Throughout his career, Questlove has proven himself to be a leading voice in matters of music. If he’s not showing off as a fount of music trivia, he’s taking opinionated public stances on the industry.
So it should come as no surprise that Pandora has given the author and Roots drummer his own show, as well as named him the Strategic Advisor and first-ever Artist Ambassador for the streaming service.
“Questlove Supreme,” the three-hour weekly show curated by the Grammy winner, will feature music selections, conversations, and interviews (with the likes of Kimbra and Maya Rudolph) and in his new role as ambassador, he’ll work closely with Pandora to provide strategic advice and support for artist initiatives.
Ever fearless and unapologetic in his opinion, here are 5 looks back at why Quest is perfect for the job.
When he blamed Rich Homie Quan’s Biggie verse flub at VH1’s Hip-Hop Honors on, well, us…
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After Rich Homie Quan tripped over himself trying to recite the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Get Money” verse, Questlove pointed the finger at older generations for not paying it forward and passing down the music of their prime.
When he easily listed the 40 reasons Prince was a non-traditional hip-hop pioneer
Inspired by a Source issue, which featured Prince on its cover, the Roots drummer first admitted that he “chuckled” at the choice before realizing “yeah it made sense” and launching into a list of all the reasons it did.
When he basically told everyone who slammed Madonna’s Prince tribute at the Billboard Music Awards, which he engineered himself, to calm down
Madge’s tribute was met with mixed reviews, but Quest defended the performance, reminding haters that post-Prince’s death, emotions were on high, everybody wouldn’t be honor him the exact way they wanted, and that not every tribute could be “life-changing orgasmic experience.”
When he shared the definitive mark and influence Phife Dawg made on his life after the Tribe Called Quest member passed
Actors, musicians, and athletes alike all mourned the death of Phife, but none shared their despair quite like Quest who recalled, with detail, the day he bought ATCQ’s The Low End Theory, the train ride he took to fellow Roots bandmate Tariq’s college campus, the struggle they endured trying to open the CD, and the moment he heard Phife’s verse on “Buggin Out.”
When he created a Hamilton-inspired playlist to teach us all a lesson
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While Hamilton was getting praise for its original score, Questlove — ever the historian — decided to curate a playlist that not only featured songs from the play’s soundtrack, but ones from the classic artists that inspired the musical, like Biggie, J Dilla, Busdriver, and Madvillain.
‘Questlove Supreme’ premieres on Questlove’s new Pandora station on September 7 at 1 p.m. EST and will replay for 48 hours each week.