Hip-Hop band from Phillidelphia, live act, one drummer (questlove), one bassist, one keyboardist, one vocalist (blackthought), one godfather of noize (Rahzel), that combine to provide some of the most positive thinking music and enrergy onstage. last album was named things fall apart.

The Roots are a hip hop band from out of Philadelphia. They were formed when rapper Black Thought(aka Tariq Trotter) and drummer ?Love(Ahmir Thompson) met as teenagers and began recreating hip hop beats with drums and Black Thought rapping. They later hooked up with Leonard Hubbard and Scott Storch, with Leonnard on bass and Scott on keys. The album Organix was released to be sold at their concerts (in which they were known for exploding on stage), and in 1995 they released Do you Want More?!!!?!, which relied on no samples or turntables. In 1996 they released Illadelph Halflife, which, although used live instrumentation, it made more concessions to hip hop cliches. In 1999 they released Things Fall Apart, their best album, which featured Erykah Badu on the Grammy-winning track, "You Got Me". Their live album, "The Roots Come Alive", came out a few months after Things fall apart. They are part of the okayplayer website collective, and are also really bad ass motha's.