The Roots are an American
hip hop/
neo soul band, formed in 1987 by Tariq "
Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "
Questlove" Thompson in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots are known for a jazzy and eclectic approach to hip-hop featuring live musical instruments.
Malik B., Leonard "
Hub" Hubbard, and Josh Abrams were added to the band (formerly named "The Square Roots").