As far as music accolades go, particularly in this social network obsessed age in which we currently exist, to be named number 2 (picked only to the top spot by Kanye West) amongst the ‘Top 50 Tweeters in Music’ by none other than Rolling Stone is no mean feat.
In Rolling Stone's write-up about why you should follow ‘The legend of ?uestlove's hyperactive Twitter account’ which it claims ‘runs far and wide, and for good reason’ is that it is, "presented in unfiltered stream-of-consciousness style — full of stray observations, gentle shit-talking, and great tips on songs — the feed is a constant marvel".
As a huge fan and @questlove follower, I completely agree, and in a tweet treat moment, I watched on my timeline as a new twitter follower @questlove (Questo of The Roots) tweeted @ThutoMali happy birthday! It is safe to say my heart momentarily stopped - in a good way.
With possibly the coolest Twitter profile picture, stood side by side with US president Barack Obama, to paraphrase rising urban music sensation B.o.B’s lyrics from The Biz, ‘really I aint famous until Obama knows my name’, which it would appear in the case of ?uestlove he does. The Roots co-founder and drummer’s Twitter bio reads ‘your favorite twitterer's favorite music snob’ (originally hailing from Philadelphia, hence the American spelling). It was indeed his vast knowledge and love of music that was the basis of his special friendship, which began on Twitter, with none other than Amy Winehouse, who he described as his ‘Skype buddy’, and with whom he shared 'constant weekly and even daily' chats and where just seventeen hours before died, she had left him a message.
On hearing the news of the singer’s death, he was naturally 'devastated', and in fact in his own words, ‘It took me out of commission for about three days’. “I was in denial for like two hours and the first thing I ran to was my Skype, and she [had] left me a message, I guess like seventeen hours before, wanting to play me something. She was like ‘ahh man I got to call you, you got to hear something’.
He is said to be even more crushed, as despite never discussing anything personal, she had indeed entered his ‘personal realm’ or musical inner circle which he ‘really wasn’t expecting’. “I had such admiration for her as an artist, and as a singer she is one of my favourites ever. I felt like a minion, like wow you really respect my opinion about music – I am so honoured.
“I think that the reason why we hit it off so well, which is kind of a double edge sword, is that all we talked about was music. I’ve got to be honest; sometimes those conversations were just a little weird, depending on her mind state and frame at that particular time. I will say that in the last two months, that was the most straight and coherent that my communication has ever been with her".
The mutual fans of each others work, which would later become friends, shared many a conversation in which they educated each other on their varying musical passions, “she would tell me a lot about 40s jazz that I didn’t know about, and I educated her on the likes of J Dilla and all that stuff, and so then it would be like, here is something that you don’t know about”.
It is hard to imagine that the percussionist, producer and musical director behind a diverse roster of musical collaborations with artists such as Erykah Badu, Common, John Legend, Jay Z and even home grown talent such as Duffy and there was also the hope of working with Amy Winehouse, to projects including Chappelle’s Show and Fela! on Broadway, not already knowing virtually everything there is to know when it came to his specialist subject.
Having gown up in the backstages of live musical shows as he toured with his father Lee Andrews of 50’s doo-wop quintet Lee Andrews & the Hearts, even making his first drumming stage performance just aged seven and musical director debut at thirteen. It was back in ’87 that Ahmir Khalib Thompson aka ?uestlove (pronounced Quest Love) and friend Tariq Trotter (Black Thought), then high school students at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, came together and founded a band named The Square Roots (later dropping ‘square’ to become simply The Roots) - the band he not only co-founded but propelled him into the worldwide music consciousness.
Back then they played around school, the same school incidentally attended by group Boyz II Men and jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, and on the sidewalk, and later at talent shows (with
?uestlove's drum kit backing Black Thought's rhymes). The duo later hooked up with rapper Malik B and initially Josh Abrams on bass who was later replaced by Leonard Hubbard and Scott Storch on keyboards, moving from the street to local clubs, The Roots became a ‘highly tipped underground act around Philadelphia and New York’.
Yet it was their decision to move to London, where they caught the attention of BBC Radio 1’s Gilles Peterson, who ?uestlove describes as being ‘like urban and hip hop music’s version of John Peel if you will’ that The Roots got their first real break. “He championed us so hard that basically the respect that he had amongst other A&R people, if he says that something is great, people gravitate towards it. That really made getting our record deal in America that much easier.
“That was our plan. We decided to save all of our publishing money get flat in Kentish Town, off Queen’s Crescent and London was our home for three years. Even now when I go there, the label has these cars for us and tour guides and I am like Yo this is my crib, am hopping right on the tube, going record shopping on the other side of London and getting some Jamaican food - I still consider that my third home”.
London may well be considered as his third home, but the States is very much his first home, and one of the key factors behind the decision which is said to have began as a bluff and running joke between them and their former Chappelle’s Show boss Neal Brennan, but has seen The Roots become possibly the coolest house band in TV history as they are in fact the band for ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’. “We were on the road so much that we were strangers coming home. Some of us have kids and it is one thing when they are two and three years old and you might miss a ballet recital or kindergarten, but there is really no getting out of explaining why you’re not there for football practise or their first basketball game, when they are ten and eleven years old.
“So we wished there was a way for us to make a living and not have to leave home all that much. For most American entertainers the only answer to that question is Las Vegas…The idea of doing just one show, in one place every night was a little scary, and I don’t think that any of us were willing to uproot to Nevada to do that for like a year round".
The huge gamble to join ‘Late night with Jimmy Fallon’ team seems to have paid off and given the group the stability that they craved. As their iTune’s blurb states ‘…popular success has largely eluded The Roots’ even with a healthy international fan base, as ?uestlove himself says ‘it has taken us about 20 years to make a living off this’, with many hip hop acts still touring and ‘performing for pennies’. “The thing was when we took that gig, we didn’t even consider that this could benefit us more, this can expose us to a whole line of people that didn’t even know us, and we never even thought of that, we just thought that the priority was that we connected with our families”.
“The best thing about it is the fact that, there are a lot of pay offs, but that it provides us with a consistency that we have never had before as a band. We rehearse every day; we have never rehearsed as a band when we were The Roots between ’93 and 2009. We never once rented out a studio and rehearsed a show – we never had to, e just did shows every night and it was ever evolving on stage”.
It is this style of performance which earned The Roots the Rolling Stone vote as ‘one of the twenty greatest live acts in the world’. On the cusp of celebrating 25 years in the game, the Grammy Award winning group, credited with ‘shape shifting Hip Hop creativity’, make their return to London for their first headline show in the capital for two years at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo on 19 August. ?uestlove is however not giving away any hints as to what fans can expect, “I never hype up a show. Just know that we always put one hundred percent effort in everything that we do. I think our shows are the best that they have ever been. As I said earlier, London holds a very special place in our hearts; it was London that helped us get established and started, so we know for certain that it will be an amazing experience”.
It has certainly been a journey since the release of the band’s first major label album, Do You Want More?!!!??! (January 1995), and the bands 1999 single ‘You Got Me (featuring Erykah Badu) would go on to win them the Grammy Award for Best Rap performance by Duo or Group (2000). As they currently work on their thirteenth album UNDUN, which of course, ?uestlove followers on Twitter were treated to a sneak peak of one of their first recording sessions for the project anticipated for release in November this year, what is the future for The Roots? “We are now better musicians, and better song writers and better producers – this is what we needed. I feel like we are a new band all over again. Right now we are working on our thirteenth record but I really feel like this is our third record, I feel like now The Roots are realising they have arrived – it is weird to see it that way but that is how I see it”.
The Roots are at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo on Friday 19 August 2011, for tickets and further info: www.meanfiddler.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk
?uestlove is playing a three hour exclusive DJ set at East Village, 89 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3HX courtesy of The Doctor’s Orders: www.thedoctorsorders.com
Here at J.E.M we have some real exciting Tooty Booty for you in the form of two tickets to The Roots plus special guest Kano at HMV Hammersmith Apollo on Friday 19 August 2011. All you have to do is get the correct answer to the question below to us @: jemcomps@gmail.com by Wednesday 17th August 2011 – Good Luck!
What is the name of the 2002 hip hop themed romantic comedy starring Sanaa Lathan, Taye Diggs and Mos Def which The Roots feature on the sound track and what is the title of The Roots joint featuring Common that is featured in the opening sequence?
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