Questlove: Meeting Jimmy Fallon was 'the moment The Roots started'

The 300th episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" airs Tuesday, July 28th. The late-night talk show, which recently nabbed three Emmy nominations, has been running for about a year and a half. But the show's house band, The Roots, have been on board with Fallon since before his first hosting gig in 2009.

In a recent interview with Brooklyn Magazine, "Tonight Show" musical director and Roots band member, Questlove, recalled the quirky encounter he first had with Fallon in 2008: 

Questlove goes on to admit that something about that interaction with Fallon strengthened the band's bond: 

The Roots have had a rotating roster of band members since the band's conception in 1987, but their hip-hop/neo-soul free styling has proved timeless. Since meeting Fallon, The Roots have won two Grammy awards and been nominated for another five.

Even more, "The Tonight Show" boasted a season high earlier this month at 4.139 million nightly viewers - far surpassing its late night competitors.

Of course, Fallon's charisma and social media prowess have helped skyrocket his viewership, but there's also something to be said for the house band's popularity. The Roots star alongside Miley Cyrus in one of "The Tonight Show's" most viewed YouTube videos of all time with over 31 million hits. 

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