American hip-hop band formed in Philadelphia in 1987. Long-running classic lineup: Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter (vocals), Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (drums), Kamal Gray (keyboards), F. Knuckles (drums), and various other personnel. Distinguished by their live-band approach to hip-hop production (as opposed to sample-based or beat-machine production) and their late-2000s pivot to becoming the house band on The Tonight Show.
Released 14 studio albums between Organix (1993) and End Game (2024). Critical peak: Things Fall Apart (1999), Phrenology (2002), and How I Got Over (2010). Five Grammy Awards. Since 2009, the band has been the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and (from 2014) The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.