruments over tapes and samples. The group’s breakthrough LP was 1999’s Things Fall Apart, featuring Erykah Badu and Jill Scott on the duet “You Got Me.” In 2009 The Roots became the house band at NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and they have continued that role since 2014 for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.