9/10/2026

Questlove and Black Thought accept the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame Award at the Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Power Players 2026 event on Sept. 9, 2026, in New York City. Kristina Bumphrey/Billboard

The Roots were inducted into Billboard’s Hip-Hop Hall of Fame on Wednesday (Sept. 9).

As part of the 2026 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players ceremony, Black Thought and Questlove were on hand at New York City’s Ludlow House to accept the prestigious honor, celebrating their journey as one of the greatest rap groups of all time.

For the bandmates, who have been friends for more than four decades, the moment felt full circle. Black Thought reflected on how a young Questlove once had old Billboard music reviews gracing his bedroom walls.

“That’s the beautiful contradiction of American culture: It can take something born on the margins, put it on a billboard and then make everyone admit that, yes, this was the center of the story all along,” he said. “So we accept this honor on behalf of every musician who ever taped a poster up on the wall and every musician who ever kept playing when no one else was listening.”

For Questlove, the honor brought him back to the group’s humble beginnings in Philadelphia and a decision between two high-school best friends that ultimately changed their lives.

“For me, this moment is seminal because this is really just the story of two high-school best friends in Philadelphia going on a whim,” said Questlove. “Both of us were going to go to different colleges and see where life took us. Then, just one Saturday, we made a decision to start busking on the street corner and see what happens. Forty years later, this is what happened.”

Watch The Roots’ full Hall of Fame acceptance speech below.

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