Stro Elliot

{{Short description|American multi-instrumentalist in The Roots}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Stro Elliot

| image = File:Stro Elliot with The Roots at The Blue Note NYC in 2025.jpg

| caption = Stro Elliot (right) with Black Thought and The Roots at The Blue Note NYC in 2025

| birth_name = Brian Roberson

| alias = The 89th Key

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| genre = {{flatlist|

• Hip hop
• Neo soul
• Funk
• Jazz
• Jazz fusion
• Rock

}}

| occupation = Musician

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| past_member_of = The Procussions

| current_member_of = The Roots, The Tonight Show Band

| website = [https://www.stroelliot.com www.stroelliot.com]

}}

Stro Elliot is an American producer, multi-instrumentalist, and member of the hip hop band The Roots, joining the band in 2017. Elliot plays keyboards, percussion, and does sampling with The Roots in the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.{{cite news |last1=Vincenty |first1=Samantha |title=All About The Tonight Show Band, The Roots |url=https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/who-is-the-tonight-show-band-the-roots-drummer |publisher=NBC |date=January 4, 2024}} As a multi-instrumentalist, Stro employs elements of beatbox, percussion, sampling, tambourine, finger drumming, and keyboards.{{cite news |last1=Bell |first1=Max |title=Loop Dreams: Stro Elliot |url=https://www.passionweiss.com/2021/02/18/loop-dreams-stro-elliot/ |publisher=Passion of the Weiss |date=February 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241015194121/https://www.passionweiss.com/2021/02/18/loop-dreams-stro-elliot/ |archive-date=15 October 2024 }}

Elliot was living in Los Angeles, CA for fifteen years before joining The Roots in 2017 after being invited by Questlove.{{Cite web|url=http://www.okayplayer.com/originals/questlove-reveals-the-newest-member-of-the-roots-on-the-questions.html|title=The Questions: Questlove on Roots Picnic Prep and Finding The Perfect DJ|date=June 10, 2017|website=Okayplayer}} He has cited DJ Jazzy Jeff as one of his mentors, who encouraged him to take the job on The Tonight Show.{{cite news |last1=Eustice |first1=Kyle |title=Stro Elliot Shares How The Roots & DJ Jazzy Jeff Prepped His 'Jimmy Fallon' Gig |url=https://hiphopdx.com/interviews/id.3189/title.stro-elliot-shares-how-the-roots-dj-jazzy-jeff-prepped-his-jimmy-fallon-gig |publisher=HipHopDX |date=December 26, 2018}}

Stro Elliot was an original member of The Procussions, an underground rap group that formed in 1998 in Colorado Springs, along with Mr. J. Medeiros, Resonant (aka Rez), Qq, and Vise Versa.{{cite news |last1=Toy |first1=Jeremy |title=Stro Elliot On Making Music With His Heroes & His Unique Playing Style |url=https://melodics.com/blog/stro-elliot-on-making-music-with-his-heroes-his-unique-playing-style |access-date=7 April 2025 |publisher=Melodics |date=November 16, 2019}} The Procussions toured with Common, the Pharcyde, Xzibit, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Run-DMC and Ugly Duckling.

Elliot is a classically trained musician, who grew up playing guitar, piano, trumpet, and drums.{{cite news |last1=Mayo |first1=James |title=Turning Pro |url=https://www.westword.com/music/turning-pro-5077240 |publisher=Westword |date=January 1, 2004}}