Our favorite drummer (also a producer), Amir "QuestLove" Thompson of the legendary group, The Roots, blesses the newest weekly Vibe Magazine Online cover story (his 6th). Nice! Per the cover type, he's saying "goodbye" to his fro. (sad face) The roots drops their 9th studio album, How I Got Ova. Pop the trunk to read what he has to say about turning 40, and ya boy Drake...
Via Vibe Magazine Online:
VIBE: There’s a lot of talk among critics and fans that How I Got Over is the first album to address turning 40 in a truly serious manner. Do you agree with that assessment?
Questlove: Well, we are not the first to do it. That’s Jay-Z’s whole mark…Ma, I did good..I’ve grown up. But Jay’s 40 is more of an aspirational 40; like a victory lap. Whereas the Roots’ 40 is definitely one long, hard look in the mirror. With most rap records it’s like, Alright, let me do my girl jawn; let me do my political jawn; let me do my party jawn. You know, the tried and true subject matter. But this album asks some serious questions. There’s a book that guided us through this record. It’s Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. Which for those who follow the Roots, Malcolm’s second book, The Tipping Point, is what we named our last album after. But Outliers is a sort of an exercise in how to perfect your craft.
As a hip-hop fan what is your take on the hype surrounding Drake?
I’m excited about anybody really just keeping the flame of hip-hop alive. It’s really weird because Drake tells me, “Yo, when I was 12-years-old I snuck into the Opera House to see y’all.” And I remember the exact show he was talking about when Rahzel first started doing his solos. I was like Wow. Who would know that 20 years ago hip-hop’s future was in the audience watching a show that he snuck into see without paying [laughs]. And that show would have some sort of affect on his life? And I know jokingly brothers are like Drake represents the light-skin revenge movement that Al B. Sure fans have been waiting for. But I’m really excited about the kid. One, he has range. He sings and he rhymes and no one questions his lyrical dexterity.
But of course there are folks who say that Drake singing isn’t true hip-hop.
But his singing doesn’t come off as corny. It’s actually welcomed. Singers are an endangered species. But what Drake is doing is something entirely new. I just hope he’s able to focus and get past the pressure of having that weight on his shoulders. Because there have been a lot of MC’s that have had that Ah, this is the future of hip-hop. A lot of the mavericks of hip-hop have gotten there without that hype. It wasn’t like when Reasonable Doubt came out we knew this guy Jay-Z was going to be God MC. Even Biggie’s beginnings were humble. He wasn’t pegged as a savior.
I LOVE THIS MAN..."HE IS HIP HOP"
ReplyDeleteAND A SMOOTH DRUMMER