the roots

Questlove’s 5 Favorite Late Night Performances

It’s hard to remember now, but back in the fall of 2008, when the Roots were announced as Jimmy Fallon’s house band, no one quite knew what to make of it. How, exactly, would a hip-hop group do as a late-night band? Fast-forward a year and a half and the answer is clear: really, really well! Whatever your complaints may still be with Fallon’s Late Night tenure, it’s hard to dispute that the Roots’ presence — through comedy bits and performances of their own material but, most of all, as the backup band for an insanely eclectic list of musical guests — has been remarkable. With the Roots’ new album, How I Got Over, freshly in stores, Vulture got Questlove to tell us the stories behind his five favorite Late Night musical moments.

Questlove’s 5 Favorite Late Night Performances