12/12/2024
My connection with Ahmir goes back a bit: Philly ties, creative scene, all of that. I’ve seen him move through the music industry for years, but 2008 was different. That’s when The Roots dropped Rising Down, their eighth studio album, a gritty, reflective project that captured where the world was at…chaos, frustration, truth. It was pure Roots. Then something wild happened, and they weren’t just The Roots anymore. No longer underground legends. They were about to become a household name, stepping into Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as the house band. That’s when Ahmir and the Roots crew became a cultural institution.