The Roots Discography

The Roots Discography

The discography of The Roots, an American hip hop band, consists of ten studio albums, fourteen singles, three compilation albums, two extended plays, and one live album. The Roots began performing in 1989 as The Square Roots with rapper Black Thought and drummer Questlove. Rapper Malik B., and bassist Leonard Hubbard joined the band in 1991. Over its history, Questlove, and Black Thought have always remained with The Roots while their lineup of backing musicians has changed.

In 1993, The Roots debuted with independently released album Organix, and signed to DGC Records (later MCA Records) that same year. The Roots' debuted on Geffen with Do You Want More?!!!??!, an album that was unique in hip hop for using no sampling, and being embraced more by fans of alternative rock than fans of hip hop. Do You Want More?!!!??! peaked at only number 104 on the Billboard 200 chart in the US. Illadelph Halflife, the third album by the Roots, peaked at number twenty-one on the Billboard 200. In 1999, The Roots' fourth album Things Fall Apart became the band's biggest success. The album was certified gold in the US, and its single "You Got Me" peaked at number thirty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100, and number nineteen on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. "You Got Me" won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2000. In 2002, The Roots released Phrenology, which contained the band's second single to chart on the Hot 100. "Break You Off", which featured Musiq Soulchild, peaked at number ninety-nine.

The Roots founded the company Okayplayer, and released The Tipping Point in 2004. In 2006, The Roots signed to Def Jam, and released Game Theory under Def Jam and Rising Down in 2008; the band's final album How I Got Over was released in 2010. The Roots released two live concert albums, the first being The Roots Come Alive in 2000, and the next The Roots Present in 2005. In 2009, The Roots became the house band for the late-night show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.