Tag Archives: Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson

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Questlove To Direct ‘Black Woodstock’ Documentary

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Heidi Klum's 20th Annual Halloween Party Presented By Amazon Prime Video And SVEDKA Vodka At Cathédrale New York

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One of Hip-Hop’s brightest minds is about to take his talents to Hollywood. Questlove has been enlisted to oversee a film project about a cultural festival you should be familiar with.

HipHopDX is reporting that the Philadelphia native has signed on to oversee the making of Black Woodstock. This film will detail the inner workings of the festival held in the historic community of Harlem in 1969. The likes of Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder and Mahalia Jackson all performed to a crowd of over 300,000 attendees. According to early research this should be considered historic as this event was also hosted the same year as Woodstock but with far less promotion.

The Legendary Roots Crew member took to Twitter to confirm his role.

Black Woodstock will feature over 40 hours of original footage shot by the late great Hal Tulchin. Ahmir shared his enthusiasm via a formal press release. “I am truly excited to help bring the passion, the story and the music of the Harlem Cultural Festival to audiences around the world,” he revealed. “The performances are extraordinary. I was stunned when I saw the lost footage for the first time. It’s incredible to look at 50 years of history that’s never been told, and I’m eager and humbled to tell that story.”

The Harlem Cultural Festival was a series of music concerts to celebrate African American culture and to promote the continued politics of black pride. Along with this film Questlove is also directing a Broadway musical adaptation of Soul Train.

Photo: C.Smith/ WENN.com

Source: HipHopWired.com

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Questlove To Produce ‘Soul Train’ Broadway Musical

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Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson

Source: photo: WENN

The world’s most acclaimed theatre district is about to be served with some more black excellence. Your music snob’s favorite music snob is about to bring Don Cornelius’ story to life.

Deadline is reporting that Questlove is slotted to executive produce a musical based on Soul Train. The production will capture the magic of the iconic variety show that provided Black culture a global platform through live musical performances, dancing and epic style. According to the article Ahmir already has an all-star cast of talent curating the live experience including playwright Dominique Morisseau (Ain’t Too Proud), director Kamilah Forbes (Meet Vera Stark) and choreographer Camille A. Brown (Choir Boy, Once on This Island). 

The production will feature over 20 hit songs as the cast plays out how Cornelius developed the hit series. Morriseau detailed her enthusiasm about the project. “I cannot wait. To partner with this legendary creative team of incredible women to celebrate the history and the unsung heroes of our nation’s longest running televised music and dance series” she said in a formal statement

Tony Cornelius, son of Don Cornelius, will also sit on the creative team. “With many years of experience working directly with my father, I’m forever grateful and deeply humbled by the impact Soul Train has had on the culture at large both here and abroad. For 37 years, and with purpose, through music, dance and style, Soul Train brought Love, Peace & Soul to a national audience.”

Soul Train the musical is expected to open in 2021.

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Source: HipHopWired.com

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Questlove Shares Tale Of How Kanye West Surpassed Him Creatively

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CHANEL Tribeca Film Festival Artists Dinner in New York

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Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has been one of most innovative musicians of his era, and even with his formidable talent, he too had moments of doubt. In a recent discussion at the Tribeca Film Festival, the talented Roots drummer and The Tonight Show band member told a tale of how Kanye West essentially surpassed him creatively.

Page Six writes:

During a discussion about his career trajectory during a “Storytellers” talk at the Tribeca Film Festival on Tuesday, Questlove revealed that he knew he was superseded when West entered the scene.

“I knew it wasn’t going to last forever and so there was this moment I describe in which we were sound checking Kanye’s moment for ‘Jesus Walks,’” the Roots drummer said of a performance for “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.” “Kanye was the only figure in that particular film that wasn’t in the original nucleus of the fable … and so even at soundcheck, he had such an energy about him, a new energy about him, that just brought the audience alive. And then as I was drumming, I was like, ‘Oh no.’ It was like a sixth sense moment. Like, ‘I’m dead!’ Like, ‘This is it for me. Like I’m no longer the spiritual epicenter of this clique. He’s about to be.”

Of course, Questlove makes mention of his stint on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night television show and how it’s provided him and his bandmates a “new lease on life.”

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Source: HipHopWired.com

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Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Racist Texts With ‘Tonight Show’ Staff

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Russell Westbrook during an appearance on NBC 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.'

Source: Supplied by WENN.com / WENN

The crew at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. A judge has ruled against some former employees who maintain they were unjustly terminated.

In June 2017 Kurt Decker and Michael Cimino said they received an unsolicited racist text from a stage hand. The message was supposedly “a piece of fried chicken with a bite out of it along with a racial slur” that was aimed at African Americans. According to the court papers neither cameraman responded to the message and reported it to their superior.

To their surprise the following day they were both suspended. The two were later laid off and allege that Questlove, leader of house band The Roots, demanded that they both be fired. Roots bassist Mark Kelley also received the text in question but kept his job.

According to The New York Post a Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Carol Edmead dismissed their lawsuit citing that the case needed to be handled arbitrarily due to a collective bargaining agreement between their union and the network. Decker and Cimono’s will explore an appeal.

“We are going to push forward because we believe NBC wronged these employees regardless of color.” It is about whether a company can fire employees for essentially receiving a text they had nothing to do with, and discriminate against those employees based on race” explained their lawyer Steven Wittles.

A representative for Questlove has denied their claims. “Questlove denies the ridiculous allegations made in this lawsuit. Racism is REAL and exists throughout the world and for these gentlemen to claim victim is not only disrespectful to Questlove and his band mates, but to all that truly endure racism on a daily basis” Carleen Donovan said.

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