Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
By Mark Griffith
On 01st Jul 2024
Trying to Dial Back the “King of Yes” Photo by Christian Germoso In 30 years, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has evolved from a drummer to an influential drummer and bandleader, to part of the music establishment, to now becoming a respected spokesman for and an innovator in music. This progression has come in the form of numerous influential recordings, multiple Grammy’s, Oscars, best-selling books, and becoming the bandleader on The Tonight Show. There was no clearer evidence of his influence than during last year’s year-long celebration of Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary when Questlove became the (reluctant) de-facto “spokesman” for hip-hop. And truth be told, he didn’t seem really comfortable with the process of explaining the importance of hip-hop in edited down three-and four-minute sound bites. He now has a new book called Hip-Hop is History, an amazing new record with Bilal called Live at Glasshaus, and is completing a soon to be […]
July 2024 Issue