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Kendrick Lamar suprised fans and fellow artists with a tribute to The Roots in the music video for "Squabble Up", released in November 2024 as part of his GNX album cycle. The music video opens with a direct visual tribute to The Roots' 1999 track, The Next Movement.
The Roots are a Grammy-winning hip-hop band from Philadelphia, known for their unique live instrumentation long been revered in the hip-hop world. The homage, nearly identical in framing, colors, and choreography, was immediately recognized by longtime fans.
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of The Roots appeared on the Jennifer Hudson Show on May 22, 2025, where he talked about how the tribute took him by surprise, despite them not being "mainstream".
Hudson, however, pointed out that he was being quite humble since the band has had quite an influence.
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More about The Roots
Formed in Philadelphia in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, the two members who remained associated with the band throughout their history, The band built their reputation for their unique live performance style, blending hip-hop with jazz and other genres.
The group gained acclaim with albums like Do You Want More?!!!?! (1995) and Things Fall Apart (1999), the latter even winning them a Grammy nomination.
In a time dominated by samples and beats, The Roots made their name for their musicianship.
Their live shows were popular, and by 2009, they had taken on a new mainstream role as the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, later known as The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.
With this, they brought hip-hop to the homes of the viewers every night.
Over the years, the band won multiple Grammys, collaborated with artists like Erykah Badu, John Legend, and Elvis Costello, and even served as artists-in-residence at the iconic Kennedy Centre.
Kendrick Lamar's tribute in Squabble Up
Kendrick Lamar dropped the music video for Squabble Up on Novemberr 25, 2024, and it caught attention pretty quickly.
The video, directed by Calmatic, includes reference to the Black Panther Party and LA street culture, but the largest homage is to the Philadeplphia band in the opening frames.
Fans quickly notice the parallels to The Roots' 1999 track The Next Movement, with the "olive open room set" in Squabble Up, according to a Billboard article from May 23, 2025.
Questlove said he began receiving messages about it, according to his interview with Jeniffer Hudson on May 22, 2025.
“I was so shocked because the way that people told me — I woke up to 30 K. Dot texts. I thought, ‘Oh no.’ He just dissed us. I thought it was something else. And they were like, ‘No, he paid tribute to y’all in this video. It’s an honor, but it’s also a surprise when you see people acknowledging you after all this time.”
Read More: Recapping Kendrick Lamar’s historic 2024
The Roots have continued their work beyond the musical stage. Questlove has built a parallel career in filmmaking and cultural history. He won an Oscar in 2022 for his documentary Summer of Soul, and he frequently curated high-profile events and archival projects.
The band was also honored by the Kennedy Center in 2022 as part of their hip-hop residency program.
