Remembering Malik B., The Silent Force of The Roots. On this day in 2020, the Hip Hop community lost a quiet giant: Malik Abdul-Basit, better known as Malik B., one of the founding members of The Roots. Before the Grammys, late-night stages, and global fame, The Roots were a Philly crew playing live on street corners and in cafes, and Malik was right there in the cipher, trading verses with Black Thought, anchoring the group’s early sound with raw street wisdom and spiritual energy. He was a dri