When The Roots made their debut in 1994, one member of the band stood out as the most intriguing figure. Although Black Thought served as the band’s trusted lead lyricist, Questlove and his signature Afro pick and elite drum skills made him a household name and arguably the most recognized member. He anchors a band that has released nine solid albums and has provided live instrumentation for legendary artists such as Jay-Z, Erkyah Badu, John Legend and Bobby Brown.
Questlove has also served as a strong political voice in hip-hop by speaking out against the police officers who killed Sean Bell and playing an intricate role in getting the hip-hop generation to support President Obama by encouraging them to vote. Questlove recently sat down with rolling out before performing at Hennessy’s Artistry tour in Miami.
–amir shaw
The Roots have enjoyed 15 years of success in hip-hop. Hundreds of rap groups have started a career and ended it in that time period; what’s helped The Roots to remain consistent?
We have a responsibility to the art. It’s funny to me why so many musicians fall off, or drift off the path. A lot of times, people don’t have the real commitment it takes to sustain a career. They either get to some victorious place and get relaxed [or] give up. I’m sure that if we [had experienced] victory in our first second or third year, we would be more obsessed with partying with the girls. It took us about seven years to really get our first taste of acceptance. We were in grind mode and the same people we saw coming up were the same people we saw coming down years later. I just didn’t want to be in that place and I noticed that they were content. I got in this game for one reason and that was to leave my mark.
How did the collaboration with John Legend on the album Wake Up happen?
The John Legend project is a labor of love. It’s no secret that most black projects have a pressure to deliver. But we are in a position where selling records isn’t our sole means of survival, so it’s more about the music. But we were all on the campaign together with Barack Obama. The album was supposed to come out in 2008, but we waited. It’s funny because the songs are more relevant now than they were then. The album was executed well and we had a lot of fun with it.
Why do you think President Obama is being chastised by some media outlets and the Republicans?
Pretty much every president will see their popularity drop by the second year of their term. … You can’t dismiss eight years of the Bush term. Now Barack has to clean up the mess. I have faith in him. I wish that America would understand how the government is [run]. It’s not a hierarchy. He is in office with people who don’t want him to succeed.
