The Roots don’t just make music.

They’re the creators of a living, breathing body of art.

Individually, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter are master musicians.

Questlove is a legendary drummer and the heartbeat of modern American music across all genres, having either backed or produced for artists like Erykah Badu, John Mayer, N.E.R.D., Fiona Apple, and Hank Williams Jr. Oh, and he’s written three books, curated First Lady Michelle Obama’s Becoming soundtrack, and directed a Sundance winning film. (He’s also one of the best celebrities to follow on social media, if you’re into that sort of thing.)

Black Thought’s resume reads similarly, except that even though he’s only released 3 solo albums of his own, he’s known as one of the most talented, articulate, and prolific rappers of all time. He’s appeared alongside the giants of hip-hop like Dilated Peoples, Common, Swizz Beats, and Del the Funky Homosapien, but also progressive rock acts like Linkin Park and the lead singers of My Morning Jacket and TV on the Radio.

But when the two artists’ powers combine as The Roots, they ARE the musical multiverse. There isn’t a single aspect of modern day entertainment to which they haven’t contributed. As a collective, their roster has included 23 other musicians like the talented Malik B., Nikki Yeoh, Scott Storch, Ian Hendrickson-Smith and Dave Guy of the Dap Kings, and many more. They’ve released 11 albums, toured with Dave Matthews Band and Jay-Z, established their own music festival in Philadelphia, served as philanthropists back home and for global charities, annually host a pre-Grammy party/concert famous for its impromptu performances, contributed to dozens of movie soundtracks, headlined sporting event pre-game and halftime shows, and even appeared on kids’ show, Yo Gabba Gabba.

But perhaps their most well-known appearance is their current gig as the house band for the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where they’re so much more than background music. Their performances with Adele, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Metallica and many more musical superstars have gone viral over and over again. “The Seed (2.0)” is a similar collaboration.

So named because it’s the “second” version of featured singer Cody ChesnuTT’s “The Seed,” The Roots’ deep instrumentation—particularly, Questlove’s driving drum performance—and Black Thought’s precision rhymes help tell a rich and sordid story of cheating… musically, that is. Inspired by Muddy Waters’ “The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock and Roll,” the song is a metaphorically-structured story of stepping out on hip-hop to create a brand new little baby (neo-soul or rock-and-roll, depending on whether Black Thought or Cody ChesnuTT have the mic). It’s Cody’s song originally, but as usual, The Roots totally make it their own, as well they should. It’s just as much a family history of all the seeds they’ve planted for future generations in every corner of the musical world.

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