Drummer Ahmir Thompson, also known as Questlove, and rapper Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought, started The Roots when they were in high school in Philadelphia in 1987. Over the last thirty years, the band has released 17 albums. They’ve received a bunch Grammy nominations including three wins. They’re also the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In this episode, Questlove tells the story of how they made the song "It Ain’t Fair." It was created for the film Detroit, directed by oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow, who also made the films The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. Detroit is about the 1967 Detroit riots, centered around the events at the Algiers Motel, where police killed three young black men and beat and tortured nine others. The Roots recruited the singer Bilal to contribute vocals to the song, and they worked with The Dap-Kings, the backing band for the late soul singer Sharon Jones, to create a sound that evoked the music of 1967.
songexploder.net/the-roots
Re-issue: Arooj Aftab - Mohabbat
War - Low Rider
Shania Twain - You're Still The One
Danny Brown - Y.B.P. (feat. Bruiser Wolf)
Rhiannon Giddens - You Louisiana Man
Re-issue: Arlo Parks - Black Dog
Green Day - Basket Case
The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight (Deluxe Anniversary Edition)
Foo Fighters - The Teacher
Raye - Escapism (feat. 070 Shake)
Sampha - Spirit 2.0
Paramore - Liar
Kesha - Eat The Acid
Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me
Laufey - From The Start
Re-issue: Janelle Monáe - So Afraid
Siddhartha Khosla - Only Murders in the Building (Main Title Theme)
Local Natives - Dark Days
Bakar - Hell N Back
Natalie Merchant - Sister Tilly
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Stuff You Should Know
On Being with Krista Tippett
TED Radio Hour
Planet Money
The Dinner Party Download