?uestlove stopped by Sway In The Morning to break down his brand new book Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According To Questlove, which drops today. During his chat with Sway and Heather B. ?uesto breaks down the evolution of The Roots, their move to late night television and their arrival as pop culture icons some 20 years after their entrance into the entertainment industry. ?uesto also takes time to break down Jimmy Fallon‘s love of Boogie Down Productions – from the obscure to their obvious classics – and beatboxes for Heather B. as she drops a bit of her verse from BDP’s “7 Dee Jays.” Check the footage below for ?uestlove’s full interview on Sway In The Morning. Purchase ?uestlove’s Mo’ Meta Blues via iTunes. Scroll down to read an excerpt from Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According To Questlove.

>>>Read An Excerpt Of “Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According To Questlove” Here

The post ?uestlove Talks ‘Mo’ Meta Blues’ On Sway In The Morning appeared first on Okayplayer.

 Questlove‘s new memoir Mo’ Meta Blues hits bookshelves–virtual and otherwise–next Tuesday, June 18th and even though we already read the whole thing we could not be more amped about it. Mo Meta Blues is, in fact the ultimate candidate for Okayplayer’s literary column Read A Book; a philosophically sophisticated romp through the history of hip-hop that has everything you could want in an Okayplayer read: lists of great records, the origin story and behind the scenes history of one of hip-hop’s all time greatest bands (The Roots, dummy), and an extreme insider’s perspective on the glory days of the music industry and the brave new post-iTunes world it has lead us into–all wrapped up in a thoughtful memoir: a music biography to stand with best, yet with plenty of philosophically erudite interrogation of the very idea of what a music biography should be. The narrator and protagonist is, of course, our own Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson–who tells the story with some help from well-regarded novelist Ben Greenman and the always brilliant, usually caustic asides of Roots manager Rich Nichols.

Mo Meta Blues is such the perfect Read A Book read, in fact, that it would be ridiculous from jump to attempt to review it, or publish the usual bookjacket interview with the author–it’s already gotten glowing write ups from NPR, The Village Voice, The Huffington Post and Kirkus reviews–to name a few. So we went one better and acquired the rights to share an exclusive excerpt of the memoir with you, the Okayplayer reader. This is Questlove we are talking about here, so the main problem is there were too many amazing stories to choose from: the story of Ahmir and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter met in the principle’s office and forme The Roots almost by accident: the time Questlove & D’Angelo first crossed paths at The Source Awards; the behind the scenes perspective of playing Jay-Z‘s MTV Unplugged special or the time Questo heard Cody ChesnuTT‘s “The Seed” in dream hampton’s car in Detroit. But ultimately, we chose the chapter where Questo relates the untold story of the label war between Mercury and Geffen that lead to The Roots signing. True story:

The Native Tongues bands were the first wave of hip-hop, at least from our perspective: albums like De La Soul’s 3 Feet High & Rising, Tribe’s The Low End Theory, and the Jungle Brothers’ Done By The Forces of Nature set a standard for what we wanted to do, and how it could be done. The second wave started in 1992, with Arrested Development and the release of the “Tennessee” single. I had a strange reaction to the song. I wondered if it was really rap. There were samples,but the cadence of the vocals was more like singing than like MCing. I decided, at the time, that they may or may not have been a rap group, but that they were definitely the hippest R&B group around. In fact, I looked at Arrested Development, I’m afraid, the way that people now sometimes look at us, like they were the gay cousin at a Bible Belt family reunion— kinda like “deal with you at arm’s length” conditional love back then. The hip-hop journalist Harry Allen later wrote something about us that feeds right back into that question: “Are they simply R&B’s hardest group or hip-hop’s softest?” Arrested Development was followed closely on their heels by Digable Planets, who put out “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” in 1993; I got a test pressing of it the day we recorded “Pass the Popcorn.” In my mind, and possibly in hip-hop history, we were the third group of that second wave.

Well, we were about to be. We weren’t signed yet, but Rich’s plan was starting to happen. During high school, whenever I invented band names, record titles, album art, I always put my group on Def Jam Recordings, because they had a mystique about them. They had signed only six acts, including Slick Rick, LL Cool J, and Public Enemy, and they stood pat on that original set. Breaking in at Def Jam was like climbing the mountain.

And just like that, they were the first label to come calling. Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen, who ran the label, paid for a Roots showcase in New York City. It was across the street from their old offices on Varick Street, and we went to New York in style: Flintstones style. With the “profits” from Organix, Rich bought a station wagon for three hundred bucks. It was great—except for the fact that the backseat had no floor. You had to lift your legs up so they didn’t hit the pavement rushing by beneath. He put a rug down for cosmetics and safety. Even with the rug, I couldn’t sit there. I was too big. But we all packed in, three people in front, four of the skinniest in the center, and the rest of us Middle Passaging it in the back, lying across the top of our equipment.

I wish I could be there for every band’s label audition. I wish I could serve as a kind of fairy godperson. What I’d tell them is that all those tricks you’re thinking about using, all the razzle-dazzle—set it aside. Leave your innovations at the door. All a label wants are songs they can sell. Our calling card at the time was a kind of freestyle exercise where Tariq would scat to different topics, and that was a showstopper. And Def Jam loved our musicianship and our vision and our energy. Still, they passed. As much as they loved the idea of us, they said, they didn’t know how they were going to market that idea… (cont. on next page)

>>>Pre-order Questlove’s memoir Mo’ Meta Blues e-book (via iBookstore)

>>>Pre-order Questlove’s memoir Mo’ Meta Blues hardcover (via amazon)

>>>Purchase OKP’s exclusive Mo’ Meta Blues tee (via shop.okayplayer)

The post Read A Book: Exclusive Excerpt of Questlove’s New Memoir – Mo’ Meta Blues appeared first on Okayplayer.

?uestlove took the hot seat on the Redbull Music Academy sofa in New York City for an epic interview with Egotrip‘s Jefferson Mao. The interview was originally loosed upon the world via live stream on May 23rd. Redbull Music Academy returns with the full video of the in-depth chat that spans ?uesto’s earliest influences including Bernard Purdie and examines the evolution of the breakbeat. ?uest also discusses his early interests in engineering and perfecting his drumming style to get the perfect dirty drum; his sound would be forever changed after encountering the production of
J Dilla. Running a clinic on his own sound and artistic evolution, ?uestlove drums and drops gems on the Redbull Music Academy crowd. Check the footage below for Questlove’s full interview with Chairman Mao at the Redbull Music Academy.

The post ?uestlove x Jefferson Mao At Redbull Music Academy [Full Interview] appeared first on Okayplayer.

?uestlove and D’Angelo are primed to take over Philadelphia ahead of Independence Day for the brotherly love edition of their Brothers In Arms two-man show. The concert sponsored by the Philadelphia Fourth of July Jam and Heineken is scheduled to jump off on July 3rd at the Theatre of the Living Arts on South Street. The dynamic duo reprises the groundbreaking performance that solidified D’Angelo’s return in March when they played to a sold out crowd at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City. The show featured D’Angelo on keys and lead vocals with ?uestlove controlling the rhythm as they ran through a relaxed set of earth shattering funk and fan favorites for the intimate performance. Words really cannot describe how dope this show is going to be. To keep it short, make sure you are in the house for this. Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 14th. Get up early if you have to in order to grab your passes. The last show sold out in a matter of minutes. There will be someone stuck outside craning their neck to get a taste of D’s unmistakable falsetto. Don’t let it be you. Purchase tickets to see ?uestlove and D’Angelo’s Brothers In Arms show at the TLA via Ticketmaster. Kick off your Fourth of July weekend the right way.

The post ?uestlove & D’Angelo To Perform As ‘Brothers In Arms’ In Philly On July 3rd appeared first on Okayplayer.

In celebration of the 1-year anniversary of ?uestlove and D’Angelo‘s epic 2012 Bonnaroo Superjam – a concert which brought D back to the world stage with his band after a 12-year hiatus – it seems some superfans have made it their business to make high quality audio of the performance available to the world. The jam includes a rocked out blues intro that readies your ears for D’Angelo and the band as they funk their way through 12-plus classics, including a few familiar bits of heat from D’Angelo’s catalog. Relive the performance again or hear it for the very first time at the link below. Scroll down for the setlist and the band lineup.

>>>Listen and download ?uestlove x D’Angelo’s Bonnaroo Superjam 2012 here

2012 SUPERJAM SETLIST:
Intro >
Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland) [Jimi Hendrix] (including Go Back 2 The Thing & Superman Lover [Johnny Guitar Watson] teases) >
Pride And Vanity [Ohio Players] >
Players Balling (Players Doin’ Their Own Thing) [Ohio Players]
Funky Dollar Bill [Funkadelic] >
Hit It And Quit It [Funkadelic] >
What Is And What Should Never Be [Led Zeppelin]
Babies Making Babies [Sly & The Family Stone] >
Hollywood Squares [Bootsy Collins] >
Mother’s Son [Curtis Mayfield] (including Chicken Grease tease)
Power of Soul [Band of Gypsys]
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window [The Beatles]
My Summertime Thang [The Time] >
Jam (including Fire [Ohio Players] & other teases)

THE BAND:
Questlove – drums
Kirk Douglas – guitar
James Poyser – keys
Frank Knuckles – percussion
Pino Palladino – bass
Eric Leeds – saxophone
Jesse Johnson – guitar
Kendra Foster – vocals
D’Angelo – vocals, guitar, keys

The post ?uesto x D’Angelo Bonnaroo Superjam 1-Year Anniversary (Audio Upgrade) appeared first on Okayplayer.

Founder and designer of Boxing Kitten, her pieces have a popular, but rooted/time-honored feel. In an era where it is getting harder harder to bring something new–and where vintage feel is an asset, Lake delivers clean lines and print-oriented pieces with a fresh “brand new second-hand” feel. Or as they themselves put it: “The vintage inspiration behind Boxing Kitten celebrates the spirit and lives of women who have come before, and the playfulness and vibrancy of each piece captures the women of today and the future…”. Heavy braids on, Solange and her crew were dipped in attire equally suited to water-gun fight and hitting the stage to lead the crowd in tightly-choreographed slow-grind. One more great performance to add to the Roots Picnic 2013!

The post Solange Brings Style & Prints To Roots Picnic 2013 appeared first on Okayplayer.

Questlove has seen the Google. And it is doodle. In this latest interview hot off the video-making presses at Fuse TV, Questo runs down all his latest activities, kicking off with Roots Picnic 2013 (and a little Okayplayer shout out–thanks, dad). Also on the platter is not one but two new books: his memoir Mo’ Meta Blues dropping on Juneteenth of this year as well as a coffee table book on his beloved Soul Train, being put out by Harper Collins in September.

Also coming in September is The Roots x Elvis Costello album titled Wise Up Ghost (“I just shot the album cover this morning!”) which appropriately features the orchestra of Brent Fisher, which is also currently putting the strings on D’Angelo‘s new record. I say ‘appropriately’ because Brent is carrying on the orchestral work of his father Clare Fisher, famous for the strings on many classic Prince productions, keeping it in ‘the family’ (see what I did there) so to speak since Questo, D and Elvis were all major contributors to the recent Music of Prince tribute at Carnegie Hall (watch them waxing eloquent about the purplous one in our exclsuive OKP TV backstage webisode below). Last but not least, Questo shares his adventures at Google, which sound like a real life version of The Interns, a guest lecture situation for which he was apparently paid with his very own secret Google doodle (which remains offline, on his desktop–long may it stay there). Watch below for more:

The post Questlove Speaks On Roots Picnic, 2 New Books + His Secret Google Doodle appeared first on Okayplayer.

Questlove’s RBMA talk is about to go down. In just a few minutes, the okayplayer president steps up to the podium at Red Bull Music Academy here in New York, to “drop some knowledge and share a few stories.” Stories may include war stories from The Roots‘ days of busking and playing road warrior through the jazz festival circuit in Europe and behind the scenes from their work on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. That’s all we’ve been told for now…but we also hear some drums tuning up! Watch the player below to see it in full:

The post Questlove’s RBMA Talk Live From NYC [Live Stream] appeared first on Okayplayer.

?uestlove reached back to his alma mater this week, by reaching into his own pockets to ensure funding for the annual musical at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts – the institution that incubated The Roots and lays claim to a laundry list of major talent including Boyz II Men, Bilal, Jazmine Sullivan and a host of others. ?uestlove was recently motivated to donate after getting wind of news that budget cuts had forced the school to cancel their annual musical. He placed a call to CAPA Principal Johnny C. Whaley Jr. to express interest in making a “sizable donation” to help resuscitate the production. The play will not go on this season, but thanks to the generosity of ?uestlove and a few other major donors touched by the news, the school play will be back in full swing by 2014. Hopefully ?uesto’s generosity will encourage other alumni to follow suit.

The post ?uestlove Saves CAPA High School Play appeared first on Okayplayer.

?uestlove  will kick off Viacom’s 2013 O Music Awards by hosting a 24-hour drum-a-thon, serving as the “heartbeat” of the event. The show will live stream over 50 performances, showcasing artists from around the country. It will also highlight achievements in digital music culture. It will include award categories including “Digital Genius Award,” “Best Web-Born Artist,” and “Must Follow Artist on Twitter.”

O Music Awards will livestream the event on www.omusicawards.com June 19 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.Be sure to tune in.

shouts to HR

The post ?uestlove To Play 24-Hour Drum-A-Thon At O Music Awards [6/19] appeared first on Okayplayer.