Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove

by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Ben Greenman

Mo' Meta Blues is a punch-drunk memoir in which Everyone's Favorite Questlove tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art, hip hop, and pop culture.

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is many things: virtuoso drummer, producer, arranger, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bandleader, DJ, composer, and tireless Tweeter. He is one of our most ubiquitous cultural tastemakers, and in this, his first book, he reveals his own formative experiences--from growing up in 1970s West Philly as the son of a 1950s doo-wop singer, to finding his own way through the music world and ultimately co-founding and rising up with the Roots, a.k.a., the last hip hop band on Earth.

Mo' Meta Blues also has some (many) random (or not) musings about the state of hip hop, the state of music criticism, the state of statements, as well as a plethora of run-ins with celebrities, idols, and fellow artists, from Stevie Wonder to KISS to D'Angelo to Jay-Z to Dave Chappelle to...you ever seen Prince roller-skate?!?

But Mo' Meta Blues isn't just a memoir. It's a dialogue about the nature of memory and the idea of a post-modern black man saddled with some post-modern blues. It's a book that questions what a book like Mo' Meta Blues really is. It's the side wind of a one-of-a-kind mind.

It's a rare gift that gives as well as takes.

It's a record that keeps going around and around.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Hip Hop, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

Ahmir Khalib Thompson, known professionally as ?uestlove or Questlove (also known as BROther ?uestion, Questo, Brother Question or Qlove), is an American drummer, DJ, music journalist and record producer.

He is best known as the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thought) for the Grammy Award-winning band The Roots, serving since February 17, 2014 as the in-house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the same role he and the band served during the entire 969 episode run of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

He has produced for artists including Elvis Costello, Common, D'Angelo, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Jay-Z, Nikka Costa and more recently, Al Green, Amy Winehouse and John Legend. He is a member of the production teams the Soulquarians, The Randy Watson Experience, The Soultronics and The Grand Wizzards.

His memoir Mo' Meta Blues was published in 2013.

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession. To my knowledge, I've never heard a Roots song. Everything I know about the Roots comes from hearing them as the house band on Jimmy Fallon and on the wonderful viral videos of the group playing Call Me Maybe and Blurred Lines on kids instruments.

Truthfully, I went into the book hoping to read a bunch of Jimmy Fallon and celebrity stories. What I got instead was the story of a man my age who pours his love of music onto every page. ?uestlove shatters all of my hip hop stereotypes by pointing out just how in love he and his fellow artists are not just with a select few artists, but the entire universe of music. He draws you into his life story and how he consumed every bit of music growing up, from the grooves in the speakers to the grooves in the record. The stories of reading reviews in Rolling Stone, being blown away the first time he hears certain artists, and even the memories forever tied to certain songs, album covers, and record labels will ring true to any person who ever geeked out on music. ?uestlove shares how his musical family gave him his education, even giving him a memorable visit with KISS, while also laying the foundation for the hard work that has gone into ?uestlove's career. Even though there are very few Jimmy Fallon stories, or much dishing of dirt, the book is full of a music fan and artist's love for both the history and the present of his art form. Like a hip hop Dave Grohl, his love for what he does shines through in what he does in his life, and on every page.

Highly recommended for any music fan. Now I'm off to educate myself about the music of the Roots.

[Rowena · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Music has the power to stop time. When I listen to songs, I'm transported back to the moment of their birth, which is sometimes even before the moment of my birth. Old songs, rock or soul or blues, still connect with me because the human emotions in them, whether jealousy or rage or hope, are recognizably similar to the emotions that I'm feeling now. But I'm feeling all of them, all the time, and so the songs act like a chemical process that isolates certain feelings at certain times: maybe one song helps illuminate the jubilation and one helps illuminate the sorrow and one helps illuminate the resignation. Music has the power to stop time. But music also keeps time.” - Questlove, Mo' Meta Blues

I have to admit that I don’t know much about The Roots. I did see one of their former members, Rahzel the Human Beatbox, perform at the University of British Columbia some years ago but I would be hard-pressed to name a Roots song. However, I think that everyone knows Questlove with his easily recognizable afro (which he seems to have had since he was a baby)!

Questlove mentions in the first chapter of this book that he didn’t want this to be a traditional memoir. It definitely does seem to be unique; to me it’s more like a scrapbook filled with playlists, pictures, interviews, conversations, anecdotes, footnotes etc. It's very engaging and for all music lovers it will have you feeling a sense of nostalgia for the good old days of music.

I knew this autobiography was going to be fun. Having finished reading it, I have nothing but admiration for Questlove. He's probably not what one would expect a hip-hop star to be like; I would never have guessed he was quite shy at times, for example. I found him very likeable and wanting to be true to himself. I doubt whether there are many people in the music world that have as much passion, enthusiasm and knowledge about music, hip-hop in particular, as he has. I enjoyed seeing him chronicle not only his development as a musician and a connoisseur of music, but also the historical evolution of music.

Questlove also outlines how music has evolved since the 70s, especially how the acquisition of it has changed due to skype and the internet.It made me reminisce about recording music off the radio during my early teens, though I do not miss having to wind up cassette tapes with loose ribbons!

I like the fact that Questlove talks about how people have been surprised by his eclectic music taste due to his appearance.I find that people do tend to judge a person's music taste based on their appearance, at least this has been my experience. I was glad that he addressed this because after all, music is music:

“And even though people like to furrow their brow like they suspect you’re not being honest about yourself, the truth is that they worry that you’re not serving their idea of you.”

The book is thoughtful and at the same time funny, philosophical and candid. It's clear when reading it that music is Questlove's life. I can't help but admire someone who is so dedicated to his craft. A great book for music lovers.

“And why has society been allowed to accelerate beyond the point where it makes sense to most of its citizens? The quick pace, without regard for the people caught up in it, risks destroying values, whether in food or art or music or human relationships.”

[David Dacosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mo’ Meta Blues substantiates all that I originally suspected about Questlove’s musical nerdom. As the child of a moderately successful former Do-Wop singer, coupled with an upbringing steeped in drumming, Quest seemed predestined for his current post as leader of the Grammy winning Hip Hop group The Roots. In the realm of percussion, his skill with the sticks is undeniable. Where things become doubtful, are in Questlove’s recollections of his childhood and music. To hear someone cite their grasp of adult oriented albums while they were mere infants is beyond farfetched. I’m all for the idea of kids being intellectually and emotionally advanced for their age but we have to be reasonable.

The strength of any memoir is in its effectiveness in conveying the story of the individual(s) being highlighted. Mo Meta is sound in that respect. As a member of an alternative Hip Hop collective, it didn’t come as any real surprise that Questlove’s taste in music was not bound by any particular genre. Though it did catch me a bit off guard, stumbling across an incident where he and some black musician friends are profiled by the boys in blue while blasting U2’s album The Joshua Tree. Not exactly the soundtrack that comes to mind when one imagines black youth cruising through the streets of 1980s Philadelphia.

The heart of Mo’ Meta revolves around Questlove’s candor pertaining to the highs and lows of the recording industry. Learning about the struggles The Roots endured, specifically within the timeframe of their major label debut, Do You Want More?!!!??!, reminded me of just how unimpressed I was with that album. In 1995, I recall selling the cassette to my younger brother at a reduced price. To their credit, the group’s stage show was a different matter that year. It still ranks in the top five concerts I’ve attended over the past 25-years.

As I neared the halfway mark of this book, I was convinced that the final star count would remain firmly at three. To avoid any spoilers, let’s just say that I was pleasantly surprised by an unexpected injection of highly engaging content. Enough to warrant an additional star. Roots fan or not, there’s something here for a wide cross section of readers.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful completely idiosyncratic document of not just Questlove's journey but of soul and hiphop from the 1970's through the aughts. Q is a great tour guide: He is vulnerable, arrogant, brilliant, weird, loving, opinionated and most important for these purposes unfailingly interesting. Also, that man just grew my liked songs in Spotify like kudzu (but good kudzu.) His taste is as broad as can be and his knowledge base is awe-inspiring and so I happily follow.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars? And you gave David Byrne's book 4? What?!?! Yep. You aren't even a Roots fan, why?

Because Questlove made me head over heels in deep smit of him. Not just for his character as a human being, his intellectual mightiness, charm or even having the best stories about Prince ever...it was because he made me see music with a different lens and perspective than I had before. He renewed something in myself I lost. He made me fall in love with idea again that the records I love are testaments of my life not just a soundtrack.

[jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"when you live your life through records, the records are a record of your life."™

drummer, dj, producer, and co-founder of the legendary roots crew, ahmir "questlove" thompson is a one of the music world's most virtuosic individuals. possessing talent in spades, ?uestlove's accomplishments are many, but it is his encyclopedic knowledge and abiding passion for music past and present that set him in another realm. mo' meta blues is indeed a music memoir, but the story of a life shaped by song most of all.

quest begins his bio with the obligatory childhood recollections, albeit ones perhaps far more fascinating than the average musical superstar. lee andrews, his father, helmed a philly-based doo-wop group, surrounding and immersing him in the music industry from a very young age. questo revisits his formative years in west philly - recalling an early (and still enduring) obsession with rolling stone and record reviews in general, the first time he heard sugarhill gang's "rapper's delight," as well as the artists and albums that defined this era of his life (his love for prince is likely unrivaled). ?uestlove goes on to detail his career chronologically, from meeting roots mc and co-founder tariq trotter (black thought) while at philly's high school for the creative and performing arts (and paying their dues as a drum/voice duet on south street) through to the roots' work as the house band on late night with jimmy fallon and the group's most recent (and remarkable) album, 2012's undun.

surely, quest's memoir will appeal most of all to fans of the roots and hip hop in general. while a knowledge of rap isn't necessary, a passable understanding of the genre ought to enliven the myriad stories (especially as he elaborates on early hip hop pioneers and luminaries, as well as his later work with the likes of d'angelo, dilla, the soulquarians, and others). ardent roots fan or not, mo' meta blues is a candid, thoughtful, well-written work full of humility, humor, and anti-hubris. in writing about records, race, success, creativity, self-doubt, hardship, and heartbreak, ?uestlove stands raw and unadorned, without the familiarity and comfort of his drum set or turntables to deflect attention. erudite and entertaining, mo' meta blues is much more than the mere record of questo's career - it's a sensitive, observant take on a life lived in, with, through, and surrounded by meaningful music.

and so that's how it goes. i keep moving through time and time keeps moving through me. and through that process, life takes shape. the question is what shape it is. i'm not the first person to ask this question, or to see how absurd it is to think there's a real answer. maybe life's a circle. maybe what goes around comes around. maybe there's karma and an account ledger that balances off all debts and credits. part of me believes that: the part of me that remembers that my drums are circles, that turntables are circles. but drumsticks are straight, and there are times when life seems like an arrow that goes in one direction and one direction only, toward a final target that might not be a final reward... music has the power to stop time. but music also keeps time. drummers are timekeepers. music conserves time and serves time, just as time conserves and serves music. i think i have to believe in circularity, even if i know that the arrow's coming in on the wing... will the circle be unbroken? that's not the only circle that's a question. every circle is. lines are statements. arrows are especially emphatic statements. they divide and they define. they count up and count down. circles are more careful. they come around again. they overthink. they analyze. they go back to the scene of the crime. they retrace their steps. that's where i end up, definitely maybe, always circumspect, always circumscribed by questions, by curiosity, by a certainty that i need a certain amount of uncertainty.

ps - if you're a true roots fan, ?uestlove's acknowledgements will undoubtedly be as gratifying as the past 20 years of liner notes.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember when I first heard The Roots. My singer put this new group from his hometown on and our whole band all just sat in his apartment playing with his pet hedgehog, silently, listening to their entire first album. I remember a few quiet "holy shit"s during Dice Raw's breathless tightrope act of a freestyle. We all felt that something had changed. Finally, someone had made live hip-hop work.

Questlove talks about his own formative musical experiences in his memoir. He's around the same age as me, so we have some of the same touchstones. He talks about how the sonic assault of Public Enemy's Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, which has still never been matched, "filled my head. It enlarged me." I had that moment with PE too, lying on a hotel bed with headphones on just, like, holy shit, these guys are so far beyond that they've reinvented notes.

He also talks about how puzzled he was when he first realized white people were getting into rap, and, well, I was there for that too. Hi!

So a lot of this book is about music, and how Questlove feels music, which is very deeply, and he's one of a very rare breed of people who can explain in words why music is so important to them. You don't have to be a fan of rap or deep Stevie Wonder album cuts to appreciate this book, but it doesn't hurt.

But by the second half he's exploring The Roots' place in black culture: the meaning of the black avant garde, black art, black nerds - he repeatedly describes himself as "an indoor kid, with a tendency to fall inward." It's heady stuff and Questlove is a very bright dude; his insights are always on point.

The Roots changed hip-hop when they appeared, and they changed it again as they turned into hip-hop's first band with longevity. They just keep putting out albums: never superstars, which frustrates Questlove, but always present. (As good as he is at making music, he's not terrific at making hits, which is another thing he explores.) That's interesting too, because they had to invent how hip-hop artists can age gracefully. No one had done it before, and honestly almost no one else has done it yet. Where's Public Enemy now? Ice Cube stars in family movies.

I wish he'd talked a little more about their decision to become Jimmy Fallon's house band, because that was another revelation. I was flabbergasted when they took the gig. This seemed like what you do when your career is pretty much over, but here they were at the height of their powers, just...they, like, got a job. It's not that he doesn't talk about it at all. "The thing about working without a net is that if you fall, you die," he says. "It's better to work with a net." Fair point. But there must have been some angst about the concept of selling out that Questlove's not sharing with us. He's trenchant about the question of "What is black enough?" elsewhere in the book: "I have a giant afro. I weigh three hundred pounds. No one, upon first seeing me, thinks I'm not black enough. And yet, in interviews, I'm still going through that whole speaks-so-well syndrome." And then they go to work for the whitest dude on the planet. But a net's a net.

I met Questlove once, at an early gig of theirs. They'd just blown me away with the best hip-hop show I'd ever see. They did a medley of rap classics during their second set that, I now see, paved the way for their quickfootedness as Fallon's house band. I was all stammering, afterwards. "I, oh, man, I love your music." Questlove did not care. Only now do I realize that gaggles of skinny white dudes came up and raved about his music after every gig; I was not actually onto anything new here. Questlove knows how good his music is.

It's very, very good, and this is an excellent book about it. Obviously I made a playlist for you featuring many of the songs he yells about over the course of it. There are a few Roots tracks here too - their bigger hits and some of my personal favorites. My favorite track of theirs is off their third album. It's called Dynamite! "We got a doctorate in col rockin' it" says Tariq in one of the best single lines ever written. And yes, sirs: yes you do. Here is the thesis.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questlove’s memoir of his life in music and the role of hip-hop in pop culture. He describes the roots (pardon the pun) of hip hop in jazz and blues. Along the way, he provides a history of hip-hop, and his reactions to many of the seminal acts. Toward the end, he discusses his band’s role in the Jimmy Fallon show. All this is done in the manner of an “anti-memoir.” He definitely did not want to create a straight-forward chronology or anything dry, and he succeeded.

The Roots are self-described nerds and intellectuals. They go against the grain of mainstream commercialism and gangster posing of some of the well-known artists. Questlove is candid about the fine line between producing hits and being true to an artistic vision. The Roots tend to err on the side of the latter. He speaks of the tensions introduced by corporate labels trying to impose a direction.

In case you are wondering, the book’s title is a take-off on Spike Lee’s 1990 film Mo’ Better Blues. I consider myself a fan of The Roots and own some of their songs. I enjoyed reading Questlove’s opinions. I found it creative and enlightening.

Memorable quotes:

“I worry that it’ll be harder for the present generation to process memory, because they have so many options to choose from, and most aren’t shared in a physical space.”

“When you believe that something is special, how many people do you want on your bandwagon? Too few and you martyr yourself. Too many and the axle snaps and the whole thing breaks down.”

“How do you measure your own small life next to monumental historical events?”

“I feel like my cultural value comes from my role as a bridge. My job is to connect brilliant have-nots to the land of haves.”

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually read non-fiction and I honestly can't think of the last memoir I read. In light of that, Mo Meta was my natural choice to deviate from the norm, because I love The Roots. I've been a fan for a while now, and I admire Quest and the entire band as musicians. Plus, I'm from Philadelphia. There's something about being where an artist is from that makes you almost feel connected to them. To add to that, I grew up specifically in South Philly, so there was also that.

Anyone who follows Quest knows that he's a music-head. This book lays out the extent of how much so, and it's really impressive. As I was reading, I had to stop several times to check out some of the songs he was referencing because the way he talks about them really makes you want to stop and listen. It would have been cool if this book had music clips. (I know with copyright that would be nearly impossible and also time-consuming, but one can dream).

Just to explain more: In his memoirs, Quest tags certain songs to certain points in his life and even does extensive lists in between chapters that catalog each set of events. I found that fascinating and I was envious that he has this ability (I remember plenty of songs from when I was growing up, but not nearly as well, and when I do, the memories attached to them aren't as salient).

In the midst of this he talks about his parents, who challenge what he listens to. He also talks about the inception of the Roots, which I had a little familiarity with because I've heard him speak about it few times. With the latter, it was interesting to hear him describe how all of the pieces came into place, and highs and lows of attaining a record deal and becoming 'The' Roots. There's also moments where he describes the culture of music, more specifically hip-hop, over decades. That was always pretty honest and thought-provoking. He talks about meeting Dilla, meeting D'Angelo, meeting Prince. There's a good Prince story in there and a wacky one with Tracy Morgan (my 'wha?' moment).

Overall, you get a lot about the history of the Roots, Quest's great appreciation for the musicians before him as well as his contemporaries, and a lot of his reflections on life, including his mishaps. It made for a good mix of entertainment, information and even introspection.

The thing that might take away for some readers is the structure of the memoir. Again, I'm not a reader of memoirs so I have nothing really to compare it to, but I'd imagine most memoirs don't include emails from Editor to Co-Writer. I'm sure that most also don't include footnotes from managers or close friends. While some could, I don't think song lists are prominent features either.

Personally, I didn't have a problem with these things so much. There was one footnote that was entirely too long for me early in the book that I felt disrupted the good flow I'd gotten into. However that was the only of it's kind and I generally found the footnotes informative and sometimes funny. I'm indifferent really to the emails, but I loved the song lists (for reasons I stated above).

All of this to say, I can't give this anything but 5 Stars. I finished hoping Quest does this again in the future, because I know he has and will have more to tell.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I enjoyed the musical journey that Questlove shares with the reader as he talks about the early years of his life. He provides awesome playlist that just make you want to dance. This book would be great as an enhance media document where you could listen and download music as you read. I would also like to see some the album covers that he describes so beautifully.

Questlove shares a lot of personal stories in the memoir. He talks about attending the prom with a beautiful girl who will go on to record several hits and hanging out with another Philly group that hits it big before his band. He gives the scope on changing labels, issues with band members, and difficult situations he encountered with Michele Bachmann and Tina Fey.

I highly recommend this book even if you are not a Roots fan. I even found myself reading the endnotes (which I usually don't do).

Full Review at www.ourliteracylives.com

[Cailin Deery · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a very young age, Questlove (Ahmir Thompson) is not only relatable, but shows real continuity of character. From his earliest memories, he’s thoughtful (and when it comes to the things that intrigue or move him: hopelessly absorbed), enthusiastic, stubborn, full of joy and easily embarrassed.

His anecdotes revolving around obsessions or inspirations of his are so endearing. For example, when he was about 8 and touring with his father’s doo-wop quintet (Lee Andrews & the Hearts) he ran into KISS at a hotel and completely lost it: “I was excited and terrified and generally overloaded, so I let out the most high-pitched, bloodcurdling scream you can imagine.” Or the saga of having to buy Prince’s 1999 eight times because his parents managed to take it away from him every time… that is, until he thought to record it onto a cassette and stashed it in his Remo drumheads. “It was a war of attrition, and the only one who won was Prince.” As a teenager, continuing on into adulthood when the Roots were gaining popularity, he also cultivated a real devotion to the review process: “Almost no one knows this, but when I am making a Roots record, I write the review I think the album will receive and lay out the page just like it’s a Rolling Stone page from when I was ten or eleven. I draw the cover image in miniature and chicken-scratch in a fake byline.”

I’m not really sure how necessary it is to explain who Questlove is, but for those who don’t know: he’s a drummer (for the Roots, “the last hip hop band on Earth”) producer, DJ, cast of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and unflagging Tweeter. Not only does Mo’Meta Blues cover Ahmir’s formative years – as well as the formation and evolution of the Roots – but it’s an incredibly rare insight into this corner of the music world.

“It hit me that I see hip-hop in much greater detail than most people. I’ve devoted at least half my life to it, so I’m a connoisseur even if I don’t always think of myself that way. Pick any era and I can retrieve a vast array of awesome, thought-provoking hip-hop artists who were genuine political thinkers, artists who were genuine comedians. A more casual observer will only see what’s put in their face.”

Although the bands that the Roots were the most influenced by - Slum Village, De La Soul, Tribe – faded away around them, they have remained an indissoluble player for decades. Sometimes during this memoir, it felt like Questlove was the axis of it all. When he was an observer – bearing witness to Tracy Morgan’s hysterical parties (14 girl toe-licking contest?). Finding himself one of the few attendees at a late night skating party with Prince (where Prince unpacked a suitcase with custom-made, light-up roller skates). Watching the tripwire snag at the 1995 Source awards when Suge Knight made the bold move to diss Puffy in his acceptance speech. He calls this all nostalgia at a short range, and I think he knows that he’s one of the few who hasn’t lost perspective.

Mo’Meta Blues is almost a straight-up lift of Spike Lee’s Mo’Better Blues, which Questlove has picked up on because of the scene where Bleek Gilliam (played by Denzel Washington) is lamenting the demographics of the crowd who came to see him play (mostly white). It’s an odd title to give this book, because even that small scene from the movie doesn’t offer anything the book doesn’t do better. However, this title choice is kind of perfect because it encapsulates Questlove’s packrat approach to popular culture. Although he has a hilarious fear of photo collages, he finds real peace and satisfaction drawing connections between cultural output to reveal in the obvious in the obscure. Don’t get me wrong: Questlove does not re-appropriate. He is simply The Biggest Fan of so many who have since become close friends. Artists, producers, comedians, singers, writers, you name it.

Returning to a familiar question we’ve all had posed and at least half-heartedly considered, “If you could choose x number of people - anyone living or dead - to come to a dinner party, who would you pick?” I would always include Questlove, not only because I adore him, but because he would make every single one of my other choices feel great.

One of Questlove’s very favourite daily contests today is the “Freestylin with Roots” segment on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where the Roots are challenged to come up with a song about an audience member who has proffered a few arbitrary details of their day and life. But they don’t just have to come up with a song on the spot, they’re asked to play in a particular style. Opera? Surf music? Country? James Bond? Er, spin class? Here’s a treat.

[Edmole · Rating 4 out of 5]

My bro posts me this book from To, C A /Unwrapped it, thought, uh, okay
?uestlove wrote an auto, dude seems thoughtful, and it's only short essays/
Now I never had much truck with the music group The Roots/
From which the author grows out most his leaves and shoots/
They always seemed like worthy rap/A palliative for people that/
Didn't like it when the rappers/The rappers, yeah, who seemed so dapper/
Rapped about distasteful shit/And spoke of bitches, gangsters; skits/
Which centered on their dangly bits/But I liked all that so suck my dick/
I didn't want to hear a lecture/From a dude up on a lectern/
Only heard by white guys nodding/All up in arms in weed T's sobbing/
About the disappointment that they felt/about the way that race done telt/
Their stories, which were theirs to tell/And for me to ignore, the hell/
Was I to point a finger at/Some young men acting quite the twat/
I also felt them somehow ersatz/Or too aware of hist'rys progress/
I liked the shock of the new/Not the endless recognition/
Of echoes of a past that's passed/That does not flame my own cognition

Anyway, the book addresses/All those feelings, angsts and stresses/
Of where the Roots were, what they meant/Were they for whites or young black men/
And how can you get that shit right/When what it means changes by night/
You wake up one day in the centre/Making art that's fundamental/
All at once it's two thousand four/The carpets pulled up from the floor/
You're preaching not just to converted/But all white faces, all so fervent/
To see you be the thing they think/But does that mean you're in the clink/
Trapped to be this thing forever/But let it float off like a feather/
And just do what you can to be/As you as you in oh thirteen

Elsewhere the book tells hella stories/And oddly things that used to bore me/
Like worthy jazzy soulful rap/in context don't sound half as crap/
I revisit D'Angelo, try new angles, oh, hold on, stop - does this mean that I'll like Jill Scott?/
Do I have to check out Common/Before he got that Kanye' Fresh?/Or give some more time/To Mos Def?
That's the great thing about rock bios, right/Is context paints things in new light/
The story of a world makes sense/it's not like you were being dense/
It's that these milieu multiply/As you live through a different eye/
But finding through a brand new iris/Means that you don't stumble eyeless/
And you get lent fresh new ears/To listen to a different era/
What's funny is, when worlds converge/To modern day, Fallon, verge/
Of wealth and fame and winning it/Starts to lose its way a bit/
I love to hear a band do it/In the age 'fore internet/
When there was more random chance/Not just hits and clicks and dance/
By some wacky guy named Psy/More like 'what the hell and why'/
'Does one thing crash and one thing fly?'/
If I could answer that, I guess/I'd be a mogul, more or less/

So ?uestlove has done me a solid, yo/And so has Tim, my brother, bro/
To find another stream I like/A tributary to the lake/
More music and another guy/Whose life I liked to live aside/
From the fact that he met Prince/And I won't ever, face, I rinse/
In a sink in which reflection/Is my pink and pale complexion

[Chris Infanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I'll start by saying that Robert Christgau reviewed this better than I ever could: http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5...

I don't have a ton to add except: I usually find reading about music and music biographies a bore. I'm the person who clicks onto Pitchfork every day, checks the scores of all the new reviews, and doesn't read a single word. So why did I devour every sentence Questlove used to describe his favorite albums and the making of each and every Roots record? For me, it's because Quest is a really strong writer, whose voice (bookish and wryly humorous, but with tremendous clarity and force of vision) shines through in every anecdote. This allows the reader to experience each musical revelation within that context - a hell of a lot more interesting than a soulless listing of musical influences. In Quest's story, the music itself is an (admittedly most important) element in a story about the growth of a movement, a band, and ultimately, a man. The best endorsement of Quest's writing about music is probably this: I've listened to more Prince, Michael Jackson, and (natch) The Roots in the last week than I have in the last few years. He does what any great music writer does - give the reader a new lens with which to appreciate an artist and drive him to listen to as much as he possibly can.

I could have done without the author/editor interludes for the most part, but all in all, this was a super fun read. Questlove is a nerd in the truest sense of the word - possessing a borderline obsessive relationship with the thing he loves, and forcing others around him to reckon with it through his sheer force of enthusiasm.

[JBP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never listened to a single Roots album, don't listen to hip-hop, neo-soul, never watched a single episode of the late night TV show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that features The Roots as the house band...yet I read and enjoyed this music stuffed memoir by Roots drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. I love music and Questlove has dedicated himself to so many kinds of music that it makes me feel a bit lazy and narrow minded even though my combination of albums/CDs/cassettes number over 5,000 if I added them all up and I've been obsessed with bands as far ranging as Styx to Test Department. Questlove reaches a whole nother level and he takes us into his childhood and the way music and memory are connected and the different paths the Roots have gone on through the years. Only thing I didn't care for at all in this book was the footnotes of the band's manager that jumps in way too much--I don't really care what his thoughts are, write your own book!--and the oddly placed e-mails from the co-writer to himself regarding the book's progress. Those two things almost got the book knocked down another star and then I just skipped them to get back to Questlove's life stories and obsessions over music. I did listen to Roots music by watching videos as I read the book which helped give some framework to it and even watched a bunch of great "Freestylin' with the Roots" segments from the TV show. That's kind of nice when you can check out visuals to go w/ what you are reading if you aren't that familiar with a band.

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questlove is obviously a music junkie. This fact shines throughout the book. His passion for music and hip hop is infectious. As I was reading about the various studio sessions surrounding Roots albums, I started listening to the Roots. The memoir is pretty straight forward, notwithstanding the fact that he states in the introduction this is something he wanted to avoid. What makes the linear approach work in this particular case, is the soundtrack of his memory. Each period of his life he talks about is highlighted by what music he was listening to at that time.

You will be impressed by his dedication and knowledge of music. He takes you through a mini-history of hip hop. And you may be surprised by some of the records he considers hip hop classics. I know I certainly was. He seems very self-deprecating, which is kind of refreshing to experience from someone at his level of expertise. I liked the way the book kept the focus on his musical life. So, there are no wild jaw dropping moments, no outing of other musicians, just Questlove and how the Roots evolved. I will add this caveat, if you aren't a fan of music in general and hip hop in particular, you probably won't find much joy in this book. But for those who are fans, a solid 4 stars. I am now a bigger Roots fan, thanks to Questlove's Mo' Metta Blues.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the start, Questlove (in an interview with himself) contends that he doesn't want this to be a straight forward memoir and wants to do something different in telling his story. This new format includes inserting letters from the co-writer to the editor (both named Ben) about the process & progress of the book which I found distracting. It also has footnotes throughout by Richard Nichols, the longtime co-manager of The Roots, as a counterpoint to Questlove's narrative, which I really enjoyed. As it turns out, though, to me it wound up reading like the standard memoir that he seemed to want to avoid, as it was still stories told in a linear timeline.

I did like hearing about the inception of The Roots as a group and I listened to each album as my soundtrack while reading as he told the story of how they came about and the themes surrounding each one. As a fan, I've know about the difficulty the group has had with record labels, recognition from the public, and helping other musicians only to have their success eclipse theirs. Questlove's recounting of these topics was a learning experience that this lover of hip-hop appreciated.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book. It took me down memory lane and I found myself swept away by the nostalgia of the music of my childhood. But the further I got into Questlove's memoir, the more I grew tired of him. He wrote much of the book as if he alone is The Roots. There is minimal recognition of the other band members and their contribution to their extensive discography. He repeatedly refers to Black Thought as a "virtuoso rhymer" but fails to put Tariq's skills in context. Someone who doesn't know any better would have no idea that Questlove's bandmate is one of the best emcees of ALL TIME. I'm not sure what the deal is between them but Questlove doesn't even thank Black Thought in his acknowledgements (even though he thanked every other Roots members since 1992).

This treatment isn't just reserved for Black Thought. Questlove mentions an instance where he did an interview and promptly received complaints of "You made it sound like I work for you" from his peers Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Erykah Badu. After reading "Mo' Meta Blues" it is apparent that Questo still hasn't learned his lesson.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoirs, especially those by musicians, are rarely part of my reading diet. Add this to my admittedly shameful ignorance of most of hip hop's history, and I had no idea what to expect with this book.

What I got is an almost absurdly intelligent man's meditations on music, art, culture, race, and beyond, told in a voice that was often humorous, often mournful, and always personal.

Did I "get" the references to most of the records and artists that Questlove sees as fundamental to who he is as a musician and person? No, but I did get one of my favorite feelings in life: That I'm in over my head, and there is almost certainly too much to learn, but I'm glad to be here and trying.

[Michael Feeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a brilliant read. Saw Quest talking to John Oliver on the Daily Show about the book and was spellbound, as was Oliver. He is such an amazing presence; a walking dictionary of music who is inspired by the sounds and can't wait to discuss it with you. The book engages, takes to you Quest's visual & vivid recollections of his moments frozen in time and inextricably linked to a particular song. Makes you think about the songs that define your timeline and life.

[Niklas Pivic · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can a man in his early forties hope to really talk about his life as a whole? It’s like reviewing the first half of a song.

While this faux-memoir by Questlove, part founder, drummer, songwriter and tastemaker in The Roots, one of the most influential bands to come out of the USA in the R&B/hip-hop movements, is loose, conjoined and at its worst rushed and unhinged, that is also its main strength; early in the book, Questlove questions (pun not intended) the absence of comments from others in autobiographies, so his manager and his editor comment throughout, in the form of footnotes; for instance:

SEVEN
From: Ben Greenman [cowriter]
To: Ben Greenberg [editor]
Re: Refining the approach
No. I wouldn’t necessarily say that the book is coming into better focus, though I would say that my excitement over the nature of the blurriness is increasing.

The book is stacked with interesting anecdotes from throughout his 40-ish-old life:

I was in the bathtub and didn’t want to stay there. What kid does? I came running out of the bathroom into the living room and I fell toward the radiator, which branded me. For the next sixteen years of my life, there was a train-track-like burn from the radiator right up the outside of my leg. Anyway, at that very moment, Curtis Mayfield was doing “Freddie’s Dead” on the TV. And not just “Freddie’s Dead,” but one specific part of the song, the modulated bridge where the horns come in. Even now, when I hear it, it traumatizes me. There’s nothing technically scary about it, but it’s forever welded to the memory of falling into the radiator. I’m not the only one with that kind of association. D’Angelo told me that to this day, he cannot listen to Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” without feeling terror. That’s strange to me, because when I hear that song I think of yuppies singing it in The Big Chill, reliving their youthful optimism. It’s a light song for me, a party song, frothy. But for him, it’s a dark place, and I’m not sure he even knows why. It’s related to something in his childhood, something buried deep. I even tested him during the Voodoo tour. We were backstage, with people milling around, and I put it on the radio. He immediately stiffened, turned around, and said “Take that thing off.”

It might’ve been ’79, but the seventies were like the aberrant child of the sixties. And 1979 was the year that the seventies left home, not just literally, but also in a spiritual sense. Gone was the existential longing that you could find at the core of songs like “Dock of the Bay,” “What’s Going On,” or “Higher Ground.” I figure it this way: when Sam Cooke sang “a change is gonna come,” I didn’t foresee that change being one that would allow for niggas to be rapping about “busting bitches out wit dey super sperm.”

Questlove's honesty plays well into the book:

I was and am so devoted to the review process that I write the reviews for my own records. Almost no one knows this, but when I am making a Roots record, I write the review I think the album will receive and lay out the page just like it’s a Rolling Stone page from when I was ten or eleven. I draw the cover image in miniature and chicken-scratch in a fake byline. It’s the only way I really know how to imagine what I think the record is. And as it turns out, most of the time the record ends up pretty close to what I say it is in the review.

He's questioning things in an interesting way at times:

He told me that I was a man out of time. He wondered if I was trying to be white. Trying to be white? What the hell does that mean? I’ve never understood that. How could anyone be white when they aren’t white? Seems like a simple enough thing to prove, right? Hold out your arm next to someone else’s arm and do a simple swatch test. Of course, what people mean when they say that is that there’s some kind of authentic black experience that the accused isn’t properly expressing. But what is the authentic experience? Clothes that wannabe gangbangers wear on the street? Hood style? What’s authentic about that? For that matter, is fashion even a good marker of authenticity or race, anyway? Aren’t clothes a second skin you wear over your real skin to obscure who you really are? Can they also express who you really are? My mother told me that you had to go to thrift shops to find your own style, which made more sense than going to stores, but weren’t both forms of borrowing where you were always aspiring to have something that was truly your own? The question marks were piling up and I wasn’t even ?uestlove yet.

Yeah, very honest about his growing up:

I knew that my dad kept at least $4,000 hidden in the library. I figured, I’m just going to take a twenty. A perfect crime. I took twenty-five instead. I supposed I would get The Jacksons Live! and then Voices by Hall and Oates and a Rick Springfield record, because there was a girl I knew who liked him. My plan failed. My dad was a meticulous counter. He even knew how many inches high the orange juice was in the jug, so he could tell when someone had drunk some. I had been disciplined with whippings throughout my life, but when he found out I had taken the money it was that and then some, a Kunta Kinte/Django Unchained–like whipping. That incident set the course for our relationship and how it remains today. My father and I are not particularly close. It’s strained at best.

And stuff from the start of The Roots:

But underneath the sense of adventure, it was kind of a dark time. For starters, Tariq and I had our very first real fight. It was a fistfight over a production faux pas. As it turned out, he was not credited for producing the title cut, “Do You Want More?!!!??!” It was neglect on my part and Rich’s part, just an oversight, nothing intentional, but he took it personally. He felt like maybe he was being squeezed out of the group. He confronted me and we went at it in the hallway, shoulder to shoulder. No one got hurt, really. It devolved into wrestling pretty fast. He got up and marched off in what looked like triumph. “I’m not hurt,” he said. I didn’t know until later that he went off down the hall and then snuck around a door so he could sit down on a chair and recover. I’d like to say that the wounds from that fight healed up right away, but the fact is that that was a fight so dark and so deep that I believe it affects us to this day. There’s still an invisible wedge. That fight made me more insular and introverted, more careful around everyone.

There were a hundred people on the floor, dancing, having fun, but the second “Distortion to Static” came on over the speakers, the whole place just cleared. There was only one girl left, out there on her own, trying, unsuccessfully, to dance to it. Tariq looked at Rich, panic in his eyes. “We’re going to fucking fail!” he said. I only heard about it later, on the telephone (a dreadful conversation that I recorded and would, fourteen years later, use as the opening of our Rising Dawn album), but to this day I can’t play the Roots in one of my own DJ sets. The memory of that empty floor is too traumatic.

After I got my advance for Do You Want More?!!!??!, my father came to me and told me that I owed him. I was confused. “You owe me,” he said, “for all those years in private school, all those lessons. I sacrificed for you. I want a cut.” I gave him the money, but it broke my mom’s heart to see me handing it over. She thought that a father was just supposed to do those things for a child without asking for something in return.

The manager, on The Roots playing with The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion:

Remember that? Dude had a motorcycle jacket and a fucking theremin.

And yeah, what is blackness, by the way?

Somehow, I got word that D’Angelo was in the audience that night, and I realized that it was one of those make-or-break moments. I wanted him to know that he and I spoke the same musical language, that we could communicate telepathically via some African tribal shit.

And easily, on what differs old-skool hip-hop from the newer stuff:

Before that, hip-hop had a sense of belonging. When Run DMC did “My Adidas,” you could go out and get a pair of Adidas. You could put on jeans and a Kangol hat. You could be part of that club. When motherfuckers are talking about buying a jet or a speedboat, well, that’s not inclusive. And think of where the videos are set. Early on there was lots of on-your-block shit, videos with regular locations: street corners, houses, empty lots. People could identify with that in ways they couldn’t identify with mansions.

On meeting his main hero, Prince, the second time around:

When I got back, Prince had the briefcase out on the floor. He clicked the lock and opened it, and took out the strangest, most singular pair of roller skates I had ever seen. They were clear skates that lit up, and the wheels sent a multicolored spark trail into your path. He took them out and did a big lap around the rink. Man. He could skate like he could sing. I watched him go, so transfixed that I didn’t even notice Eddie Murphy appearing at my arm. “I’m going to go get your phone for you,” he said. Roller-skating at Prince’s party was cool. Watching Prince roller-skate was cooler.

On the whole: readable, but not a massive thing. On the other hand, it's not pretentious, which I think may be translatable to The Roots as a whole.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a lot of people, I was intrigued when I heard that The Roots would be taking the slot as the house band when Jimmy Fallon took over The Late Show. I knew who they were, of course; you can't skirt the edges of hip-hop and R&B without having run into them at some point. And I liked them even though I'd never made the transition to out and out fan. They were one of those bands that I liked whenever they showed up on something else I was actively paying attention to: a new record by Common or Mos Def, the Dave Chappelle Show, and on and on across the pop culture landscape.

But I didn't know much about them. I had heard the singles, I had seen a few videos, but that was about it until some of their performances on The Late Show began to go viral. The first one I remember really grabbing me and making me sit up and focus was a clip of The Roots backing Eminem during a burn down the house performance of "Won't Back Down." It stuck in my head for two reasons: one, it cemented the idea in my mind that The Roots really were the powerhouse they were rumored to be, and two, holy cats, is that a tuba?

From there, I got sucked more and more into the world of The Roots and of Questlove in particular. First it was a collection of 'likes' on YouTube, then it was a couple of records, and finally, perhaps inevitably, it was following Quest on Twitter and liking the man that seemed to emerge, 140 characters at a time.

So I knew the memoir was coming.

And yet, I wasn't prepared for how charmed I would be as the excerpts and quoted passages began to roll out ahead of the actual publication date. I wasn't sure what I wanted - more stories featuring Eddie Murphy and Prince? Tales of debauchery backstage in London? Maybe something a little salacious featuring Quest's roster of porn star friends (well, ok, maybe just Sasha Grey)? But, this was meant to be a memoir, not a tell-all. This wasn't meant to be Motley Crue's Dirt. On the other hand, as Quest himself notes in the book, a lot of memoirs begin with a birth and then spin out into facts and figures without any real insight into the person behind them.

Plus, there was the title: Mo' Meta Blues. I mean, it's a play on an old Spike Lee movie to begin with, and then, god, isn't meta kind of played out already?

So what kind of book would it be?

It turns out that it's equal parts actual memoir, history of hip-hop, African-American studies, and discourse on the personal connection people can have with music, the book is compulsively readable and accessible. At the same time, the comments, in the form of footnotes, or e-mails from the co-author to the editor, added a look behind the curtain, to see just how the Great and Powerful Quest was writing his book added the titled meta layer without getting in the way of the story.

And like all good narrative non-fiction, there is a story. It's the story of a young kid growing up in love with music and it's the story of how an unlikely pair of friends ended up forming one of the most influential bands in hip-hop, and it's the story of a life lived thoughtfully and with purpose. All of which made me like Quest that much more. Perhaps more importantly, from a commercial point of view, it made me want to run out and buy several hundred records. Not just ones from The Roots, but from the diverse collection known as the Soulquarians, and from the countless jazz, soul, and R&B records Quest talks about.

Hell, the book should have come with a soundtrack.

Maybe the timing was just fortuitous for me. I've been looking for some new music. Not just new music, but for something that would blow my mind and make me appreciate a sound I had been hearing but not hearing. This book provided that and then some; following the connections and reminders and recommendations here could fill up years. And that alone is worth the cover price.

Get this for the music fan in your life and get it for yourself. You'll be richer for it.

[Juniper · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked this one -- thompson is a bright guy - something i already knew about him - and this shows in his writing. he's also a reader, and i really enjoyed the few literary references he included in the book. this was almost a crash course in the history of hip-hop and rap...so that was very cool. and it was nice to get a bit more information on things going on in that world. also -- i have to say -- huge props to thompson for his vast musical knowledge, and appreciation for all types of music. gordon lightfoot gets a shout-out early on in the book (GORDON LIGHTFOOT <-- one of my favourite songs!!) which i loved a whole freaking lot!

i think the reason i have not rated this higher, though, is because the end wasn't as strong as the first half of the book. and, at moments, i felt uncomfortable reading certain parts -- not that there was anything really gossipy - he indicated he wasn't interested in writing THAT kind of book. but because he had indicated that early on...i did wonder if he was dissing friends at certain parts, so i found my brain wandering. and i got a bit confused, too, concerning thompson's dad. i mean, early on he was portrayed as an okay guy. and then...his parents found religion and things changed a bit. thompson's dad was a strict father, it seems...but every now and then he would compare his dad to michael jackson's dad...and that is not a good thing. there's strict...and there's abusive. i didn't want more 'dirt', so to speak, i just wanted to understand that relationship a bit better, since thompson was putting it out there for readers. though, i guess it is a complicated relationship, and that certainly came through.

i liked the style of writing and the structure of the book - a bit of back and forth with his manager, rich, along with footnotes (!! h/t DFW!!)

overall, i did like this book - i am glad i read it and glad thompson wrote it.

OH - also -- reading this totally coincided with de la soul's 25th anniversary...and they offered fans, for 25 hours, free downloads of all their albums. talk about serendipity!! http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014...

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Questlove is an amazing drummer and a perceptive, thoroughly engaging critic and consumer of music. I give him five stars for that, as well as for the acknowledgements of this book, wherein he thanks more people than I've ever met in my life--and does it distinctively for each person. Everything about him seems centered and on the one.

But, alas, this book is kind of dull, and what's not dull is incomplete. It's less about his life and relations with people (he doesn't hurt anyone's feelings, but many people he barely sketches at all. Who's in The Roots? You can't tell by this book), than about his life and relations with music. And really, aside from a few nice anecdotes, it's not so much about that as his life and its relation to how his music was intended, reviewed and seen by other people. I get that he wanted this book to be different; but actually, it's kind of samey, and the "different" parts --all the questions at the end, the annoyingly clever commentary by the manager, the memos by co-writer and editor--they don't add anything. He reveals some things (especially about his childhood), but as an adult he hides a lot behind his work and the simple relating of first this happened then that did.

So here's some more questions: What are your real thoughts about women? Why do you think the "Lyin' Ass Bitch" story exploded the way that it did? How are you and your Dad getting along now? What happened to Malik? Why did you and Tariq ride in different buses? Would this book have been better if an objective, impartial person had asked uncomfortable questions?

[Stewart Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's refreshing to read a memoir from a member of one of the greatest groups in hip-hop history and to not be let down by it. To actually, against all odds, relate to this huge black guy from Philly through your common nerd-level love of music. To be constantly entertained by his stories and footnotes, and the unconventional style of his writing (which includes emails between his cowriter and his editor, as well as footnotes from the longtime manager of the Roots, both of which give an interesting, sometimes contradictory perspective on the matters at hand). To blow through the book so damn fast that you're already Googling whether or not Questlove has ever written anything else that you can get your greedy hands on.

This book did all of that for me, and so much more. It gave me a better understanding of the Roots and their place in the history of hip-hop and actually strengthened my (already huge) love for their music. It made me feel like I have a personal connection with Questlove, who really is a walking encyclopedia of musical knowledge. It made me happy to read, especially when Quest wrote about his oftentimes hilarious encounters with people like Prince, Eddie Murphy, and Tracy Morgan. It's a damn great book.

I recommend this book to lovers of hip-hop (who I assume are familiar with the Roots), lovers of music history, or just lovers of good autobiographies, ones that demonstrate not only a celebrity's ability to write a coherent story about their life, but to write passionately about the things that they love.

Fantastic.

[Andrew Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I worked for Ahmir Questlove Thompson for about 6 months, as part of the Okayplayer family. It was a dream come true in so many ways. I met some amazing people during that time and made some friends in the Philly music scene that I am still in touch with now.

I never got to know Quest (we shook hands once or twice), he was busy making Phrenology (and quite a lot of other records). I didn't expect to get to know him, but everyone I know that knows him always said what an amazing person he is. I could tell he wasn't like other artists I had come across, just as the Roots are like no other band.

I haven't read many artists memoirs, so it's likely that what I write next is not as unique to this artist, or this band, as I think. It could also be due to the fact that I was there on the fringes for a few fleeting moments when some moments in this book were going down, but I thoroughly enjoyed the access he provided into his story so far, and all of the joys and disappointments that he has experienced as he has followed his dream and become the face of cool and a legend in his own right.

[Ramiro Guerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book immediately jumped to my favorite book that i read this year (2018). I've been a long-time fan of The Roots since I discovered "Things Fall Apart". In fact, I remember when I first heard them. My cousin was obsessed with Erykah Badu, and she played me "You Got Me" and I was hooked.

They've been part of my life ever since. I saw them twice in Austin, one time at Stubbs and one time on the University of Texas campus, right in front of the famous tower. I even watch Jimmy Fallon clips just to hear them play. I have most of their albums on CD (all digitally) and this book had me dive back into their whole collection, as well as all the other associated acts.

My favorite stories he told were how he grew up obsessed with Rolling Stone reviews (for me it was The Source and XXL first, then Rolling Stone in college) and would spend all his hard-earned money on records (me, cd's). That drew me in and I felt connected from the first chapter.


I recommend this to any music fan, and especially to all my fellow hip hop heads out there.

[Rhome Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahmir Thompson is one of the most important figures in black music from my generation, possibly the most important. He's been generous over his career with sharing tons of information, from expansive liner notes to his constant online interactions, but it all needed to be collected in one place. This memoir is everything I hoped it would be, and while some may find the fractured narrative style distracting, I think it fits his work, his personality and our modern age. I can only hope that he has more books in him, or at least a 20 year followup. Hopefully there will be more Rich Nichols too, and maybe something from the famously guarded Tariq Trotter.

[Libros Prohibidos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Más de 250 páginas de una autobiografía nada convencional que aúna historia, sociología, confesión, crítica musical, cotilleo (reconozcámoslo, en una autobiografía todos queremos saber cómo conoció a X, con quién se lió Y y por qué se peleó con Z) y mucha reflexión sobre la música, la creación artística y la propia escritura. Reseña completa:
http://www.libros-prohibidos.com/ahmi...

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more fun books I've read on music. I wish he would have just kept giving me lists of the music he loved, and why he loved it, because as a music geek I luxuriated in that analysis.

Love this guy...

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I only have a casual knowledge of Questlove's work as a musician. He's an excellent drummer, producer, etc. and I have listened to and enjoyed his work over the years, but I have never taken a deep dive into it, i've never seen him live and don't own his albums. So I was coming to this as a casual fan, but not a super fan.

He pushes back at the inherent solipsism of the autobiography in a way that at first I thought was sort of schticky, but then came to appreciate.

Questlove is a music fan and I love the way writes both about being a music fan and music itself. He's an articulate and astute music critic; I would like to read a book of just his criticism. What is rarer, imo, is how he writes about being an obsessive music fan. Often the big deal musicians don't write at all about or don't dwell on their own fandom. One of the charms of the book is Questlove's first person writing about music geekery.