Jazz rap in the context of "Digable Planets"

Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ, and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Early on in his career, he was also famed for his remix work.

After the duo went their separate ways, Rock continued with a solo career that has garnered him worldwide respect, though little in the way of mainstream success. Along with groups such as Stetsasonic, Gang Starr, A Tribe Called Quest and The Roots, Rock played a major role in the merging of elements from jazz into hip hop music (also known as jazz rap). Pete Rock is also the older brother and younger cousin, respectively, of rappers Grap Luva and Heavy D.

De La Soul (/ˌdeɪ lɑː ˈsoʊl/ DAY lah SOHL) is an American hip hop group formed in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York in 1988. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, eccentric lyrics, and contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres. Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, and Vincent "Maseo" Mason formed the group in high school and caught the attention of producer Prince Paul with a demo tape of the song "Plug Tunin' ".

The group's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), has been called "a hip hop masterpiece". It remains their biggest commercial success, though subsequent albums have continued to receive acclaim. De La Soul is the first-longest-standing Native Tongues group, after the Jungle Brothers. In 2006, the group won a Grammy for their collaboration with Gorillaz on their single "Feel Good Inc."

A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985, originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg, DJ and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White. A Tribe Called Quest came to prominence as members of the Native Tongues collective, which they co-founded in 1988. Widely regarded as pioneers of alternative hip hop and jazz rap, John Bush of AllMusic called them "the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s", and Kris Ex of Pitchfork regarded them as "one of the greatest acts that hip-hop has ever produced".

The group's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), earned critical acclaim, receiving the first five 'mic' rating in The Source's history. Their jazz-infused follow-up, The Low End Theory (1991), helped shape 1990s alternative hip hop, and was followed by the equally influential Midnight Marauders (1993). Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996), became their first Billboard 200 chart-topper. Their fifth album The Love Movement (1998), preceded their breakup. After reuniting in 2006 for sporadic tours, the group released its final album, We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (2016), which topped the Billboard 200 and earned critical praise; it featured posthumous contributions from Phife Dawg, who died eight months before its release.

The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, having served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014. The regular members of The Roots on The Tonight Show are Captain Kirk Douglas (guitar), Mark Kelley (bass), James Poyser (keyboards), Ian Hendrickson-Smith (saxophone), Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson (sousaphone), Stro Elliot (keyboards and drums), Dave Guy (trumpet), Kamal Gray (keyboards), and Raymond Angry (keyboards).

The Roots are known for a jazzy and eclectic approach to hip hop featuring live musical instruments and the group's work has consistently been met with critical acclaim. ThoughtCo ranked the band number 7 on its list of the 25 Best Hip-Hop Groups of All-Time, calling them "Hip-hop's first legitimate band."