Roots rapper Black Thought recalls 10 years of ‘Tonight Show’ and the impact it had on three decades of hip-hop: ‘We changed the game’
For Roots rapper Black Thought, the joy of performing at SummerStage in Central Park is a simple thing.
The Roots will be the headline attraction Friday night as part of their “Hip-Hop Is the Love of My Life” tour (with openers Jungle Brothers and Digable Planets). “This is classic New York — or old New York, as people call it — in its energy and vibe,” the 50-year-old frontman told The Post about the Rumsey Playfield concert series.
“Every time I’ve performed at SummerStage — even as a young guy early in my career — it’s always felt amazing. It felt like I was truly performing from the heart of the city.”
And now, it’s about 20 blocks from the Rockefeller Center studios, where The Roots have served as the house band on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” for 10 years. The legendary hip-hop crew followed the host to “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” when the former “SNL” player replaced Jay Leno in February 2014.
With an extended performance from “The Tonight Show” — where Black Thought goes by his real name, Tariq Trotter — the band he founded with drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has gone big with a celebratory Roots Picnic in his native Philadelphia. Nas, Jill Scott, Andre 3000, Babyface and Shaboozie — the rising country artist behind the summer hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — were among the packed lineup at the two-day event the first weekend in June.
“We were definitely influenced by SummerStage,” Black Thought said of the Roots Picnic, which began in 2008. “We wanted it to be in Fairmount Park, which is the Central Park of Philadelphia.”
And the celebration keeps him connected to where he came from — even if he’s performing in homes across America every weeknight on “The Tonight Show.” Black Thought says bringing hip-hop to NBC’s late-night TV has come as naturally as his rap.
“That just proves how great it is,” he said. “I’ve never had to rap any differently. I mean, if it involves foul language, you have to censor yourself. But I’ve never had to talk any differently, behave any differently … it’s a blessing.”
In fact, the addition of the Roots as the house band has given “The Tonight Show” more musical credibility than any of its late-night competitors.
“We’ve definitely revolutionized the game in that way,” said Black Thought. “Really weaving ourselves into the fabric of the show in a way that no band had done before… we changed the game. You have to accept our model for the way we do it.”
But the Roots have broken new ground since making their independent debut in 1993 with the “Organics” LP and then their major label breakthrough in 1995 with “Do You Want More?!!!??!”
In fact, he served as a bridge between old-school hip-hop and neo-soul, working with everyone from D’Angelo and Erykah Badu to Common and John Legend.
And in this entire journey they are freeing the mind as well as the body.
“It’s always been important for us to make some level of social or political commentary,” Black Thought said. “In my writing, I’ve spent the bulk of my career putting myself in a position where … I really became a voice for my city of Philadelphia, the larger community of black people, the concept of black thought.”
In fact, The Roots played a key role in a 2017 episode of the ABC series “Black-ish” that explained the reason for celebrating Juneteenth. Their “Schoolhouse Rock”-inspired musical number, “I’m a Slave,” was a hummable history lesson four years before it became a national holiday in 2021.
“That’s how my kids learned about Juneteenth,” Black Thought said. “I’m very proud of that.”
