The Roots are one of hip-hop’s greatest acts, hands down. There are no qualifiers. 

It’s not just the fact Black Thought is one of the greatest MCs of all time. It’s not just the fact they’ve given us an entire catalog of evergreen classics that we can relate to no matter what phase of our lives we are in. 

It’s about the way The Roots are an actual band, and no matter how many times you see them live, you will never get the same show twice. 

I’ve seen them multiple times a year every year since 2002 (save for the quarantine/shutdown years). Their shows are an “in the moment” vibe reminiscent of jam bands like Phish and the Grateful Dead. 

If the culture of Dead and Phish shows translated to hip-hop, people would be recording and swapping Roots shows because each one is that unique. 

Everyone needs to see The Roots live at least once in their life (but probably more)