The Roots
courtesy of the artist
The Roots.
The Roots artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Studio Sessions
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May 25, 2011 Hear an interview with The Roots' drummer about his recent collaboration with singer Keren Ann.
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October 25, 2010 Hear the soul singer and the hip-hop band play live and discuss the album they made together.
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September 13, 2006 The band has earned a lofty reputation in hip-hop and beyond by reinventing the genre's boundaries.
Interviews & Profiles
April 15, 2013 Questlove, drummer and co-founder of The Roots, talks about his upcoming memoir.
December 18, 2011 Cofounders ?uestlove and Black Thought explain their story-driven new album, undun.
November 13, 2011 "I believe in making the radio sound better," says the R&B veteran.
June 18, 2011 The show's creators discuss booking the bands they love and refusing to talk down to children.
March 16, 2009 Opera's Jessye Norman and hip-hop artists perform a multimedia work set to Langston Hughes' poetry.
March 13, 2009 Drummer Ahmir Thompson talks about his career in the hip-hop group The Roots.
April 29, 2008 Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson talks about The Roots' new album, as well as his band's place in music.
August 23, 2006 Hip-hop drummer Questlove of The Roots talks about the group's new album, Game Theory.
September 2, 2005 Questlove is the drummer for the Grammy-winning hip-hop group The Roots.
Discover Songs
September 30, 2010 A look at new CDs from John Legend and The Roots, Jose Gonzalez and Elton John with Leon Russell.
September 12, 2010 The soul king and the greatest band in hip-hop collaborate on a politically motivated covers album.
September 28, 2006 The Roots' "Don't Feel Right" is a key track on what's arguably the hip-hop album of the year.
News
March 31, 2012 A weekend with a few hundred of the biggest geeks in the music world blurs plenty of boundaries.
Reviews
December 6, 2011 Do we need a hip-hop concept album in 2011? Yes, if it's as thoughtful and poignant as undun.
July 14, 2008 The album contains verses from the perspective of a child soldier in Sierra Leone and other issues.
September 28, 2006 The Roots' "Don't Feel Right" is a key track on what's arguably the hip-hop album of the year.
July 13, 2004 The new Roots' CD Tipping Point captures the group's impromptu jam sessions.
More Stories
December 7, 2011 The All Songs gang compares notes on their favorite songs, albums and discoveries of 2011.
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December 21, 2011 Some of the most memorable recordings of 2011 were not just great songs. They were about something.
December 7, 2011 Albums by The Civil Wars, Kate Bush and others that moved one critic through a year in transit.
December 7, 2011 A list of albums showcasing the stormy elegance, big ideas and transporting melodies of 2011.
December 5, 2011 The list of our 50 favorite albums includes Kanye West And Jay-Z and more artists from K to R.
December 2, 2011 Hip-hop's most reliable band is promoting its newest album by telling a story, starting at the end.
November 29, 2011 On their 13th album, Philadelphia's rap maestros reach new narrative and compositional heights.
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June 3, 2011 The Roots, Nas, Esperanza Spalding, and Wiz Khalifa performed for thousands in Philadelphia.
June 26, 2010 Drummer and co-founder ?uestlove says the band's new record is mature hip-hop inspired by change.
December 5, 2006 John Richards, morning DJ for KEXP in Seattle, shares his picks for the year's best CDs.
