Being honored by your hometown is surely one of the best feelings an artist can achieve, but there’s being honored and then there’s having a street named after you. That’s happened to some of hip hop’s greatest talents, from Notorious B.I.G. to Phife Dawg toTupac, to name but a few. But there’s a common connection between these three: It was activist Leroy McCarthy who contacted local officials, proposing that these musicians were worthy of a semi-permanent place in the cities’ geography.
McCarthy’s latest score: The Roots. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the legendary hip-hop group (and Jimmy Fallon back-up band) who get their name on the 600 block of East Passyunk Avenue in their home city of Philadelphia. Its new name? Avenue of the Roots.
Drummer and joint-frontman Questlove shared his surprise reaction in an Instagram post, in turn offering his love for the city. His excitement was hard to miss, his caption featuring plenty of punctuation and a liberal use of all caps: “does this mean WHAT I THINK IT MEANS!!!???!!!??? hell of a way to find out!!!! WOW!!!!!”
The official renaming of the block will take place in May — the same month as the group’s beloved annual Roots Picnic.
