Hailed as one of the greatest drummers in Hip Hop, Questlove’s impact is unmatched. He’s not only a part of one of the most respected Hip Hop groups—The Roots—but he continues to shine on late-night television as well as behind turn tables. His DJ skills are nothing to sneeze at as he’s often requested to work private parties for his celebrity friends which include the likes of Barack and Michelle Obama.
The former president is quite familiar with what’s trending on the charts and he recently shared his annual playlist. Apparently, said Questlove, the Obamas had a shindig recently where he acted as DJ, but it didn’t go according to plan.
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“I’m sorry…he hates when I tell this story,” he told Distractify, referencing Obama. “One of the worst DJ gigs of my life was DJing Obama’s last week at the White House,” Questlove explains. “It turned out to be a lesson that I didn’t know I needed to learn. I say it’s the worst DJ gig of my life and he [Barack] says, ‘That’s nonsense. We had the time for our lives.’ But what I wanted to do didn’t happen.”
Questlove also spoke about his relationship with DJing, as it gives him a connection to the people listening to the music he’s playing while also creating distance and solitude.
“DJing is a social shield,” he added. “Maybe it allows me to have the loudest voice in the room. It allows me to be present in the room and allows no personal interaction, so even as I speak I’m trying to analyze like, why is it that my presence is required.”
Check out a clip from 2018 of Questlove speaking about how DJing for Obama almost caused him to quit altogether.
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