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.
It's All About You
The Roots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
stole my heart away
Your love was incredible
Wonderful
Then you began to change
You used to make me feel special
Now all you do is make me cry
I gave you my everything baby
I, I try to be the one for baby, you you
never was into nothin'
what I do, do
That's why I'm leaving
'Cause it's all about you
And not about me
I, I try to be the one for baby, you you
never was into nothin'
what I do, do
That's why I'm leaving
'Cause it's all about you
And not about me
When we get in a fight
I'm always the first to apologize
Even if it was you who did wrong
I never do enough to please you
That's why I can't go on
No matter what I do for you
It's never any good for you
You always got to complain
That's why I got to say
I can't stay
I, I try to be the one for baby, you you
never was into nothin'
what I do, do
That's why I'm leaving
'Cause it's all about you
And not about me
I, I try to be the one for baby, you you
never was into nothin'
what I do, do
That's why I'm leaving
'Cause it's all about you
And not about me
Selfish baby
Anything you want I do
I never understand how you
Could treat me bad and be so cruel
You're begging me to come back to you
Baby I gave you all my love
But what I had was not enough
You turned around & broke my trust
Got the nerve to ask me
What about us?
I, I try to be the one for baby, you you
never was into nothin'
what I do, do
That's why I'm leaving
'Cause it's all about you
And not about me
The Roots's song "It's All About You" featuring Tracie Spencer is a heartbreaking tale of a woman who is struggling to maintain her relationship due to her partner's self-centeredness. The song begins by reminiscing about how incredible and wonderful her partner's love used to be, but things started changing at some point. Her partner would no longer make her feel special, and all they would do is make her cry. Despite giving everything to the relationship, she only received lies in return. The woman admits that she had tried to be the one for her partner, but her efforts were never enough. Whenever they got into a fight, she would be the first to apologize, even when she was not wrong. Her partner would always need more, never satisfied with her.
Line by Line Meaning
When we first met
At the start of our relationship
stole my heart away
I fell deeply in love with you
Your love was incredible
Your love was amazing and breathtaking
Wonderful
I felt very lucky to have your love
Then you began to change
But then you changed
You used to make me feel special
You used to make me feel important and loved
Now all you do is make me cry
But now all you do is hurt me and make me cry
I gave you my everything baby
I gave you all that I had
But all you gave me was lies
But you only gave me dishonesty
I, I try to be the one for baby, you you
I tried my best to be the one for you
never was into nothin'
But you never cared about me or anything else
what I do, do
No matter what I did
That's why I'm leaving
That's why I have to go
'Cause it's all about you
Because you only care about yourself
And not about me
And not about how your actions affect me
When we get in a fight
When we have an argument
I'm always the first to apologize
I always say sorry first
Even if it was you who did wrong
Even if it was your fault
I never do enough to please you
But I can never do enough to make you happy
That's why I can't go on
That's why I can't continue this way
No matter what I do for you
Even if I do everything for you
It's never any good for you
It's never enough for you
You always got to complain
You always have something to complain about
That's why I got to say
That's why I have to tell you
Selfish baby
You're selfish
Anything you want I do
I always do what you want me to do
I never understand how you
I can't understand how you
Could treat me bad and be so cruel
Could be so unkind and hurtful towards me
You're begging me to come back to you
But you're asking me to come back to you
Baby I gave you all my love
I gave you all my love, baby
But what I had was not enough
But it wasn't enough for you
You turned around & broke my trust
You betrayed my trust
Got the nerve to ask me
And yet you have the audacity to ask me
What about us?
What about our relationship?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KENNETH KARLIN, HEAVYNN LUMPKINS, CARSTEN SCHACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@seasonedveteran3517
🗣 "[Malik B]
It's kinda ill how we grip these bitches in the Bonneville
It's kind of a thrill, my mind it will spill, my nine it will kill
Of course bro like crossbow, I bring the force though
Hittin your guts splittin your torso
It's colder than the North Pole livin unlawful
I'm giving you a jawful Of somethin awful
Yo my theoretic is leaded, Will come and set it
The shit bang and leave you diabetic for paramedics
I spit flames and get dames to get change
With pitbull bark and lock the shock
Don't bother me Och, don't you dare lie to me Och
I don't know, who's this nigga that you try to be Och
Benefit of doubt had me think you in it for clout
Big shit, send it for route and finish him out
Joints stiff from rigor mortis
While we swimmin in waters, women with daughters
Will have us niggaz sinnin with orders."
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
@detroitterrancethomas945
R.I.P
Malik B!💕🙏🏾🙌🏾☝🏾
Nothing But Love
From Tha D!💯🎶😎👍🏾
@Lamar1911
I'm from the deep east side of Detroit "Motown"...these are my two favorite Mc's of all Times even though Black Th-idought gets the most Love deserving so! Malik-B is my Most favorite Mc of all times and love so Many from 79' to Now!
@simtyr
Rest in power Malik B
@jddiesel2385
Malik verse on this one is crazy! Rest easy Malik B
@seasonedveteran3517
🗣 "[Malik B]
It's kinda ill how we grip these bitches in the Bonneville
It's kind of a thrill, my mind it will spill, my nine it will kill
Of course bro like crossbow, I bring the force though
Hittin your guts splittin your torso
It's colder than the North Pole livin unlawful
I'm giving you a jawful Of somethin awful
Yo my theoretic is leaded, Will come and set it
The shit bang and leave you diabetic for paramedics
I spit flames and get dames to get change
With pitbull bark and lock the shock
Don't bother me Och, don't you dare lie to me Och
I don't know, who's this nigga that you try to be Och
Benefit of doubt had me think you in it for clout
Big shit, send it for route and finish him out
Joints stiff from rigor mortis
While we swimmin in waters, women with daughters
Will have us niggaz sinnin with orders."
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
@santosdellior6917
Malik B always gave Thought that work on every track....my family just had a Major issue he was battling tht interfered is true recognition....one I can honestly say about Malik - pronunciation- (Mile-Lick) B....is tht he Loved Allahu Ta'ala.....hls Spiritua ran deep as well.....one thing I do know for certain is He never chased the Fame nor wanted it....The Roots did him dirty while he was alive, burning him out is money, checks and royalties....this is from his own mouth.....He was from the Streets and that's why his Lerics always had a edge to them.....I miss my Brother dearly 💔....May Allah Make his Grave Spacious... Ameen 🤲🏽
@jddiesel2385
@@santosdellior6917 Respect ✊
@jafrocubic2
One if the illest beats in the Western Hemisphere!
@Thatoneguy-12
If you’re into sight seeing don’t visit there
@omarrd33
Black Thought is the best rapper ever IMO. Much love.