Questlove On What Inspires Him [Video]
Questlove is a drummer, DJ, music journalist, and record producer from Philadelphia, PA. Best known as the drummer for the Grammy Award-winning band The Roots, he has produced for Common, D’Angelo, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, Al Green, Amy Winehouse, John Legend, and more. Questlove’s father was a member of the doo-wop group Lee Andrews & The Hearts and his mother was part of the soul group Congress Alley. At age 7, he began drumming on stage at shows. He later graduated from the Philadelphia High School for the Creative & Performing Arts and founded The Roots with classmate Black Thought. The two began performing on South Street in Philadelphia using drums, while Tariq rhymed over his beats and rhythms. The group recruited additional band members and recorded their 1993 debut album, Organix. They followed up with Do You Want More?!!!??! in 1995 and Illadelph Halflife in 1996. In 1999, The Roots reached mainstream success with Erykah Badu on the single “You Got Me”, and later receiving a Grammy Award in 2000 for Best Rap Performance by a Group. The album with that single, Things Fall Apart, eventually went platinum and remains to be a classic hip hop album. Questlove mixed a collection of groove classics in a compilation series called Babies Makin’ Babies and Babies Makin’ Babies 2: Misery Strikes. In 2004, The Roots released The Tipping Point, and two years later released Phrenology, which went gold. In 2010, The Roots recorded an honorary album in respect to the late J. Dilla, titled Dilla Jawns, with their renditions of the Dilla’s greatest hits. The Roots currently performs on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.