The Roots

Philadelphia hip-hop band who elevated the genre by playing live instruments and became the most critically respected act in hip-hop — now the house band for The Tonight Show.

Origin

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Genre

Hip-HopRap

Pantheon Standing

List Name	Rank	Populist	Credentialed	Combined	Status
Top 50 Hip Hop Artists of All Time	—	—	—	—	Active

The Cultural Record

Discography

Rising Down2008

The Roots From the Ground Up1994

EP & Mixtape

Game Theory2006

…

…and Then You Shoot Your Cousin2014

Wake Up!2010

Rank History

Voting Active

Ranking history for The Roots will appear here as votes are cast and positions shift over time.

Often Compared To

Three 6 Mafia

Hip-Hop / Rap — Memphis, Tennessee · 1991–

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T.I.

Hip-Hop / Rap — Atlanta, Georgia · 2000–

Atlanta rapper known as the King of the South who helped define trap music before the term became mainstream and delivered one of hip-hop's most critically praised albums with King.