Questlove facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Questlove
Questlove in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Ahmir K. Thompson
Also known as	Quest Questo BROther ?uestion Brother Question Qlove ?uestlove Questlove Gomez
Born	(1971-01-20) January 20, 1971 (age 54) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop neo soul alternative hip hop
Occupation(s)	Musician record producer DJ music journalist actor film director
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Okayplayer Def Jam
Signature

Ahmir K. Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known as Questlove, is an American drummer, music producer, DJ, filmmaker, and actor. He is the drummer and one of the leaders of the hip-hop band The Roots. The Roots have been the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon since 2014. Before that, they played on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Questlove also helped produce the 2015 cast album for the Broadway musical Hamilton. He co-founded the websites Okayplayer and OkayAfrica. In 2016, he became a professor at New York University. He also hosts a podcast called Questlove Supreme.

Questlove has produced music for many artists. These include Elvis Costello, Common, D'Angelo, and John Legend. He has been part of several music groups like the Soulquarians. Questlove has written eight books. He has won many awards, including an Academy Award, six Grammy Awards, and a BAFTA Award.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Ahmir Thompson was born in Philadelphia on January 20, 1971. He grew up in a musical family. His father, Arthur Lee Andrews Thompson, was a singer. He led a 1950s doo-wop group called Lee Andrews & the Hearts. Ahmir's mother, Jacquelin Thompson, also sang with his father in a soul group.

His parents often took him on tour instead of hiring babysitters. He spent his childhood backstage at music shows. When he was 7, Questlove helped get his father's performance outfits ready. At age 10, he operated stage lights for his father's concerts. When he was 12, Questlove played drums for his father's band. His first big performance was at the Radio City Music Hall.

Questlove went to the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. There, he started a band called the Square Roots. Later, they dropped "Square" and became The Roots. His classmates included members of Boyz II Men and other famous musicians. After high school, he studied jazz and music composition.

Questlove at a New York book signing, 2013

Thompson started performing on South Street in Philadelphia. He played drums while his friend Tariq Trotter (known as Black Thought) rapped. Thompson and his friend Jay Lonick often had drum battles. They used plastic buckets, crates, and shopping carts. This street style influenced how Questlove sets up his drum kit today. He keeps most drums and cymbals low, like his original street setups.

In 2011, Questlove had his DNA tested. Genealogists researched his family history. His DNA showed he is of West African descent. Specifically, he is from the Mende people. They are mostly found in Sierra Leone.

In 2017, Questlove learned more about his family on the TV show Finding Your Roots. He found out he was related to Charles and Maggie Lewis. They were his great-great-great-grandparents. They were taken from Africa and sold as slaves in 1860. They were on the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to arrive in the United States. Questlove is the only guest on the show to know the names of his enslaved ancestors. He also knows the ship they were on and their African origin.

Questlove's Music Career

Starting with The Roots

The Roots band was formed with Questlove on drums, Tariq Trotter and Malik B on vocals. Josh Abrams played bass, later replaced by Leonard Hubbard. Scott Storch played keyboards. In 1993, while performing in Germany, they recorded their first album, Organix.

On Organix, Thompson was called "B.R.O. the R.?". He didn't like this name. In 1990, he heard the group A Tribe Called Quest. This inspired him to choose "Questlove" as his new stage name.

The Roots released two more albums, Do You Want More?!!!??! (1994) and Illadelph Halflife (1996). Both albums were praised by critics.

Big Success and Collaborations

In 1999, The Roots became very popular with their song "You Got Me." It featured Erykah Badu. This song won a Grammy Award in 2000. It helped their album Things Fall Apart become a classic. The album sold over a million copies.

Questlove was a main producer for many albums by other artists. These included D'Angelo's Voodoo (2000) and Common's Like Water for Chocolate. He also played drums or produced for artists like Erykah Badu and Jay-Z.

Aftershow party 1999, Germany

In 2001, he played drums for The Philadelphia Experiment. This was a jazz album with Christian McBride and Uri Caine. In 2002, he and The Roots released Phrenology, which also sold very well.

In 2003, he played drums on John Mayer's song "Clarity." He also helped arrange and played drums on Joss Stone's cover of "Fell in Love with a Girl."

TV Shows and Films

In 2004, The Roots released The Tipping Point. This album had a more popular sound. Questlove also appeared in Jay-Z's film Fade to Black. He was the drummer and music director for the live band parts of the film. In 2005, he was in a TV commercial for the Motorola ROKR phone.

Questlove performing with the Roots at the 2011 Ottawa Bluesfest

In 2006, Questlove was in the film Dave Chappelle's Block Party. He also appeared in some skits on Chappelle's Show. He was named "Best Scribe" by Esquire magazine. In 2006, he played drums for Hank Williams Jr.'s song for Monday Night Football.

On March 2, 2009, Questlove and The Roots became the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. They continued this role when the show moved to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Questlove sometimes performed "re-mixing the clips." He would mix video clips, play audio samples, and drum at the same time.

In 2009, Questlove became a producer for the Broadway play Fela!. He brought Jay-Z on board as a producer too.

In 2010, he worked with British singer Duffy on her second album. He also appeared in a commercial for the Microsoft Kin phone. In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine named Questlove one of the top tweeters in music. He was also ranked 8th in Rolling Stone Readers Pick for Best Drummers of all Time.

In September 2016, Questlove started a weekly radio show on Pandora called Questlove Supreme. Famous guests like Chris Rock and Maya Rudolph have appeared on the show. In 2019, the podcast moved to iHeart Radio. It has won several awards, including "Best Music Podcast" in 2023.

In 2019, Questlove and Black Thought produced the documentary series Hip-Hop: The Songs That Shook America. In 2020, they signed a deal with Universal Television to create more shows.

Questlove was the music director and DJ for the 2021 Academy Awards. He had also been the DJ for the 2020 ceremony.

In 2021, Questlove directed his first film, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). This film was about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. It featured performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, and other great artists. Summer of Soul won awards at the Sundance Film Festival. It also won Best Documentary at the 75th British Academy Film Awards. In 2022, it won Best Documentary Feature at the 94th Academy Awards. It also won Best Music Film at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

In 2022, Questlove produced a documentary about J Dilla called Dilla Time. He also produced Descendant, a film about the last known slave ship, The Clotilda. This film was acquired by Netflix and Higher Ground.

In March 2023, it was announced that Questlove would direct a live-action movie based on the Disney animated film The Aristocats. He will also oversee the music for the film.

Questlove in 2025

Questlove and Black Thought also produced Rise Up, Sing Out. This is a series of animated musical shorts for Disney Junior. In 2023, Questlove's web series Quest for Craft won a Webby Award. He also produced The League, a documentary about Negro league baseball. In 2024, he produced the A&E James Brown docuseries Say It Loud.

Questlove directed Sly Lives!, a documentary about funk musician Sly Stone. This film was released in February 2025.

Writing Books

Questlove has written several books. In 2013, he released his memoir, Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove. He also wrote Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation in 2013.

In 2016, he published Something to Food About: Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs. In 2018, he released Creative Quest, a book about creativity.

Questlove also wrote a cookbook called Mixtape Potluck in 2019. In 2021, his book Music Is History was published. It explores popular music and American history over the last 50 years.

In 2023, he started his own publishing company, Auwa Books. It will publish his next book, Hip-Hop Is History.

Awards and Achievements

Questlove has received many awards for his work.

Academy Awards

BAFTA Awards

Grammy Awards

Other Honors

• First Hip-Hop group to perform at Lincoln Center (2002).
• Named one of the "Twenty Greatest Live Acts in the World" by Rolling Stone (2003).
• Received the "Heroes Award" from the Philadelphia chapter of the Recording Academy (2004).

See also

In Spanish: Questlove para niños