The Roots

Use the Booking Entertainment.com agency to book The Roots for your corporate event, private party, fundraiser, college, fair or festival. Submit a The Roots Entertainment Request Form and an agent will reply within 24 hours.

Though popul success has lgely 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 e among the best in the business.

The Roots' focus on live music began back in 1987 when rapper Black Thought (Tiq Trotter) and drummer ?uestlove (Ahmir Khalib Thompson) became friends at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing ts. Playing ound school, on the sidewalk, and later at talent shows (with ?uestlove's drum kit backing Black Thought's rhymes), the pair began to en money and hooked up with bassist Hub (Leon Hubbd) and rapper Malik B. Moving from the street to local clubs, the Roots became a highly tipped underground act ound 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 ye.

The Roots' first major-label album, Do You Want More?!!!??!, was released in Januy 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, ptly 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 ound 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.

Ely 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 appeed and made number 21 on the album chts. 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 elier at jam sessions -- but failed to make a hit of their unique sound. The Roots' third album, 1999's Things Fall Apt, was easily their biggest critical and commercial success; The Roots Come Alive followed later that ye.

The long-awaited Phrenology was released in late November 2002 amid rumors of the Roots losing interest in their label rangements 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 ye, 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 ely 2005 as The Roots Present in both CD and DVD formats. Two volumes of the rities-collecting Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide to Understanding the Roots appeed at the end of the ye. Game Theory, the group's first album for Def Jam, followed in 2006, and two yes later the especially politically-chged Rising Down came out.

Hip Hop

Book top Hip-Hop musicians, Rap, R&B artist(s), and soul artist(s) for private performances, special events, corporate entertainment events anywhere in the world.