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.