The Roots became the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon when the show premiered in 2009.
The Philadelphia hip-hop group joined Fallon for the NBC program’s launch on March 2, 2009. Their role extended beyond playing introductions and accompaniment: the band regularly performed with guests, participated in comedy sketches, and helped create musical arrangements for the show’s segments.
The Roots had already established a major recording career before appearing on late-night television. The group’s members include drummer and bandleader Questlove and MC Black Thought. Their move into television made them one of the most recognizable hip-hop groups to serve as a late-night house band.
When Fallon moved to The Tonight Show in 2014, The Roots moved with him and continued as that program’s house band.