“I think at the end of the day the diversity has served as a major... that's what has determined the difference between The Roots and some of the other artists from our graduating class. I feel we followed the De La Soul, the Native Tongue blueprint.”

American rapper, singer, actor, and television host

Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, singer, actor, and television host, and the lead MC of The Roots. He co-founded the Philadelphia hip hop group with drummer Questlove. He is widely noted for his command of live performance, dense rhyme schemes, layered wordplay, and politically aware writing. With The Roots, he also serves as part of the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where the group appears alongside Fallon and his guests.