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: Courtney Barnett - Depreston
Action Bronson - The Chairman's Intent
Jhené Aiko - Sativa (feat. Swae Lee)
Re-issue: CHVRCHES - Clearest Blue
Yo La Tengo - Here You Are
Wolf Alice - Don't Delete the Kisses
Re-issue: Kelela - Rewind
Jon Hopkins - Luminous Beings
Liz Phair - Divorce Song
Arcade Fire - Put Your Money On Me
Kimbra - Top of the World
Jack Johnson - You Can't Control It
Ludwig Göransson - Black Panther
Natalie Prass - Short Court Style
Moses Sumney - Quarrel
Bleachers - I Miss Those Days
Julien Baker - Appointments
R.E.M - Try Not to Breathe
Nine Inch Nails - The Lovers
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