Philadelphia rapper and former member of The Roots collective Questlove is a hip-hop icon and has made massive contributions to the culture over the years. As a producer, DJ and film director, the musician (real name Ahmir Thompson) is a highly sought-after creative and true creative.
Questlove’s primary attraction is his production ability and extremely conscious art, with which he partners a very soulful and jazz-inspired type of sonic. The producer is also a known journalist and somewhat of a music historian.
In 2012, Questlove spoke about vinyl and record collecting at New York University for the EMP Museum’s Sounds of the City Pop Conference. During his speech, he talked about an array of artists. From The Jackson 5 to Public Enemy and De La Soul, it was evident that he broad range of taste.
In an interview with CBS he even admitted he shared his love of music with the late Jazz and and Soul singer Amy Winehouse, where he explained, “We spent a lot of time on Skype talking about crazy ideas and she schooled me about Sarah Vaughan. I schooled her about J Dilla. And she was like, ‘All right, we’re going to start a supergroup. You, me, Mos [Def] and Raphael Saadiq.'”
He continued, “I was like, ‘OK.’ And she assigned homework: ‘All right, study this record.’ I really miss not having her here to school me on jazz; I thought I was a music snob, and I thought I had my doctorate in jazz, but no. There’s so much more I could have learned. She’s a teacher.”
Questlove, as part of The Roots, was a seminal figure in the jazz-hop movement on the East Coast during the late 1980s and 1990s. However, he drew inspiration from all different kinds of genres.
During his speech at the City Pop Conference, he even spoke about some of his favourite songs. You can see a list of Questlove’s most cherished tracks below.
Questlove’s favourite songs:
- Kool and the Gang – ‘Celebration’
- Stevie Wonder- ‘For Once In My Life’
- Sly and the Family Stone – ‘From Fresh’
- Neil Sedaka – ‘Bad Blood’
- Rufus ft Chaka Khan – ‘Dance With Me’
- The Jackson Five – ‘Boogie Man’
- The Fifth Dimension – ‘Love Hangover’
- Neil Sedaka – ‘That’s When The Music Takes Me’
- The Sugar Hill Gang – ‘Rapper’s Delight’
- Public Enemy – ‘Rebel Without a Cause’
- Dyke and The Blazers – ‘Let a Woman Be a Woman’
- Michael Jackson – ‘Rock With You’
- Any Track From De La Soul
