Image via Complex Original
Even though he doesn’t rap, drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has been the de facto spokesman for hip-hop’s greatest band throughout its quarter century of groundbreaking music. First in the lovingly detailed liner notes for his albums, and then in his 2013 book, Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove, Thompson proved himself as an erudite music historian and a frank, self-effacing storyteller. Unsurprisingly, Questlove is also very good at writing in 140-character increments. Whether he’s on tour or leading the band on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, he’s always got great anecdotes about his adventures in show business. Here are some life lessons we learned from Questlove’s Twitter feed.
On Drumming
When pressed on what makes his drumming distinctive, Questlove puts forward the paradoxical theory that an understated approach can gain you just as much recognition as showboating.
On Security Checkpoints
Questlove might be more famous than ever, but even fame and a recurring TV gig might not prevent you from occasionally having trouble getting recognized when you need to pass through police barricades to get to work at NBC. Always give yourself extra time when Taylor Swift is in town.
On Robin Williams
After the comedy legend’s death last August, Questlove shared a fond memory of meeting Williams, who was a big fan of Questlove’s music, and reminded everyone that even little moments can have a big impact.
On “Proceed”
Questlove finally explains the origins of a line on one of his most-beloved early songs that fans had wondered about for years.
On Web Design
Update your website. A very influential drummer might’ve just taken a look when there was nothing to see.
On Michelle Obama
If the First Lady ever wants to enter the hip-hop game, she’s got Questlove in her corner.
On Airlines
Questlove takes a moment to praise airlines for the implementation of TSA PreCheck—a big time saver for a jet-setting musician.
On Biting Marvin Gaye
In 2006, Questlove oversaw Jay Z’s 10th anniversary performance of Reasonable Doubt, which had the twist of presenting the album’s tracklist in reverse order. A few years later, Questlove revealed that he got that idea from Marvin Gaye, who once performed What’s Going On in reverse order.
On J Dilla’s Unheard Archives
Regarding a question about the possibility that there is still unheard music from the production great, Questlove estimates that the public has heard less than half of the beats J Dilla made in his lifetime.
On Rapping Producers
Questlove ranks his favorite double-threat MC/producers, unsurprisingly ranking Dilla at No. 1 and leaving out those who famously relied on ghostwriters for most of their lyrics (sorry, Dr. Dre).
On Snare Drums
Questlove explains his philosophy for having two snare drums in his set (and also his philosophy on snacks).
On A Tribe Called Quest
Questlove reveals the song that motivated him and Black Thought to start making music together.
On Prince
After Prince’s famous guitar-throwing Fallon performance, it was revealed that he’d actually broken a loaner from guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas. But stories like this can have a happy ending if you do as Prince did: He replaced the guitar.
On Breaking Bad
On the eve of the cable drama’s finale, Questo defended the show from skeptics and set a house rule: Vegans cannot speak authoritatively on the deliciousness of cheesesteaks.
On Going Independent
The morning after Beyoncé’s surprise album dropped, Questlove thought out loud about the implications of a major artist dropping an album with no advance promo, and surmised that it might be time for superstars like her and Jay Z to cut out the label middleman entirely.