Hip Hop Needs this Man: An Interview w/ Questlove by Davey D

Say what you will, but Hip Hop and a whole lot of R&B would not be the same without the musical prowess, insight and magical touch of Roots co-founder Questlove. The man with the most recognizable hairdo since Don King is easily the hardest working man in Hip Hop.

He brings to the table a keen sense of purpose and an unyielding commitment to perfection. Over the years his work ethos has manifested itself in the musical offerings of seemingly everyone ranging from Common to Jill Scott to D’Angelo to Slum Village to Erykah Badu for starters. He’s been the musical director for artists like Jay-Z. He was lobbying to produce Michael Jackson when Def Jam made a play to sign him. Questlove does not mess around.

In this engaging interview Questlove offers up lots of insight into how and he and his band mates in the Roots go about making music. He talks about the importance of Hip Hop and Black people in general moving beyond the one and two dimensional boxes that the industry places us in. He talks about the importance of Hip Hop staying relevant in spite of the industry efforts to make the music disposable. He also gives a run down on the economic challenges they face. Quest talks about the importance of having longetivity in this industry in the same way of our Rock-N-Roll counterparts.

Quest talks in great detail of the industry politics the group has faced over the years and how they dealt with them. What was most insightful was him explaining the arduous process they had to undertake when promoting their biggest song to date ‘You Got Me’. Anyone trying to get in the game will wanna pay close attention to what Questlove is talking about especially when he breaks down the payola game.

During our interview Quest talked about how Hurricane Katrina adversely impacted the group especially since the Roots were recording what they hoped to be their biggest and best album in New Orleans.

Lastly, Quest spoke to the issue of racial diversity within Hip Hop and the large numbers of non Black fans that the group attracts. He talks about the challenge they have in reaching the average cat in the hood and on the block.

Interview has two parts, enjoy.