The Belly Up Aspen

One of the most prolific rap groups, the Roots were also among the most progressive acts in contemporary music, from their 1993 debut through their conceptual 2010s releases. Despite the seemingly archaic practice of functioning as a rap band with several instrumentalists — from 2007 onward, their lineup even featured a sousaphonist — they were ceaselessly creative, whether with their own material or through their varied assortment of collaborations. They went platinum and gold with successive studio releases and won a handful of Grammy Awards. After they gained a nightly nationwide audience through a close partnership with television host , they continued to challenge listeners with works free of genre restrictions.

The Roots’ focus on live music began back in 1987, when rapper (Tariq Trotter) and drummer () became friends at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. Playing around school, on the sidewalk, and later at talent shows (with ‘s drum kit backing ‘s rhymes), the pair began to earn money and hooked up with bassist Hub (Leonard Hubbard) and rapper 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 May 1993 on . With a music industry buzz surrounding their activities, the Roots entertained offers from several labels before signing with that same year.

The Roots’ first major-label album, Do You Want More?!!!??!, was released in January 1995. Forsaking the usual hip-hop protocol, the record was produced without any samples or previously recorded material. It peaked just outside the Top 100 of the 200 and 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 — previously a performer with and — and Scott Storch (later replaced by Kamal Gray), 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. That September, Illadelph Halflife appeared and made number 21 on the 200. 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. Their third album, February 1999’s Things Fall Apart, was easily their biggest critical and commercial success. Released on , it went platinum, and “You Got Me” — a collaboration with — peaked within the Top 40 and subsequently won a Grammy in the category of Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

The long-awaited Phrenology was released in November 2002 amid rumors of the Roots losing interest in their label arrangements with . In 2004, the band remedied the situation by creating the company. Named after their website, 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 in July 2004 as The Tipping Point, supported by . A 2004 concert from Manhattan’s Webster Hall with special guests like , , and was issued in February 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.

A subsequent deal with fostered a series of riveting, often grim sets, beginning with Game Theory (August 2006) and Rising Down (April 2008). In 2009, the group expanded their reach as the exceptionally versatile house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The new gig didn’t slow their recording schedule; in 2010 alone, they released the sharp How I Got Over (June), as well as Wake Up! (September), where they backed on covers of socially relevant soul classics like ‘ “Wake Up Everybody” and ‘s “Little Ghetto Boy.” It earned Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. As they remained with , the Roots worked with Miami soul legend on November 2011’s Betty Wright: The Movie, and followed it the next month with their 13th studio long-player, Undun, an ambitious concept album whose main character dies in the first track and then follows his life backward.

Work on the group’s next studio LP was postponed as an unexpected duet album with took priority for the group in 2013. Originally planned as a reinterpretation of ‘s songbook, the record Wise Up Ghost turned into a full-fledged collaboration and was greeted by positive reviews upon its September 2013 release on . Within six months, the band joined in his new late-night slot, the high-profile Tonight Show program. Another concept album, the brief but deep …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin, was released in May 2014. Rapper , a fixture on the Roots’ early albums, died on July 29, 2020, at the age of 47. Leonard Hubbard, aka Hub, died on December 16, 2021 from multiple myeloma; he was 62 years old. ~ John Bush & Andy Kellman, Rovi