"Music Is History" & Questlove Has Been Recording

It's hard to argue that we are currently enveloped in history -- just look at the developments of the past few weeks, hell the past few years. Thrust into the middle of an event that so many had no say in, and left to wonder how history will truly remember this moment. How often do we have time to look around and recognize history in the making?

At the risk of being reductive, Questlove, beloved drummer of the hip-hop band The Roots (most recently of the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon fame or infamy, take your pick), compacts this issue into his 2021 semi-autobiographical book Music Is History. The whole project is much more nuanced, involving personal and interpersonal history. In following history from his birth and into what he coins as the "Modern Era" of music, Quest tallies the years alongside a number of political, social, and historical issues and the context of music in that year.

It is an admirable and daunting task, yet Questlove (real name Ahmir Thompson) is a daunting music figure with a considerable amount of influence on the industry since 1998's Things Fall Apart. It is this influence and this personal hand in the evolution of a modern art form (whether by design or by accident) that creates an engaging discussion of what in other hands may have been a boring topic. Weaving tales of his accomplishments and collaborations highlights Questlove's history and signifies a meaningful relationship with his passion.

Thompson is far from being removed in the field music writing, unlike so many other musicians-turned-autobiographers -- he has contributed immensely to music journalism, going so far as to found Okayplayer and composing three other novels prior to Music Is History. His writing style has assumed as much of a distinct voice as his drumming, and has led to him teaching several courses on music and writing at colleges across the country.

And if that weren't enough to cement his role as historian, Quest produced the award-winning documentary Summer of Soul, that looks at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. 

Unlike the documentary, however, Music Is History allows Questlove a chance to reevaluate not only his hand in music's storied past, but The Roots rise to fame and prominence alongside so many other acts. The most impressive part of the book (besides the nonchalant mention of his time in-studio with greats like Jill Scott, Amy Winehouse and more) is his ability to remember as much as he does.

His intent thought about history and experiencing history had me thinking similarly after each chapter -- when you're living in a historical moment, how do you know to remember it? To capture it? When his late-night, silent studio sessions with D'Angelo were happening in the 90s, did he know then that a book was in the making? Was he taking notes and compiling research for chapters even then?

By far my favorite part of the book are the "playlists" that Quest leaves sporadically throughout the chapters, each tailored to a different theme corresponding with a chapter. It gave me something to listen to as I digested the nonstop historical walkthrough and threw me into what I imagine is the same headspace he entered while writing.

Below is a comprehensive playlist some very nice Spotify user threw together containing every song mentioned in the book (that can be found on streaming services, at least).

You can find Questlove's excellent retrospective in most book stores across the country, and on the Okayplayer website here.

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What's your favorite book written about or that chronicles the history of music? Let us know in the comments, and Brandon will give you a personal lecture on the history of dubstep!

- Ritter