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The Roots

Idelada halfline

1. intro

10.

11.

12.

13.

...more

Do You Want More?!!!??!

1. Intro / There's Something Goin' On

2. Proceed

3. Distortion To Static

4. Mellow My Man

5. I Remain Calm

6. Datskat

7. Lazy Afternoon

8. ? Vs. Rahzel

9. Do You Want More?!!!??!

10. What Goes On, Pt. 7

11. Essaywhuman?!!!??!

12. Swept Away

13. You Ain't Fly

...more

Playlists Featuring The Roots

The Roots - The Roots Come Alive

thos_pratt

The Roots - The Tipping Point

ACD

The Roots - The Tripping Point

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The Roots - The Tipping Point

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The Roots - The Tipping Point

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The Roots - The Tipping Point

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The Roots - The Tipping Point

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The Roots- The Tipping point

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The Roots

dbleagle85

The Roots - Do You Want More?

dbleagle85

The Roots - Game Theory

dbleagle85

Don't Say Nuthin (Rad...

1. Don't Say N...

The Tipping Point

1. Star/Pointr...
2. Don't Say N...
3. Guns Are Dr...
4. Web
5. Duck Down!
6. Why (What's...

The Tipping Point

1. Star/Pointr...
2. I Don't Car...
3. Don't Say N...
4. Guns Are Dr...
5. Stay Cool
6. Web

The Roots Come Alive

1. Live At The...
2. The Next Mo...
3. Step Into T...
4. Proceed
5. Mellow My M...
6. Love Of My ...

Don't Say Nuthin (Alb...

1. Don't Say N...

Illadelph Halflife

1. Intro
2. Respond/ Re...
3. Section
4. Panic !!!!!...
5. It Just Don...
6. Episodes

Home Grown! The Begin...

1. Din da Da
2. The Seed/Me...
3. Boom!
4. Thought@wor...
5. Ya'll Know ...
6. The Lesson ...

Game Theory

1. Dilltastic ...
2. False Media...
3. Game Theory...
4. Don't Feel ...
5. In the Musi...
6. Take It The...

Phrenology

1. Phrentrow
2. Rock You
3. !!!!!!!
4. Sacrifice F...
5. Rolling Wit...
6. WAOK (AY) R...

Phrenology

1. Phrentrow
2. Rock You
3. !!!!!!!
4. Sacrifice
5. Rolling Wit...
6. WAOK (Ay) R...

Though popular success has largely eluded the Roots, the Philadelphia group showed the way for live rap, building on Stetsasonic's "hip-hop band" philosophy of the mid-'80s by focusing on live instrumentation at their concerts and in the studio. Though their album works have been inconsistent affairs, more intent on building grooves than pushing songs, the Roots' live shows are among the best in the business.The Roots' focus on live music began back in 1987 when rapper Black Thought (Tariq Trotter) and drummer ?uestlove (Ahmir Khalib Thompson) became friends at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. Playing around school, on the sidewalk, and later at talent shows (with ?uestlove's drum kit backing Black Thought's rhymes), the pair began to earn money and hooked up with bassist Hub (Leon Hubbard) and rapper Malik B. Moving from the street to local clubs, the Roots became a highly tipped underground act around Philadelphia and New York. When they were invited to represent stateside hip-hop at a concert in Germany, the Roots recorded an album to sell at shows; the result, Organix, was released in 1993 on Remedy Records. With a music industry buzz surrounding their activities, the Roots entertained offers from several labels before signing with DGC that same year.The Roots' first major-label album, Do You Want More?!!!??!, was released in January 1995; forsaking usual hip-hop protocol, the album was produced without any samples or previously recorded material. It peaked just outside the Top 100, but was mostly ignored by fans of hip-hop. Instead, Do You Want More?!!!??! made more tracks in alternative circles, partly due to the Roots playing the second stage at Lollapalooza that summer. The band also journeyed to the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Two of the guests on the album who had toured around with the band, human beatbox Rahzel the Godfather of Noyze -- previously a performer with Grandmaster Flash and LL Cool J -- and Scott Storch (later Kamal), became permanent members of the group.Early in 1996, the Roots released Clones, the trailer single for their second album. It hit the rap Top Five, and created a good buzz for the album. The following September, Illadelph Halflife appeared and made number 21 on the album charts. Much like its predecessor, though, the Roots' second LP was a difficult listen. It made several very small concessions to mainstream rap -- the bandmembers sampled material that they had recorded earlier at jam sessions -- but failed to make a hit of their unique sound. The Roots' third album, 1999's Things Fall Apart, was easily their biggest critical and commercial success; The Roots Come Alive followed later that year. The long-awaited Phrenology was released in late November 2002 amid rumors of the Roots losing interest in their label arrangements with MCA. In 2004, the band remedied the situation by creating the Okayplayer company. Named after their website, Okayplayer included a record label and a production/promotion company. The same year, the band held a series of jam sessions to give their next album a looser feel. The results were edited down to ten tracks and released as The Tipping Point in July of 2004. A 2004 concert from Manhattan's Webster Hall with special guests like Mobb Deep, Young Gunz, and Jean Grae was released in early 2005 as The Roots Present in both CD and DVD formats. Two volumes of the rarities-collecting Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide to Understanding the Roots appeared at the end of the year. Game Theory, the group's first album for Def Jam, followed in 2006. ~ John Bush

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The Roots

Playlists Featuring The Roots

The Roots CDs

Phrenology

The Roots collaborated on tracks on these CDs

Superbad [Soundtrack]

The Roots appeared on these CDs

Biography of The Roots