RESOLUTION
Also naming East Passyunk Avenue between South Street and Bainbridge Street, as “Avenue of The
Roots”.
WHEREAS, The Roots were formed in the late 1980’s when rapper Black Thought (Tariq Trotter)
and drummer Questlove (Ahmir Khalib Thompson) met and became friends at the Philadelphia
High School for the Creative Performing Arts; and
WHEREAS, Black Thought and Questlove started out performing around school and later at talent
shows with Questlove's drum kit backing up the rhymes of Black Thought. Eventually, the pair
began to earn some money performing. With the additions of bassist Hub (Leon Hubbard) and
rapper Malik B. the band moved from the street corners to the local club scene. They became a
highly sought-after underground act around Philadelphia and New York. When they were
invited to represent stateside hip-hop at a concert in Germany, the Roots recorded an album to
sell at shows; the result, Organix, was released in 1993 on Remedy Records. With a music
industry buzz surrounding their activities, the Roots entertained offers from several labels
before signing with DGC that same year; and
WHEREAS, The Roots' first major-label album, “Do You Want More”, was released in January
1995 the album was produced without any samples or previously recorded material and peaked
just outside the Top 100. The album was mostly ignored by hip-hop fans but made inroads in
alternative music circles partly due to the Roots playing the second stage at Lollapalooza that
summer. The band also journeyed to the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland where two of
the guests on the album who had toured around with the band, human beatbox Rahzel and Scott
Storch (later Kamal), became permanent members of the group; and
WHEREAS, Their third album, Things Fall Apart, was easily their biggest critical and commercial
success. Released on MCA, It went platinum, and "You Got Me" a collaboration with Erykah Badu
peaked within the Top 40 and subsequently won a Grammy in the category of Best Rap Performance
by a Duo or Group. The Roots have also expanded their fan base as the house band on the Tonight
Show with Jimmy Fallon since 2009. The Roots started their performance experience by busking on
the streets of Philadelphia, East Passyunk Avenue and South Street was one of their main locations,
since then The Roots have taken Philadelphia with them on television nightly and to
audiences worldwide, but The Roots are and will always be appreciated as a talented band from the
streets of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The Roots are known for their jazzy and eclectic approach to hip-hop featuring live
musical instruments. Their work has consistently been met with critical acclaim. ThoughtCo ranked
the band #7 on its list of the 25 Best Hip-Hop Groups of All-Time, calling them "Hip-hop's first
legitimate band.", their live shows are frequently regarded as the best in the genre; now, therefore be
it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the 600 block of
Passyunk Avenue, between South Street and Bainbridge Street in the City of Philadelphia, shall
henceforth also be known as the “Avenue of The Roots”.

Mark F. Squilla
Councilman, 1st District
February 20, 2020