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Questlove Reflects On Harry Belafonte, A ‘Shining Example Of How To Use Your Platform To Make Change In The World’

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Harry Belafonte 1955
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Yesterday (April 25) saw a major loss for the worlds of music, acting, and activism: Harry Belafonte died at 96 years old. His passing sparked many fond remembrances, including an Instagram post from Questlove.

The Roots drummer’s message begins, “Shining example of how to use your platform to make change in the world. Hi$ activi$m was crucial for the civil rights movement. His activism was key in the anti apartheid movement.” It later concludes, “If there is one lesson we can learn from him it is ‘what can I do to help mankind?’ Thank You Harry Belafonte!”

Find Questlove’s full post below.

“Shining example of how to use your platform to make change in the world.

Hi$ activi$m was crucial for the civil rights movement. His activism was key in the anti apartheid movement.

I once read a touching story of @theweeknd explaining how learning how #WeAreTheWorld (organized by, you guessed it Belafonte) was not only key to his jacksonesque vocal delivery but his family being the key family that benefited from the funds that record raised to relocate his family to safety in Canada.

Before the pandemic the storyline to @summerofsoulmovie was Belafontecentric once @selema explained to us how his father personally uprooted his legendary father #HughMasekela from the 60s South African apartheid & brought him to live in New York City & planted the seeds of activism in him.

He represented many things to us: fun calypso music, iconic acting (I came to know him as #GeechieDan in the iconic #UptownSaturdayNight as a child)—but most importantly he taught me to think in terms of ‘WE’ not ‘I’.

That stuck with me.

If there is one lesson we can learn from him it is ‘what can I do to help mankind?’

Thank You Harry Belafonte!”

Questlove Hopes ‘Black Nerds’ See Themselves In His ‘The Rhythm Of Time’ Book

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Questlove released The Rhythm Of Time on Tuesday, April 18, shortly after he launched Auwa Books, his imprint with MCD Books. The book is aimed toward preteen readers, but Questlove wrote it with one very specific kid in mind. He dedicated the book to his nine-year-old self, as he explained on The View this week.

“When I would travel with my parents, my father and mother, we were like basically the Black Partridge Family,” he said on the talk show. “My father was an oldies doo-wop legend back in the ’50s. I’d often read to them. Well, they would trick me into reading to them, and oftentimes, I’d pick books in which I didn’t see myself.”

He continued, “There’s a term, ‘alt-Black kids,’ where you might not talk the right language or you just look weird. I had weird hair, and I dressed weird. I wanted Black nerds to see themselves as well, so that’s kind of why I wrote the book.”

The Rhythm Of Time‘s official listing on Penguin Random House lays out the intricate plot:

“Seventh grader Rahim Reynolds loves testing out the gadgets invented by his brilliant friend Kasia Collins. First there were the X-ray glasses and all the trouble they caused. Now there’s the new cell phone she built for his birthday, even though his parents won’t let him have one. But Rahim is excited to use the phone to search for videos of his favorite old-school rap group. What he doesn’t know is the phone has a special battery that interfaces with a secret government satellite, which spells trouble when the phone transports him back to 1997. Almost immediately, he learns what every time traveler before him has: Actions in the past jeopardize the future. With Kasia as his only lifeline to the present, Rahim works with her to get home unscathed, all the while dodging bullies (on his end) and suspicious government agents (on hers).

Philadelphia in the late nineties is a new world for Rahim and Kasia, but it is a familiar place for Questlove, who, alongside S. A. Cosby, delivers a high-velocity tale where two best friends discover that sometimes the best beat is the one that brings you back home.”

Questlove further explained why The Rhythm Of Time is “the book I been dying to make for a decade” in an Instagram post:

Watch Questlove’s appearance on The View above.

The Rhythm Of Time is out now via Penguin Random House. Find more information here.

Questlove Seeks To Inspire “Black Nerds” In New Book

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Questlove is finding more and more ways to inspire Black youth. Whether it’s through his timeless classics with his band The Roots or winning Oscars for beautiful depictions of the Black existence, Quest always has the youth in mind. This time around the six-time Grammy winner has found yet another way to inspire young Black kids with the release of his new novel The Rhythm of Time. Despite it being out since Tuesday (April 18), the young adult novel has already found its way into Amazon’s Top 5 best seller list under the “Children’s Action and Adventure” section.

The book aims to inspire Black nerds like Questlove who never saw themselves represented in the books he read. In a recent interview with The View, he told the hosts he dedicated the book to his 9-year-old self who enjoyed reading but never saw himself in the books that were available to him. Although the book isn’t autobiographical, Quest uses his Philadelphia upbringing as inspiration. He told the hosts “I want Black nerds to see themselves as well.”

Questlove Opens Up About New Novel

The Rhythm of Time follows seventh-grader Rahim Reynolds and his friend Kasia Collins, who spend their time building all sorts of crazy gadgets. Rahim is then transported back to 1997 after getting his hands on one of Kasia experimental cell phones. He must find a way back to the present while dodging nefarious obstacles and roadblocks. Questlove collaborated with New York Times bestselling author S.A. Cosby to create the novel, recommended for ages 10 and up (we’re all kids at heart). This is Quest’s sixth publishing venture, the 260-page bestseller is available on hardcover for $16 on Amazon.

In addition to his new book, Quest is also taking his talents to big screen yet again. He’ll be directing a live-action hybrid adaptation of Disney’s classic Aristocats. This will be his feature film directorial debut, and the movie is expected to be a live-action hybrid rendition of the classic film. Questlove will serve as the executive producer alongside co-producers bandmate BlackThought, Shawn Gee, and Zarah Zohlman. Have you read Quest’s book yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Questlove’s Directorial Approach For Disney’s ‘The Aristocats’ Remake Will Be Metal-Influenced, Or So He Joked

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Questlove The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 2017
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In late March, the news broke that Oscar Award-winning musician Questlove was set to direct Disney’s live-action remake of The Aristocats. Originally released as an animated movie in 1970, the movie will see quite a few changes, or so Questlove joked on Instagram.

Taking a fan-created mashup from the original film in which the famed animated cats were gathering around, playing and singing along with the orchestra piano, but there was a slight adjustment. Instead of the beloved jolly musical score, instead is a blaring metal track.

Uploading the clip to his official Instagram page, the musician captioned the video, “Think I won’t? Psssssh 90 mins of just this…watch,” joking about the creative liberties he plans on taking in the movie.

Garnering over 27,000 likes in less than 10 hours, it seems like fans are feeling the modification to the animated children’s film classic.

One follower in the comments section wrote, “I’m here for it!!!!! This is my fav part of the original film!!! The cats were PRAISING, ya hear me?!?!?!”

Another user wrote, “Meowtalica.”

“Everybody Wants to BE A *LOW GROWL* CAAAAAAAT,” chimed a user reimagining the film’s original song.

Even actor Michael B. Jordan joined the comments leaving a trail of crying laughing emojis.

At this time, the movie has not yet received a public release date.

Questlove Owns A Whopping 200,000 Vinyl Records And He’s Auctioning Some Off For A Worthy Cause

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If you were ever wondering how Questlove acquired his encyclopedic knowledge of music, it’s probably because he has a lot of records in his collection, maybe too many — 200,000 according to this 2021 profile in The New Yorker. However, he’s looking to reduce that gargantuan number, according to Billboard.

Quest is auctioning off some of his collection via Whatnot and donating the proceeds to the Future of Food Entrepreneurship Program and the Food Education Fund. The former is a summer program working with companies in sustainable food, pairing high school students with them, while the latter supports students pursuing the culinary arts in New York City. The auction will take place in a livestream on Whatnot, during which Questlove will also select a fan to accompany him to A-1 Record Shop in New York on National Record Store Day — a trip that’ll also be livestreamed, with Quest talking about his record collection and sharing his detailed knowledge.

Among the albums up for auction are The Awakening’s Hear Sense Feel (1972), The Soul Searchers’ Salt of the Earth (1974), The 24 Carat Black’s Ghetto Misfortune’s Wealth (1973), James Brown’s Hot Pants (1971), and more. The livestream will begin Friday, April 7 at 3:15 pm ET.

In other Questlove news, the producer and drummer was recently tapped by Disney to direct its live-action remake of The Aristocats.

Questlove And Black Thought Are Accused Of Fraud In A Lawsuit From The Estate Of Late The Roots Bassist Leonard Hubbard

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Questlove Black Thought Nordstrom NYC Flagship Opening Party 2019
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Music titans Questlove, Black Thought, Live Nation, and Universal Music Group have been named in an explosive fraud lawsuit. According to Rolling Stone, Questlove (real name Ahmir Thompson) and Black Thought (real name Tariq Trotter), co-founders of hip-hop group The Roots, the group’s manager Shawn Gee, and band employee Munir Nuriddin are being accused of working together to “scheme to defraud” the estate of the band’s late bassist Leonard Hubbard’s widow and estate out of money owed to them.

After forming Grand Negaz, Inc. to manage the band’s business dealings in 1993, a financial agreement was made to clearly state ownership percentages to ensure everyone knew their respective compensation splits. Thompson and Trotter took 37 percent of stakeholders’ interest, while member rapper Malik Smart (who died in 2020) and Hubbard retained 17 percent each. However, in addition to that, the lawsuit claims Hubbard was to be granted 25 percent of the group’s recording and publishing earnings, as well as a 33 percent stake in the band’s touring performance company.

The lawsuit presented by Hubbard’s widow and estate is seeking “restitution for property, money, and benefits” that were not provided to him as outlined in the paperwork. While the matter is being litigated, they are requesting that the courts “freeze” The Roots’ trademark “until a value can be determined for the brand.”

Hubbard departed from the group in 2007 to seek medical care after being diagnosed with blood cancer, and later died in 2021. The suit alleges that beginning in 2014 up to the current day, Thompson, Trotter, and others, “through a pattern of racketeered behavior, fraudulently converted, divested and absconded with monies lawfully belonging to the Plaintiff Decedent.”

The lawsuit also accuses the musicians of forming a new business, Legendelphia, in 2013, to allegedly transfer funds from their business Grand Negaz, all without the approval of Hubbard. As for where Live Nationa and Universal Music Publishing Group is named, the suit accuses Gee of “deactivating Hubbard’s personal royalty account.” It also accuses that Gee, Thompson, and Trotter of “sending a letter be written from Legendelphia to Universal Music Publishing Group to divert Hubbard’s royalties to Legendelphia” instead of Grand Negaz, Inc.

No public statement has been released by The Roots, Thompson, or Trotter. All parties declined Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.

Questlove Set to Lead Disney’s Remake of ‘Aristocats’

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Questlove is doing it big this year. The Oscar-winning director and iconic drummer of The Roots will take on a remake of the Disney classic film Aristocats.

According to Variety, the film’s remake will have the characters created of a mixtape of live-action and CGI. Questlove will also serve as the film’s executive producer and music director. Peter Rabbit creator Wil Gluck and Onward writer Keith Bunin are joining him in the lead roles as those who will develop the screenplay—joining Questlove as Executive Producers are Tarik Trotter, Shawn Gee, and Zarah Zohlman.

Aristocats is the story of a family of cats living in Paris and about to inherit a large sum of money. Once that realization falls upon their owner’s butler, the cats are kidnapped, leading toa journey to reclaim their fortune.

The post Questlove Set to Lead Disney’s Remake of ‘Aristocats’ appeared first on The Source.

Questlove To Direct “Live-Action/Hybrid” Remake Of Disney’s “The Aristocats”

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Hip Hop and Disney are once again colliding, and Questlove is at the helm of a new project. The music veteran has solidified himself as a respected icon in the industry. After helping curate a mega-performance at this year’s Grammys, Quest is moving on to The Artistocats. Deadline exclusively reported that Questlove, real name Ahmir Thompson, will make his official feature film directorial debut with this upcoming project. The remake of Disney’s animated 1970 classic is described as a “live-action/hybrid reimagining.” Additionally, Quest will also overhead the music for the film. It’s unclear if that means the soundtrack, the score, or all.

As far as the talent is concerned, we’ll have to wait for an announcement. Deadline didn’t share if Walt Disney Studios had anyone in mind to star in the film just yet. However, it was revealed that Two One Five Entertainment’s Tarik Trotter, Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman would act as executive producers along with Olive Bridge. This is a huge move for Questlove, who won Best Documentary Feature at last year’s Oscars for Summer of Soul.

Questlove Tackles a Family Favorite

Disney has revisited several of their fan favorites over the years. Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and most recently, The Little Mermaid have all received remakes. The Aristocats centered on a group of cats in Paris who will soon become rich after inheriting money from their owner. However, the butler is looking out for himself and tries to get rid of the felines. The kitties band together and go on a wild adventure to make it back home.

News about Questlove’s latest gigs arrives just one month after Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary was honored at the Grammys. It wouldn’t have happened without the help of The Roots icon, who orchestrated having dozens of Rap’s finest share the stage. It wasn’t an easy feat—some people didn’t get along, others were booked, and a few just didn’t want to participate. The drummer even took the criticism from fans in stride and answered questions from frustrated social media users. Yet, overall, the reception was positive, and many of our pioneers received their deserved flowers. Take a walk down memory lane and check out a clip of The Aristocats above.

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Questlove Is Set To Direct Disney’s Next Live-Action Remake, ‘The Aristocats’

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Questlove has been a pretty busy guy lately — but not so busy that he can’t take on just one more high-profile project, potentially his biggest one yet. While he’s got a lot on his plate — in addition to continuing his role as The Roots’ bandleader on The Tonight Show, he’s launching a publishing imprint, keeping up his award-winning Questlove Supreme podcast, and executive-producing a docuseries about J Dilla — he’s about to become the director of Disney’s latest live-action remake project: The Aristocats.

For those who haven’t been putting their Disney Plus subscription to work, The Aristocats follows the adventures of a family of rich kitties (hence, “Aristocats” — get it?) who are left a massive fortune in their owner’s will. Her vengeful butler, however, catnaps them and abandons them in the French countryside, and its only with the the help of O’Malley, a streetwise alley cat, that they can make it back to Paris and the fortune that awaits them.

The 1970 animated original was distinguished by its extensive use of jazz to drive home the themes of the plot — O’Malley hangs with a swingin’ band, while the Duchess and her kittens are classically-trained musicians (it’s a cartoon, just go with it) — so Questlove, a musical encyclopedia with legs, is the perfect person to direct a live remake. And, as a bonus, some of the more racially insensitive caricatures can be quietly removed. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Quest’s also overseeing the music for the film and producing via his Two One Five Entertainment company — along with The Roots partners Black Thought and Shawn Gee, as well as Will Gluck and Zarah Zohlman. Stay tuned for more news to come.