An American hip-hop band from Philadelphia formed in 1987, known for live instrumentation, longtime collaborators Black Thought (Tariq Trotter) and ?uestlove (Ahmir Thompson), and acclaimed albums blending hip hop, jazz, soul and funk.

Formed in Philadelphia in the late 1980s; core members include Black Thought (Tariq Trotter) and ?uestlove (Ahmir Thompson). Known for performing with live instruments, critically acclaimed albums include Things Fall Apart, Phrenology and Illadelph Halflife. (Publicly verifiable facts.)

DeBaser reviews praise The Roots as a Philadelphia-based hip-hop band that blends live instrumentation, jazz, soul and funk. Critics highlight several landmark albums (Illadelph Halflife, Things Fall Apart, Phrenology, undun, How I Got Over, Rising Down) and emphasize Black Thought's lyrics and ?uestlove's drumming. The coverage is admiring and focused on musical sophistication and social themes.

For:Fans of hip-hop with interest in live instrumentation, jazz/soul listeners, music critics and readers seeking socially conscious rap

 the absolute masterpiece of the Roots, as well as the undisputed musical manifesto of the Philadelphia live band.

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 ...and you are all about to witness, symptomatic Hip-Hop Jazz, 100% groove... And you don’t stop! It’s from The Roots, Philadelphia based Rap group...

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 This album represents an excellent starting point for discovering the Roots, and I warmly recommend it to all lovers of original and never banal sounds.

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 "Never Do What They Do" was (and is) their categorical imperative, a manifest detachment from the contemporary hip hop scene, completely philosophically alien from what this ensemble aims (to propose).

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