the-roots
Academy Award-winning director and Roots drummer Questlove is set to helm a live-action remake of the 1970 Disney movie The Aristocats. Questlove, whose 2021 debut Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature last year, will also be “overseeing music,” per Variety, and executive producing via his Two One Five Entertainment company alongside fellow Roots […]
The Roots and Live Nation Urban have announced the stacked lineup for the 2023 edition of the Roots Picnic festival. Diddy, Lil Uzi Vert, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Dave Chappelle, Ari Lennox, City Girls, Lucky Daye, GloRilla, Little Brother, DVSN, and many more are set to hit the stage. The two-day event will be going down in Philadelphia at The Mann in Fairmount Park on Saturday and Sunday, June […]
The Grammys commemorated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with a star-studded performance and people watching at home lost their minds. Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes were just some of the titans of the genre who took the stage for the performance, which was produced by Questlove. Other hip-hop icons that performed include LL Cool J, Big Boi, De La Soul, […]
Lil Yachty’s excellent new album Let’s Start Here, which arrived last week and has hopefully been on constant replay for anyone reading this, has inspired some understandably impassioned words from Grammy-winning musician and Oscar-winning filmmaker Questlove. Indeed, in a recent Instagram update, Questlove reflected on how much he “really really really” loves Yachty’s latest, notably […]
Leonard “Hub” Hubbard, the longtime bass player for The Roots, died Thursday in Philadelphia at age 62. The musician’s wife, Stephanie Hubbard, confirmed the tragic news to the ABC affiliate WPVI, saying the cause of death was was multiple myeloma—a form of blood cancer he had been battling since 2007. Stephanie told the network her husband had been energetic and mobile […]
Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter’s voice has been ringing out on records since 1987. A founding member and lead MC of Philadelphia’s legendary The Roots crew, Trotter is known for commanding the microphone in a way that few can. His all-in-one bag of technical dexterity, booming voice, and sharp wit makes his social commentary just as […]
Over 600 musicians, including Run the Jewels and Noname among countless others, have signed a letter calling for a boycott of performances in Israel in support of Palestine. “In solidarity and empathy, as musicians, we cannot be silent,” reads the letter. “We are calling on our peers to publicly assert their solidarity with the Palestinian people. […]
Justin Bieber linked with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots on the The Tonight Show to perform his hit track “Peaches” during a segment of “Classroom Instruments.” As the name suggests, “Classroom Instruments” involves artists performing a track strictly using instruments that would be found in a kid’s classroom. Previous artists who’ve joined the segment include Camila Cabello, […]
On Tuesday, Michelle Obama and other co-chairs of the When We All Vote organization dropped an open letter urging Americans to put their support behind the For the People Act. At the moment, 43 states across the country are considering an estimated 253 proposals that could dramatically limit voting rights and access to millions of […]
The Roots’ annual Jam Session is going completely virtual this year. The pre-Grammy Awards event will be live-streamed across various platforms and will take place without an in-person audience. The hip-hop group, which has been hosting the session for over a decade, will perform alongside artists like Ari Lennox, Tobe Nwigwe, Ant Clemons, Emily King, Jon Batiste, […]
