The Roots will be honored in their Philadelphia hometown with a mural set to be completed in July 2012. The multimedia installation will include video, online interaction, a storefront art studio for community workshops and a youth arts curriculum called "Roots 101."
"They remind us ... why we love art, why art is so important, why art is a lifeline, why art can be transformative and why we need it," says Jane Golden, director of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.
The Roots' mural will be located on South Street, not far from where Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson developed their musical skills.
"It's just an amazing blessing and so ironic for there to be a legal mural of The Roots," Trotter said at a news conference this week. "I never imagined in my wildest dreams that something like this would take place."
An artist for the project has yet to be named and the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program is currently accepting ideas and suggestions from the public. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 21.
The band, which serves as the house band on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, is releasing their 13th album titled undun on December 6. Its first single, "Make My" featuring Big K.R.I.T., was made available Nov. 1.