Kamal Gray
Encyclopedia
James "Kamal" Gray is the keyboardist
with American
hip hop
group The Roots
. He is from Philadelphia and has relatives in North Carolina. He joined the band as Scott Storch
's replacement in 1995, while he was still in high school. He wrote the popular Roots' tracks "The Next Movement", "Sacrifice", and "Section". His stage name "Kamal" comes from the saying "Come one, come all."
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
with American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
. He is from Philadelphia and has relatives in North Carolina. He joined the band as Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
's replacement in 1995, while he was still in high school. He wrote the popular Roots' tracks "The Next Movement", "Sacrifice", and "Section". His stage name "Kamal" comes from the saying "Come one, come all."