His love of music was strongly supported by his parents, who sent him to a performing arts high school. There he was introduced to a huge community of artists that further inspired and motivated him. After he graduated he started performing on the streets, creating his own drum sets from buckets, crates, and even shopping carts.
Thompson met his close friend Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter in school, and the two of them decided to use their street performance style to form a band influenced by that sound. They released their first music themselves, but their efforts quickly drew attention from several music labels.
The band became truly successful upon the release of 1999’s “Things Fall Apart”. The Roots appealed to people with their mixture of hip-hop and jazz, as well as their strong social and political commentary.
In 2009 The Roots became Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’s house band. They feature heavily throughout the show and have been in several sketches involving music that have since gone viral.
Questlove’s style has always been heavily influenced by his street performing days. He still places his drums and cymbals at his waist, similar to how he used to set up on the street. He does hip-hop differently, playing beats live on the drums instead of using turntables and pre-recorded tracks. The Roots bring in solos and jam sessions to their performances, something not normally seen in hip-hop. They constantly challenge what people are expecting from the genre, blending jazz with more traditional sounds to create something totally individual.