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[WATCH] Questlove Gives a Jab to Smith-Rock Slap While Presenting a Grammy

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Questlove was the recipient of the Oscar award that was presented just after the infamous Chris Rock and Will Smith incident. Exactly one week later, Questlove was back on the stage, presenting at the Grammys and the legend took a jab at the headline-grabbing moment of the week before.

“I’m gonna present this award and I trust you people will stay 500 feet away from me,” Questlove said.

You can see the moment below.

The post [WATCH] Questlove Gives a Jab to Smith-Rock Slap While Presenting a Grammy appeared first on The Source.

Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Questlove, And Others Will Present At The 2022 Grammys

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Dua Lipa 63rd Annual Grammy Awards 2021
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Trevor Noah is set to host this weekend’s Grammy Awards (on Sunday, April 3), but the host isn’t the only one who speaks on stage. Others come on to present awards and now the Recording Academy and CBS have revealed who will be on hand to do that. The list includes Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Questlove, Avril Lavigne, Ludacris, Anthony Mackie, Billy Porter, Bonnie Raitt, Jared Leto, Joni Mitchell, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Lenny Kravitz, and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez.

Aside from the presenters, also taking the stage to perform during this year’s show are Lady Gaga, Silk Sonic, Carrie Underwood, J Balvin, John Legend, Maria Becerra, BTS, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, Brandi Carlile, Brothers Osbourne, Nas, HER, Jon Batiste, Chris Stapleton, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., and Rachel Zegler. Foo Fighters were previously included, but it was later confirmed they dropped out of the show after scrapping all their upcoming performances in light of Taylor Hawkins’ death.

The presenters have some 2022 Grammy nominations between them: Megan’s “Thot Sh*t” is up for Best Rap Performances, Questlove’s Summer Of Soul is up for Best Music Film, and Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) is up for Best Historical Album.

Find the full list of 2022 Grammy nominations here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

‘Summer Of Soul’ Producer On Will Smith’s ‘Selfish’ Oscars Slap: ‘It Robbed The Category Of Its Moment’

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Summer Of Soul Oscars Win Questlove Joseph Patel
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Since the moment Will Smith decided to get up out of his seat at the Oscars and slap Chris Rock for a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, the repercussion have been raining down. Now, The Academy is conducting a formal review of the incident, but another innocent party in the fallout from the drama is Questlove and his entire talented team behind the Summer Of Soul documentary, one of the winners that was announced right after the incident occured.

Questlove already admitted he was “rattled” by the incident while giving his acceptance speech for his first Oscar (!), which is definitely understandable, and now one of the producers behind the film has spoken out about how Will’s “selfish” decision impacted the team.

Joseph Patel, one of the producers of Summer Of Soul shared a lengthy thread on Twitter tonight, not just about the impact of Will’s actions, but how a throwaway comment from Chris Rock about how the project was Questlove and “four white guys” really erased a historic accomplishment for him. Patel is of Southeast Asian descent, as were a couple other winners that night for another film, making it a pretty historic for them and their culture. Read Patel’s thoughts transcribed below, along with the corresponding tweets.

Ok, here we go with some thoughts and feelings on what happened Sunday night, “the Slap,” if you will. [thread]. First, I’ve been drunk with joy the last few days for me and my team and our Oscar win. So many of you – IRL friends, internet friends, acquaintances, colleagues, old homies and new – have shown love and support and genuine excitement for our achievement. I feel that love, and I thank you. It’s taken me a few days to process everything. Still sort of processing it.

Once we realized the Chris Rock/Will Smith interaction wasn’t a bit, everything got turned upside down. Everyone was still trying to make sense of it when Chris persevered & started to read the nominees. I think what Will did was selfish. It robbed the category of its moment. It robbed the other excellent and amazing films of their moment to be acknowledged in what was a STRONG year for docs. And it robbed Summer of Soul and our team of our moment. Of a loud, enthusiastic cheer for a celebrated film. I feel bad for Ahmir. I feel bad for my fellow producers. I feel bad for our whole team. I feel bad for all the people watching and rooting for us.

We were in shock walking to the stage -not because of winning but because we, too, were still trying to make sense of what happened.I feel bad for Ahmir. I feel bad for my fellow producers. I feel bad for our whole team. I feel bad for all the people watching and rooting for us. We were in shock walking to the stage -not because of winning but because we, too, were still trying to make sense of what happened. Then Will hugs Ahmir and daps me up. I didn’t even know it was happening in the moment. Still in shock. (Ahmir handled the moment with grace, giving a speech from the heart. It was beautiful to see. I’m so deeply moved by how much he has grown in the last few years.)

What I didn’t hear in that moment walking to stage but was told of afterwards is what Chris Rock said when reading our name from the winner’s card – The winner is “Summer of Soul…Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and…4 white guys.” WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F*CK????? The reason that makes me SO SO VERY ANGRY is because I was so proud to be one of a handful of South Asians to have ever won an Oscar in the history of the award. I was ecstatic that I was the 3RD South Asian to win that night – after Riz and Aneil Karia won earlier in the night for The Long Goodbye. 3 South Asians winning on the same night – that’s never happened before! And it’s meaningful! It’s history!

So with my family and friends watching, Chris Rock lumped me in as 1 of “4 white guys.” (Nevermind the disrespect to @d2films and @fyvo for not even saying their names, and the inaccuracy of us being 3 producers not 4). I’m a big boy – I can take a joke. Comedians make jokes. But not in that moment. What a shitty, disrespectful thing to do. AND HERE’S THE THING…It wasn’t that Chris Rock was under stress. He made the same joke the night before on stage at the Roots Jam! So I’m angry. Angry at Will Smith. Angry at Chris Rock. Angry for me. Angry for Ahmir. Angry for my fellow filmmakers. I got back home to New York last night and saw the ceremony on my DVR and didn’t have the stomach to watch it. I probably never will. Thank you, Chris – You absolute f*cking d*ck.

Now, all that said, I know that what happened with the ceremony and the achievement of winning an Oscar will separate over time. And truly, like I said earlier, I’m living in a place of absolute joy over what we did. never need a statue to tell me how nice I am – but it sure helps. And what both Will AND Chris did really stained what should have been a beautiful moment for us. FIN. Also it goes without saying I speak for me and me alone. Not Ahmir and not our coproducers.

Questlove Was ‘Rattled’ While Giving His Oscars Speech After The Will Smith Slap, He Confirms

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Questlove The Roots 94th Annual Academy Awards Oscars 2022
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At this year’s Academy Awards, Questlove got the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, for Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised). That was the biggest moment of his night, but the main takeaway of the event more broadly happened immediately before, when Chris Rock, who was on stage to present the documentary award, got slapped by Will Smith. Now, it seems Questlove confirmed that while giving his acceptance speech, he was (understandably) thrown off by what happened just moments earlier.

Yesterday, a Twitter user wrote, “I think the whole Will Smith assault rattled @questlove who had to give a speech like 90 seconds later. He couldn’t even remember the names of his co-winners. #Oscars.” Questlove responded with just an emoji of a fax machine. Emojipedia notes the fax machine emoji is “sometimes used in emoji form as an alternative to the words ‘facts,’ due to the similarity of pronunciation.” So, based on Questlove’s usage of it, it looks like he’s confirming he was indeed rattled while giving his speech.

Meanwhile, before sending that tweet, Questlove talked about the win on The Tonight Show, with neither him nor Jimmy Fallon directly mentioning Smith or Rock. Questlove told Fallon he was meditating during the commercial break before the award was presented. He also noted, “I realized that that was a real moment, like, maybe three seconds before I spoke words. In my mind, they’re just doing a sketch or whatever and I’m just like, ‘OK Ahmir, remember to thank your mom, your dad, thank Tariq [Trotter, aka Black Thought of The Roots]…’ So I was not present at all. I was just in a blank slate.”

Watch Questlove on The Tonight Show below.

George Wallace Wants To Make Sure That Questlove’s Oscar Win Isn’t Overshadowed By The Will Smith Slapping Skirmish

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Ahmir Questlove Thompson 94th Annual Academy Awards Oscars 2022
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Chris Rock wasn’t the only casualty of Will Smith’s rage at Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony. Sure, it was Rock’s face that absorbed the power of Smith’s smack after the comedian made a joke about the King Richard star’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. But the confusion that ensued in the moments following the unexpected skirmish left many viewers trying to piece together what they had just seen, as the American broadcast cut the live feed in order to censor Smith’s language and some of what had happened. Had it all been a skit?

As viewers feverishly texted friends and checked Twitter to see what exactly they had missed, one person seemed to get lost in the shuffle: Questlove, the Philly-born musician who first rose to fame as the frontman for The Roots, and who has racked up credits as a songwriter, record producer, author, actor, film producer, and director (when he’s not heading up the house band for The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon).

It was Questlove, a.k.a. Ahmir Thompson, who ended up inching one step closer to an EGOT when he won the Oscar for Best Documentary for Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), an outstanding reminder of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a celebration of Black music and culture, which was largely overshadowed by Woodstock, as the two events partly overlapped.

Fortunately, legendary comedian/actor George Wallace made sure to call out Questlove’s achievement, and assure Quest—who directed and executive produced the doc—that “We saw that sh*t, Quest!”

Questlove appreciated, and felt, the love.

Meanwhile, Smith has officially issued an apology to Rock for how things went down at last night’s ceremony, saying that he is “a work in progress.” Maybe an “I’m sorry” to Questlove will come next.

Questlove Got Emotional Accepting His Best Documentary Oscar For ‘Summer Of Soul’

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Chris Rock was supposed to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 94th Academy Awards last night. He did do that, but that wasn’t the takeaway from his time on stage, given that after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith got on stage and slapped him.

After the incident, though, Rock did manage to present the award, giving it to Questlove’s film Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised). In an already emotionally charged atmosphere, Questlove (who shook Smith’s hand and hugged him on his way to the stage) gave an acceptance speech, in which he too got emotional.

Pausing on multiple occasions, Questlove said:

“It’s not lost on me that the Harlem Cultural Festival should have been something that my beautiful mother… and my dad… should have taken me to when I was 5 years old, and… This is such a stunning moment for me right now. But this is not about me. This is about marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain. And just know that in 2022, this is not just a 1969 story about marginalized people in Harlem. This is a story of… I’m sorry, I’m just overwhelmed right now. I’m going to get myself together and thank everyone properly when I get off stage. […] I’m so happy right now, I could cry. Thank you.”

During a recent Late Night With Seth Meyers interview, Questlove noted the success of the movie has exceeded his expectations, saying, “At least I know with music what a goal is, but with the movie world, I just had no clue. I just wanted to make something really cool and hopefully they were gonna show it in a few classrooms, and then maybe discover it 20 years from now, like, ‘Yo, you know Questlove did this thing?’”

Watch Questlove’s acceptance speech above and find the full list of this year’s Academy Award winners here.

A James Brown Documentary Produced By Mick Jagger And Questlove Is Coming In 2023

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A new four-part documentary series about James Brown is coming in 2023, according to A&E network. Titled James Brown: Say It Loud, it’ll be produced by the Rolling Stones‘ Mick Jagger and the Roots’ Questlove and Black Thought. It’ll feature tons of interviews with people from Brown’s life such as friends and collaborators, while also including exclusive archival footage.

“He was a brilliant performer who inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement,” Jagger said in a statement, also stating that he’s “thrilled” to help produce it. “I have always admired James and learned so much from him.”

“The life of James Brown is significant not only to understand his immense musical impact, which inspires us and other artists to this day, but also for the deep and lasting impression he has had on American culture,” Questlove and Black Thought added. “Brown’s life is a crucial and timely story of struggle, redemption, and self-identity and we are honored to have the chance to share it.”

James Brown: Say It Loud will be directed by Deborah Riley Draper. It follows the 2014 biopic Get On Up, in which Chadwick Boseman played Brown. That was also produced by Jagger.

Questlove Unexpectedly Filled In For John Mayer’s Drummer, Steve Ferrone, At A Recent Show

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John Mayer is currently touring behind his surprisingly great new album, Sob Rock (a sh*t-post, if you will), and since it’s a No. 2 album, the sh*t is obviously resonating. But fans at last night’s show at Madison Square Garden got an unexpected treat. At the last minute, Mayer’s touring drummer, Steve Ferrone was out with Covid and couldn’t play the show — so Mayer hit up his friend Questlove, who was supposed to attend the show, to see if he could fill in.

Here’s what Quest had to say about the experience:

Welp. I thought I was hangin with the crew tonight. the plan was seeing a kick ass band at @thegarden —-I came home from LA early to do @fallontonight then me & my guys @bsherman2222 @sugasteve (from @qls) & @rayangry headed to see @johnmayer & @greg_phillinganes_live & @pino_palladino_official_ & @drh3 & @sharkey335 @steve_ferrone & the rest of “the avengers of music”——-I got out my show clothes all exited & then I checked my phone: “Ferrone got covid, can you sit in?”

Truth be told I coulda played the whole show. I texted Jimmy earlier I felt like Don Henley in 1988 when last min he played drums for @gunsnroses at the @amas (weirdest version of #Patience ever) I was anxious, amped, timorous, excited, scared & hyped!!

Gotta say once onstage it was gravy. I haven’t played with this combo since the @rootspicnic in nyc 2013 w D’angelo & we haven’t lost a step. It was hella fun tonight!

This also marks the THIRD time a circumstance kept me from seeing my idol drum (Ferrone is literally WHY I drum—-first time Petty’s unfortunate passing prevented me from seeing him drum & then I went to the 8th floor at 30rock to watch him sit in on @latenightseth & of course 3/16/22 the world shut down so that was strike two——and now this lol—-ONE OF THESE NIGHTS imma see my hero play drums.

Thanks Y’all.

Mayer also had to chime in on the situation, explaining his side of things and appreciation for Quest. Mayer said that the night will “bond us forever.”

Tonight’s show was special in ways that I’m still processing. We send our love to @steve_ferrone and @made4good in hopes they traipse through Covid and return to the stage quickly.

My boundless appreciation goes out to the legendary @questlove, who stepped in on an hour’s notice to help end the show on such a powerful and definitive note.

The brilliant musicians in this band stepped up in ways that I will never forget, and will bond us forever.

Most importantly, I thank everyone in attendance whose enthusiasm and energy in the face of some disappointing news lifted us all to something far greater than I could have ever expected. It’s the honor of my life to share these nights of music with you. The next couple of tour stops will feature this format (minus the very otherwise-engaged @questlove) and I will devote every moment to making sure we bring you the best show we can. Thank you, NYC. ♥

Not going to lie, a little jealous I didn’t get to witness this firsthand. Is there a supergroup project in the future?

Questlove’s ‘Summer Of Soul’ Is Nominated For A 2022 Oscar Award And He’s Pretty Pumped About It

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Despite only being a first-time director, The Roots’ drummer Questlove has already entered rarified air as one of the nominees for the 2022 Academy Awards. he’s nominated for Best Original Documentary for his debut film, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which captured the subversive energy and vibrant performances of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The documentary is also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Film, an impressive achievement for the veteran musician.

Questlove himself seemed pretty pumped about the new nomination online — to the point of incoherence. He tweeted out an unintelligible string of characters before he was able to compose himself enough to write a tweet genuinely expressing his excitement. “Oscar Nominated Film Director Questlove……I just need to see this in print,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, over on Instagram, he needed the help of some archival video to tell his followers “THIS IS HOW I FEEL.” “Man I’m so happy about this,” he wrote in the caption. “Thank you to every last soul that assisted in this journey from 1969 to tomorrow!!!”

Should Questlove win the category (out of a field that also includes Ascension, Attica, Flee, and Writing With Fire, he’ll be halfway to an EGOT — and with Black Thought’s musical Black No More still in the works, there’s time for Quest to attach his name and position himself for a potential Tony as well. Then all he’ll need is for John Oliver to take a season off and that EGOT’s in the bag.

Billie Eilish, Beyonce, Questlove, And Other Music Stars Picked Up 2022 Oscars Nominations

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On March 27, actors and others in the film industry will be honored at the 94th annual Academy Awards. Ahead of then, the full list of Oscar nominees was revealed this morning and some folks from the music world made their mark.

Perhaps the most obvious music-related category is Best Original Song, and competing there are Beyoncé and Darius Scott (for “Be Alive” from King Richard), Billie Eilish and Finneas (for the No Time To Die theme), Lin-Manuel Miranda (for “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto), Van Morrison (for “Down To Joy” from Belfast), and Diane Warren (for “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days).

As for Best Original Score, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood earned a nomination for his work on The Power Of The Dog. In the category, he’s competing against Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell), Dune (Hans Zimmer) Encanto (Germaine Franco), and Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias).

Meanwhile, Questlove’s Summer Of Soul movie is up for Best Documentary Feature. Elsewhere, the Alana Haim-starring Licorice Pizza fared well, as it’s up for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director (for Paul Thomas Anderson). The Lady Gaga-led House Of Gucci got a nomination, too, for Best Makeup & Hairstyling.

Check out the music-related Oscars nominations below and find the full list of all nominees here.

Best Original Song
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Darius Scott — “Be Alive” (King Richard)
Lin-Manuel Miranda — “Dos Oruguitas” (Encanto)
Van Morrison — “Down To Joy” (Belfast)
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell — “No Time To Die” (No Time To Die)
Diane Warren — “Somehow You Do” (Four Good Days)

Best Original Score
Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell)
Dune (Hans Zimmer)
Encanto (Germaine Franco)
Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)
The Power Of The Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Best Documentary Feature
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer Of Soul
Writing With Fire