The Roots, also known as The Legendary Roots Crew, The Square Roots and The… Read Full Bio ↴The Roots, also known as The Legendary Roots Crew, The Square Roots and The Foundation, are an influential, Grammy winning hip hop group based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, famed for a heavily jazzy sound and live instrumentation. Inspired by the "hip-hop band" concept pioneered by Stetsasonic, the Roots themselves have garnered critical acclaim and influenced later hip-hop and R&B acts.
The Roots' original lineup included Black Thought (MC vocals) and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), who were classmates at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. As they began to play at school and on the streets, they added another MC named Malik B., bassist Leonard Hubbardand keyboardist Scott Storch. Another MC, Dice Raw, frequently made album appearances with the group from 1995 to 1999 before leaving to record a solo album. Scott Storch also left to pursue career as a producer following the Do You Want More?!!!??! album, He produced songs such as Still D.R.E. by Dr Dre. The Roots filled his void with another keyboardist, Kamal who is still a member. A beatboxer named Rahzel also joined the group and contributed from 1995-1999. Alongside Rahzel was vocal turntablist, Scratch who greatly contributed to The Roots' sound, most notably in live concerts. He left the group in 2003. Malik B. left the group in 2000. A guitarist, Ben Kenney, enjoyed a short stint with the group and contributed to their Phrenology album, but left to join Incubus. A percussionist, Knuckles, was added in 2002 and guitarist, Kirk Douglas (a.k.a. "Captain Kirk") repleaced Kenney. A vocalist, Martin Luther toured with The Roots in 2003 and 2004 and contributed to their album The Tipping Point. The current members of The Roots are Black Thought (MC vocals), ?uestlove (drums), Hub (bass), Kamal (keyboard), Knuckles (percussion), and Captain Kirk (guitar).
The Roots' debut album, Organix released in 1993, was actually a live recording from a concert in Germany that the Roots sold at their shows. The album earned enough industry buzz to earn the Roots offers from major record labels, and they signed with DGC records, which at the time was better known for its grunge music releases.
The Roots' first album for DGC, Do You Want More?!!!??! (recorded live without the use of samples), was a moderate hit on alternative radio. Their 1996 release Illadelph Halflife was the group's first album to crack the Top 40 on Billboard's album chart, spurred in part by MTV's airplay of the video for "What They Do", a parody of rap video clichés such as the "beatdown shot," and "Clones" which was their first to single to reach the top five on the rap charts.
In 1999, The Roots released Things Fall Apart (named after a novel by Chinua Achebe), their breakthrough album. The track "You Got Me", duet with R'n'B singer Erykah Badu, earned them a Grammy award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.
In 2000, Dice Raw left the group to record his solo debut album, Reclaiming the Dead.
The Roots' reputation as a hip-hop live band made Jay-Z call on them for his MTV Unplugged album in 2002. The album featured good recreations of many of his great songs, played by the band with a little help from female vocalist Jaguar Wright.
2002's Phrenology introduced a more mainstream sound for the Roots, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. The album's sales were boosted by radio and TV airplay for two duets on the album, "Break You Off" (featuring Musiq Soulchild) and "The Seed 2.0" (featuring Cody ChestnuTT). The video for "The Seed 2.0" earned a nomination for the MTV2 Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. "The Seed" was also featured on the soundtrack to the Mandy Moore movie Chasing Liberty. Phrenology was certified gold (signifying U.S. sales of at least 500,000 units) in June 2003.
The Roots' 2004 release, The Tipping Point, took its name from a 2000 book by Malcolm Gladwell. The album earned two more Grammy nominations: one for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Star", and another for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for the track "Don't Say Nuthin'". The album was an immediate hit, debuting at #4 on the Billboard album chart and selling over 100,000 copies in its first week of release.
On November 15, 2005 The Roots released two compilation albums, Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide To Understanding The Roots, Volumes 1 & 2. These two separately sold discs are a compilation of past hits, live performances, and rare remixes compiled by ?uestlove himself. They also feature 70 pages of liner notes written by ?uestlove. These two albums marked the Roots' last releases on Geffen Records.
The Roots' album, Game Theory, was released on August 29, 2006. The album, which features a track that samples the song "You and Whose Army" by Radiohead, was released on Jay-Z's Def Jam.
The Roots next album 'Rising Down' was released on April 29th 2008. Features tracks with Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saigon, and other greats.
The Make Me Songfacts reports that The Roots' eleventh album, undun, is their first concept album. It tells the story of a man called Redford Stephens who died in 1999 at the age of 25. We hear Redford retelling his life post-mortem and attempting to deconstruct what led to his undoing.
The Roots are also the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airing first on March 2nd, 2009.
The Roots' original lineup included Black Thought (MC vocals) and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), who were classmates at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. As they began to play at school and on the streets, they added another MC named Malik B., bassist Leonard Hubbardand keyboardist Scott Storch. Another MC, Dice Raw, frequently made album appearances with the group from 1995 to 1999 before leaving to record a solo album. Scott Storch also left to pursue career as a producer following the Do You Want More?!!!??! album, He produced songs such as Still D.R.E. by Dr Dre. The Roots filled his void with another keyboardist, Kamal who is still a member. A beatboxer named Rahzel also joined the group and contributed from 1995-1999. Alongside Rahzel was vocal turntablist, Scratch who greatly contributed to The Roots' sound, most notably in live concerts. He left the group in 2003. Malik B. left the group in 2000. A guitarist, Ben Kenney, enjoyed a short stint with the group and contributed to their Phrenology album, but left to join Incubus. A percussionist, Knuckles, was added in 2002 and guitarist, Kirk Douglas (a.k.a. "Captain Kirk") repleaced Kenney. A vocalist, Martin Luther toured with The Roots in 2003 and 2004 and contributed to their album The Tipping Point. The current members of The Roots are Black Thought (MC vocals), ?uestlove (drums), Hub (bass), Kamal (keyboard), Knuckles (percussion), and Captain Kirk (guitar).
The Roots' debut album, Organix released in 1993, was actually a live recording from a concert in Germany that the Roots sold at their shows. The album earned enough industry buzz to earn the Roots offers from major record labels, and they signed with DGC records, which at the time was better known for its grunge music releases.
The Roots' first album for DGC, Do You Want More?!!!??! (recorded live without the use of samples), was a moderate hit on alternative radio. Their 1996 release Illadelph Halflife was the group's first album to crack the Top 40 on Billboard's album chart, spurred in part by MTV's airplay of the video for "What They Do", a parody of rap video clichés such as the "beatdown shot," and "Clones" which was their first to single to reach the top five on the rap charts.
In 1999, The Roots released Things Fall Apart (named after a novel by Chinua Achebe), their breakthrough album. The track "You Got Me", duet with R'n'B singer Erykah Badu, earned them a Grammy award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.
In 2000, Dice Raw left the group to record his solo debut album, Reclaiming the Dead.
The Roots' reputation as a hip-hop live band made Jay-Z call on them for his MTV Unplugged album in 2002. The album featured good recreations of many of his great songs, played by the band with a little help from female vocalist Jaguar Wright.
2002's Phrenology introduced a more mainstream sound for the Roots, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. The album's sales were boosted by radio and TV airplay for two duets on the album, "Break You Off" (featuring Musiq Soulchild) and "The Seed 2.0" (featuring Cody ChestnuTT). The video for "The Seed 2.0" earned a nomination for the MTV2 Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. "The Seed" was also featured on the soundtrack to the Mandy Moore movie Chasing Liberty. Phrenology was certified gold (signifying U.S. sales of at least 500,000 units) in June 2003.
The Roots' 2004 release, The Tipping Point, took its name from a 2000 book by Malcolm Gladwell. The album earned two more Grammy nominations: one for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Star", and another for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for the track "Don't Say Nuthin'". The album was an immediate hit, debuting at #4 on the Billboard album chart and selling over 100,000 copies in its first week of release.
On November 15, 2005 The Roots released two compilation albums, Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide To Understanding The Roots, Volumes 1 & 2. These two separately sold discs are a compilation of past hits, live performances, and rare remixes compiled by ?uestlove himself. They also feature 70 pages of liner notes written by ?uestlove. These two albums marked the Roots' last releases on Geffen Records.
The Roots' album, Game Theory, was released on August 29, 2006. The album, which features a track that samples the song "You and Whose Army" by Radiohead, was released on Jay-Z's Def Jam.
The Roots next album 'Rising Down' was released on April 29th 2008. Features tracks with Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saigon, and other greats.
The Make Me Songfacts reports that The Roots' eleventh album, undun, is their first concept album. It tells the story of a man called Redford Stephens who died in 1999 at the age of 25. We hear Redford retelling his life post-mortem and attempting to deconstruct what led to his undoing.
The Roots are also the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airing first on March 2nd, 2009.
Dynamite! )
The Roots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Uh uh, come on, S-P in the
Up north into the NYC and the out West
And to niggas in Cali and the Down South type dynamite
What, yo yo come on dynamite dynamite
Uh check it out, uh uh
Yo yo yo yo yo check it out
Eve-ry bo-dy, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
Check it out, eve-ry bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fith Dynamite
Yo, check it out
In in tro tro duc ducing
The sole missin' link, what could MC's who listen think
It's Black Thought, open your eyes and don't blink
Yo, to rock this mic is like a basic instinct
But yo in-in-tro-tro-duc-ducing
Behind thee, the mic champ-ion
More than a step-ion
Mothafuckers sweatin' me, beggin' me just to get me on
Macro-cosmic, micro-master
Ey yo I'm all the way way, Phil Phil-lay-lay
People want to see the way the Illadel play
Yo, look in the mirror, watch what yourself say
I'm from S-P, no mortal man can test me
Thought, I keep a lin-e in, upper eschulone-in
Heineken, hold the rhymin' in, flows remindin' 'em
Cats that hear me up, some shit from back in the past
Your half-steppin' ass, could never fathom a grasp because
Yo we got a doctrine, in cold-rockin' it
Bringin' this apocalypse, nigga you mad topical
Bitch my raps trick your optical
Mister superficial, I'm rippin' apart your heart tissue
This is your official, dismissal
I don't study the artificial, who fuckin' wit the dark crystal
Yo where are is you? I'm movin' like a smart missile
Aimed and guaranteed to hit you
Word up, but when the Fifth do get on and perform, you in for it
It ain't no way to cen-sor it, my style metaphoric
To bricks and ten tons stacks hard to lift
The artist, comin' out the Fifth darkness
We go back like ancients, while you ain't shit
Sub-terrainean, never against the grain-ean
Afro-American slash half-blade-ean
In your universe, my star's the most radiant
Eve-ry bo-dy, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
Check it out, eve-ry bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fith Dynamite
Ey yo it's all the way live, from 2-1-5
Plus admission is denied so just wait outside
Two extremes collide like Jekyl and Hyde
And I provide you wit the swerve you need, but take heed
You travellin' like speed
Iller than adventures you might read
O-fficial original breed, the just-ice league, yo it's the P-5-D
Style fashionist, other MC's they actresses
Yo it's the high-opposed, you bout to get shot down
Tryin' to fly above this Illa-Fifth compound
You've known since the get-go, I rock your disco
Ain't nobody badder, but yo you get my gist so
I represent so you gotta squint
As far as how I do it you ain't compen-sate
We causin' nui-sance and get in-decent so save your two cents
Don't come in my district, kickin' that bullshit
Yo it's all simplistic, limited click get
Lyrically lifted, touchin' the Fifth shit
Trenches of the mentally twisted, you enlisted
Five was the emblem on the mic you got hit wit
And I stomp ya, till you call me conqueror
Back-slappin' all the niggas that slept
Thinkin' that Elo could ever disappear
I'm strippin' they vi near
Wit this non ether reefer, quiet frequent premiere
Eve-ry bo-dy, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
Check it out, eve-ry bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fith Dynamite
Eve-ry bo-dy, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
Check it out, eve-ry bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fith Dynamite
Up north into the NYC and the out West
And to niggas in Cali and the Down South type dynamite
What, yo yo come on dynamite dynamite
Uh check it out, uh uh
Yo yo yo yo yo check it out
Eve-ry bo-dy, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
Check it out, eve-ry bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fith Dynamite
Yo, check it out
In in tro tro duc ducing
The sole missin' link, what could MC's who listen think
It's Black Thought, open your eyes and don't blink
Yo, to rock this mic is like a basic instinct
But yo in-in-tro-tro-duc-ducing
Behind thee, the mic champ-ion
More than a step-ion
Mothafuckers sweatin' me, beggin' me just to get me on
Macro-cosmic, micro-master
Ey yo I'm all the way way, Phil Phil-lay-lay
People want to see the way the Illadel play
Yo, look in the mirror, watch what yourself say
I'm from S-P, no mortal man can test me
Thought, I keep a lin-e in, upper eschulone-in
Heineken, hold the rhymin' in, flows remindin' 'em
Cats that hear me up, some shit from back in the past
Your half-steppin' ass, could never fathom a grasp because
Yo we got a doctrine, in cold-rockin' it
Bringin' this apocalypse, nigga you mad topical
Bitch my raps trick your optical
Mister superficial, I'm rippin' apart your heart tissue
This is your official, dismissal
I don't study the artificial, who fuckin' wit the dark crystal
Yo where are is you? I'm movin' like a smart missile
Aimed and guaranteed to hit you
Word up, but when the Fifth do get on and perform, you in for it
It ain't no way to cen-sor it, my style metaphoric
To bricks and ten tons stacks hard to lift
The artist, comin' out the Fifth darkness
We go back like ancients, while you ain't shit
Sub-terrainean, never against the grain-ean
Afro-American slash half-blade-ean
In your universe, my star's the most radiant
Eve-ry bo-dy, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
Check it out, eve-ry bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fith Dynamite
Ey yo it's all the way live, from 2-1-5
Plus admission is denied so just wait outside
Two extremes collide like Jekyl and Hyde
And I provide you wit the swerve you need, but take heed
You travellin' like speed
Iller than adventures you might read
O-fficial original breed, the just-ice league, yo it's the P-5-D
Style fashionist, other MC's they actresses
Yo it's the high-opposed, you bout to get shot down
Tryin' to fly above this Illa-Fifth compound
You've known since the get-go, I rock your disco
Ain't nobody badder, but yo you get my gist so
I represent so you gotta squint
As far as how I do it you ain't compen-sate
We causin' nui-sance and get in-decent so save your two cents
Don't come in my district, kickin' that bullshit
Yo it's all simplistic, limited click get
Lyrically lifted, touchin' the Fifth shit
Trenches of the mentally twisted, you enlisted
Five was the emblem on the mic you got hit wit
And I stomp ya, till you call me conqueror
Back-slappin' all the niggas that slept
Thinkin' that Elo could ever disappear
I'm strippin' they vi near
Wit this non ether reefer, quiet frequent premiere
Eve-ry bo-dy, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
Check it out, eve-ry bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fith Dynamite
Eve-ry bo-dy, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
Check it out, eve-ry bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fith Dynamite
The Roots’ “Dynamite!” focuses on their lyrical prowess and reputation as one of the best hip hop groups around. The opening lines reference the group’s appeal across the United States, from up north and across the country to down south California. The lines “touch this Illa-Fifth Dynamite/C’mon, touch this Illa-Fith Dynamite” serve as a challenge to other MCs to try and match The Roots’ energy and power in their music. Black Thought’s verse further emphasizes their superiority with clever wordplay and metaphors. He introduces himself as “the sole missing link” and emphasizes that he is the “mic champion.” He then goes on to describe his superiority as “macro-cosmic” and “micro-master,” and suggests that other rappers can’t “fathom a grasp” of his talent. When Eve takes over towards the end, she also points out her exacting style that is unmatched in the industry.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that The Roots believe they are a force to be reckoned with. They effortlessly incorporate their memories and hometown into their lyrics, describing themselves as “from the Fifth darkness” and “trenches of the mentally twisted.” Despite their confidence, they offer up that their unique style is not something to be imitated but rather is a product of their individuality. They assert that this is what sets them apart from other groups in the genre who are mere “actresses” while they remain “original breed.”
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: COLLINS, TARIK L. / HUBBARD, LEONARD N. / THOMPSON, AHMIR K. / YANCY, J.D. / SAYED, REHANI / GRAY, JIMMY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Mike Ball
on Proceed V (Da Beatminerz remix)
So after purchasing “Do You Want More” the day it dropped, my guy the upped me from jump (pass the popcorn obvi) found this join on a European release and pressed play…the rest is history. But there in lies my question…what IS the history, the story on how, where, when, this was created? I need to know for context. Drop a link if there is one out there PLEASE! V 5 is a masterpiece!