In the current issue of Rolling Stone, Austin Scaggs explores the back stories of Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, the core of hip-hop band the Roots. In the piece, the two visionaries discuss their musical inspirations, growing up in Philadelphia and their troubled early lives, including the heartbreaking stories about Trotter’s parents, who were both murdered. “He was executed,” Trotter says about his father, who died when Trotter was only a year old. “Tied to a chair, in an empty lot, shot in the neck, the chest, the groin, all over.” For more on the Roots, check out the current issue. Click here for an essential Roots playlist, and check out the video of ?uestlove and Black Thought talking about their excellent new album Rising Down.

• The Roots: The Essential Playlist

• Video: The Roots Discuss Rising Down, from Rolling Stone’s Spring Album Preview 2008