- formed 1987, Philadelphia
- 2 Dutch Top 40 hits
The Roots is a group, formed in 1987 in Philadelphia. Over the years, Ben Kenney, Hub, Scott Storch, Martin Luther McCoy, Black Thought, Dave Guy, Kamal Gray, Malik B and ten others played in the group. There is no album of their own in the collection, but the group does appear on one album by others: Zeroes Collected Vol. 2. Two records reached the Dutch Top 40. The highest was Wake up Everybody: number 16 in week 37 of 2010.
Source: MusicBrainz and Discogs
Timeline of The Roots
The members of The Roots over the years: eighteen members, with the years they belonged to the group, including anyone who left for a while and came back. The red lines are the entries in the Dutch Top 40. Point at a line and click for the weekly chart. A linked name has its own page.
The Roots
Ben Kenney
Hub†
Martin Luther McCoy
Black Thought
Dave Guy
Kamal Gray
Malik B†
?uestloveDame “Tuba Gooding, Jr.” Bryson
Ebony Joi
ScratchFrank “Knuckles” Walker
“Captain” Kirk Douglas
Owen BiddleMark Kelley19901995200020052010201520202025Member of the groupDutch Top 40Still a member
Appears on
The Roots is on this site on one album by others: Zeroes Collected Vol. 2. The album lists the track concerned.
The Roots in the Dutch Top 40
The Roots had two records in the Dutch Top 40. The best-charting record comes first; the badge shows the peak position, the title opens the full run.
week 37, 201012weeks in the chart
with 2 records2003first entry
week 18, 20032010latest entry
week 45, 20102years with an entry
-
2010Dutch Top 40: peak position 16 in week 37 of 2010, 10 weeks in the chart Wake up Everybody
John Legend, The Roots, Common, Melanie Fiona4:25 -
2003Dutch Top 40: peak position 35 in week 18 of 2003, 2 weeks in the chart The Seed (2.0)
The Roots3:56
All Dutch Top 40 entries of The Roots
Source: top40.nl
Awards and honours
The Roots received 5 awards and honours, oldest first.
- 1999Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
- 2010Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
- 2010Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance
- 2011NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Album
- 2011NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Duo or Group
Together with The Roots
On tracks of albums in the collection, The Roots appears with Cody Chesnutt.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was The Roots formed?
The Roots was formed in 1987 in Philadelphia.
Who played in The Roots?
Over the years that was Ben Kenney, Hub, Scott Storch, Martin Luther McCoy, Black Thought, Dave Guy, Kamal Gray, Malik B, ?uestlove, Dame “Tuba Gooding, Jr.” Bryson, Ebony Joi, James Poyser and six others. The timeline shows for each member the years they belonged; the names are also in the side column.
Which Dutch Top 40 hits did The Roots have?
Two records made the Dutch Top 40. The best-charting record is Wake up Everybody, which reached number 16 in week 37 of 2010. The graph next to each record shows its run from week to week.
Which albums by other artists feature The Roots?
On one album: Zeroes Collected Vol. 2 (Various). Each album lists the tracks concerned.
Which awards has The Roots won?
The Roots received 5 awards and honours, including NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Duo or Group (2011), NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Album (2011), Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance (2010) and Grammy Award for Best R&B Album (2010). The full list is on this page under Awards and honours.
Where can you find The Roots online?
Through Wikipedia, the official website, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, SoundCloud, Deezer, Apple Music and Spotify. The links are in the side column of this page.
Where can you see and hear The Roots?
The Dutch Top 40 entries have a round Spotify button. A cover opens the album with the tracks per side and the whole album on Spotify. The music plays in the player at the bottom and keeps going while you browse on, after one-time consent for Spotify.
Keep exploring
If you have landed here, you probably want to keep going: an album, an artist, a week in the Dutch Top 40 or a concert.