The discography of the Roots, an American hip hop band, consists of fourteen studio albums (including three collaborative studio albums), three compilation albums, two extended plays, and two live albums. 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.[1] Over its history, Questlove and Black Thought have always remained with the Roots while their lineup of backing musicians has changed.
| The Roots discography | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Roots performing in 2016 | |
| Studio albums | 14 |
| EPs | 2 |
| Live albums | 2 |
| Compilation albums | 3 |
| Singles | 18 |
| Music videos | 24 |
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.[2] Do You Want More?!!!??! peaked at only number 104 on the Billboard 200 chart in the US.[3] Illadelph Halflife, the third album by the Roots, peaked at number twenty-one on the Billboard 200.[3] In 1999, the Roots' fourth album Things Fall Apart became the band's biggest success. The album was certified gold in the US,[4] 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.[5] "You Got Me" won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2000.[6] 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.[5]
The Roots founded the company Okayplayer, and released The Tipping Point in 2004.[2] In 2006, the Roots signed to Def Jam, and released Game Theory under Def Jam and Rising Down in 2008; the band's 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 and in 2014, upon Fallon's take over of The Tonight Show, the Roots moved to that series.
Albums
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US R&B [3] |
AUS [7] |
CAN [3] |
FIN [8] |
FRA [9] |
GER [10] |
NLD [11] |
NOR [12] |
SWE [13] |
SWI [14] |
UK [15] | ||||
| 1993 | Organix
|
— | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | Do You Want More?!!!??!
|
104 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 87 | — | — | ||
| 1996 | Illadelph Halflife
|
21 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 56 | — | — | ||
| 1999 | Things Fall Apart
|
4 | 2 | — | 7 | — | 41 | 64 | 92 | — | — | 40 | 84 | ||
| 2002 | Phrenology
|
28 | 11 | — | — | 14 | 117 | — | 54 | — | — | 57 | 112 | ||
| 2004 | The Tipping Point
|
4 | 2 | — | — | 22 | 35 | 44 | 44 | 20 | 37 | 3 | 71 | ||
| 2006 | Game Theory
|
9 | 5 | — | — | 36 | 69 | 95 | 78 | 26 | — | 7 | 76 | ||
| 2008 | Rising Down
|
6 | 3 | 100 | 14 | — | 95 | — | — | 34 | — | 10 | 95 | ||
| 2010 | How I Got Over
|
6 | 3 | 71 | 14 | — | 117 | 70 | 33 | — | — | 3 | 111 | ||
| Wake Up! (with John Legend)
|
8 | 3 | 42 | 16 | — | 95 | 69 | 6 | — | 29 | 15 | 26 | |||
| 2011 | Betty Wright: The Movie (with Betty Wright)
|
197 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | 44 | — | — | — | — | ||
Undun
|
17 | 4 | 66 | 20 | — | — | 87 | — | 91 | — | 30 | 178 | |||
| 2013 | Wise Up Ghost (with Elvis Costello)
|
16 | — | 40 | — | — | 131 | 29 | 35 | 26 | — | 12 | 28 | ||
| 2014 | ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin
|
11 | 3 | 34 | 20 | — | 127 | 79 | 63 | — | — | 9 | 111 | ||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
edit| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US R&B [3] | ||
| 2005 | Home Grown! The Beginners Guide to Understanding The Roots, Vol. 1
|
161 | 41 |
Home Grown! The Beginners Guide to Understanding The Roots, Vol. 2
|
187 | 46 | |
Live albums
edit| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US R&B [3] | ||||||||
| 1999 | The Roots Come Alive
|
50 | 12 | ||||||
| 2004 | Nagoya Blue Note: Live In Japan – September 7, 2004
|
— | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||
Extended plays
edit| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1994 | From the Ground Up
|
| 1999 | The Legendary
|
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [5] |
US R&B [5] |
US Rap [5] |
AUS [7] |
FRA [9] |
GER [10] |
NLD [11] |
NZL [20] |
SWI [14] |
UK [15] | ||||
| 1994 | "Distortion to Static" | — | 96 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Do You Want More?!!!??! | |
| 1995 | "Proceed" | 123[A] | 79 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Silent Treatment" | — | 105[A] | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1996 | "Clones" | 101[A] | 62 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Illadelph Halflife | |
| "What They Do" (featuring Raphael Saadiq) | 34 | 21 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 49 | |||
| 1997 | "Concerto of the Desperado" | 71 | 57 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998 | "Adrenaline!" | — | 73 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Things Fall Apart | |
| "You Got Me" (featuring Erykah Badu and Eve) | 39 | 11 | 19 | — | 28 | 25 | 46 | 37 | 15 | 31 | |||
| 1999 | "The Next Movement" (featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff and Jazzyfatnastees) | — | 103[A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "What You Want" | — | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Best Man (soundtrack) / The Roots Come Alive | ||
| 2001 | "Glitches (The Skin You're In)"
(featuring Amel Larrieux) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Down to Earth (soundtrack) | |
| 2002 | "Break You Off" (featuring Musiq Soulchild) | 99 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 59 | Phrenology | |
| 2003 | "The Seed (2.0)" (featuring Cody ChesnuTT) | — | — | — | 78 | — | 67 | 31 | — | 22 | 33 | ||
| 2004 | "Don't Say Nuthin'" | — | 66 | — | — | — | 66 | — | — | 27 | 92 | The Tipping Point | |
| "I Don't Care" (featuring Dom) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 54 | 97 | |||
| "Stay Cool" | 53[B] | 31[B] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2006 | "Don't Feel Right" (featuring Maimouna Youssef) | — | 48[B] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 200 | Game Theory | |
| 2008 | "Birthday Girl" (featuring Patrick Stump) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Rising Down | |
| "Rising Up" (featuring Chrisette Michele and Wale) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2009 | "How I Got Over" (featuring Dice Raw) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | How I Got Over | |
| 2010 | "Dear God 2.0" (featuring Monsters of Folk) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "The Fire" (featuring John Legend) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Wake Up Everybody" (with John Legend featuring Common & Melanie Fiona) | — | 53 | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | 62 | 179 | Wake Up! | ||
| "Hard Times" (with John Legend) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2011 | "Shine" (with John Legend) | — | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Make My" (featuring Big K.R.I.T.) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Undun | ||
| "Tip the Scale" (featuring Dice Raw) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2014 | "Understand" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin | |
| "When the People Cheer" | |||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||||||
- A. ^ Charted only on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles or Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles charts, 25-song extensions to the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts respectively.
- B. ^ Charted only on the Hot Singles Sales or Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales charts.[21]
- C. ^ Charted only on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs chart.
Other appearances
edit| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Da Jawn" (with Bahamadia) |
Kollage |
| "The Good, The Bad and The Desolate" | High School High: The Soundtrack | |
| 1997 | "The 'Notic" (with D'Angelo) |
Men in Black: The Album |
| "The Show" | In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap[22] | |
| 1998 | "Take It There" (Remix)
(with Nonchalant) |
12"[23] |
| "Why?" (with Eric Benét) |
Ride (soundtrack) | |
| 1999 | "Ya' All Know Who!" | The Wood (soundtrack) |
| "Suga Sista"
(with Rahzel and Aaron Hall) |
Make the Music 2000 | |
| "Rafiki"[24]
(with Zap Mama) |
A Ma Zone | |
| 2000 | "Hurricane" (with Common, Mos Def, Jazzyfatnastees, Dice Raw and Flo Brown) |
Hurricane (soundtrack) |
| "Burned Hollywood Burned" (with Chuck D and Zack de la Rocha) |
Bamboozled (soundtrack) | |
| "Lift Your Fist"
(Guru featuring The Roots) |
Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul | |
| "Work" (with Alechia James) |
Bait (soundtrack) | |
| "The Roots (Interlude)" | Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1 | |
| 2002 | "Act Too (Love of My Life) [Remix]" | Brown Sugar (soundtrack) |
| "Tao of the Machine" (with BT) |
Blade II (soundtrack) / Emotional Technology | |
| 2006 | "Boom! (Live Album Version)" (with Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane) |
Dave Chapelle's Block Party |
| 2010 | "I'll Stand by You" (with Shakira) "Hard Times Come Again No More" (with Mary J. Blige) "Let It Be" (with Jennifer Hudson) |
Hope for Haiti Now |
| 2012 | "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round" | Soundtrack for a Revolution (soundtrack)[25] |
| "Twice"
(Robert Glasper featuring The Roots and Solange) |
Black Radio Rediscovered: The Remix EP | |
| 2016 | "No John Trumbull (Intro)" "My Shot (Rise Up Remix)" (with Busta Rhymes, Joell Ortiz and Nate Ruess) "You'll Be Back" (with Jimmy Fallon) "Who Tells Your Story" (with Common and Ingrid Michaelson) |
The Hamilton Mixtape |
| 2017 | "It Ain't Fair" (with Bilal) |
Detroit (soundtrack) |
Music videos
edit- 1993: "Pass the Popcorn" (as The Square Roots)
- 1994: "Distortion to Static"
- 1994: "Proceed"
- 1994: "Proceed II"
- 1995: "Silent Treatment"
- 1996: "Clones"
- 1996: "Concerto of the Desperado"
- 1996: "What They Do"
- 1999: "You Got Me"
- 1999: "The Next Movement"
- 1999: "What You Want"
- 2000: "Glitches"
- 2002: "Break You Off"
- 2002: "The Seed 2.0"
- 2004: "Don't Say Nothin'"
- 2004: "Star"
- 2004: "I Don't Care"
- 2006: "In the Music/Here I Come/Don't Feel Right"
- 2008: "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)"
- 2008: "Get Busy"
- 2008: "Birthday Girl"
- 2008: "Rising Up"
- 2009: "How I Got Over"
- 2010: "Dear God 2.0"
- 2010: "The Fire"
- 2010: "Hard Times (Studio Video)"
- 2010: "I Can't Write Left Handed (Studio Video)"
- 2010: "Wake Up Everybody"
- 2011: "Undun: The Short Clips" ("Make My"; "Stomp"; "Tip The Scale"; "Sleep")
- 2014: "When the People Cheer"
- 2014: "Understand"
References
edit- ^ "The Roots". Bonaroo. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ a b Bush, John. "The Roots > Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Roots > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum: The Roots". RIAA. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "The Roots > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "The Roots > Charts & Awards > Grammy Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ a b Peaks in Australia:
- All top 50 peaks: "Discography The Roots". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
- Peaks 51–100: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 239.
- ^ "Discography The Roots". Finnishcharts.com (in Finnish). Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ a b "Discographie The Roots". Lescharts.com (in French). Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ a b Peak chart positions for The Roots in Germany:
- "Chartverfolgung / The Roots / Longplay" (in German). PhonoNet. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- "Chartverfolgung / The Roots / Single" (in German). PhonoNet. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- "Chartverfolgung / John Legend & The Roots / Longplay" (in German). PhonoNet. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- "Chartverfolgung / Duffy / Single" (in German). PhonoNet. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
- ^ a b "Discografie The Roots". Dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "Discography The Roots". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "Discography The Roots". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ a b "Discographie The Roots". Hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ a b Peak chart positions for The Roots in the United Kingdom:
- "The Roots". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: The Rabble Army – RZA". Zobbel. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c "RIAA – Searchable Database: The Roots". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
- ^ CRIA certifications Archived April 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Certified Awards". Bpi.co.uk. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ "Betty Wright: The Movie". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ "Discography The Roots". charts.nz. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "Billboard chart search" (XML). Billboard.com. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ "Various - In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap". Discogs.com. 1997. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ "discogs".
- ^ "discogs".
- ^ "Soundtrack for a Revolution - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
External links
edit- The Roots discography discography at Discogs