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
Kelly Lee Owens - On
Black Pumas - Colors
The 1975 - The Birthday Party
Waxahatchee - Fire
Khruangbin - So We Won't Forget
Apparat - Goodbye (Theme from "Dark")
Mobb Deep - Shook Ones, Pt. II
Re-issue: Michael Kiwanuka - Black Man in a White World
100 gecs - Money Machine
Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter
Tame Impala - It Might Be Time
FKA twigs - Mirrored Heart
Nathaniel Rateliff - And It's Still Alright
Eric Nam - Love Die Young
Soccer Mommy - Circle the Drain
Caribou - Home
Vagabon - Water Me Down
Semisonic - Closing Time
Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall
Intro Theme and Thao's Farewell
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