After winning an Oscar for his film 'Summer of Soul', Questlove continues his exploration of Black music with two new projects. The first, 'Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music', commemorates the rich musical history of Saturday Night Live with performances from legendary artists. The second project, 'Sly Lives!', focuses on the influence of Sly Stone, whom Questlove describes as a pivotal figure in the music landscape. Both films reflect Questlove's dedication to recognizing and celebrating the contributions of Black artists in music history.
Questlove told Billboard magazine that Sly Stone was "essentially" the first Black megastar. "Sly is basically the he embodiment of what Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech was about, like this utopian multiracial mix of Black and whites, men and women together."
When we did 'Summer of Soul', Ahmir and I came from the same starting point - we both knew and loved most of its artists," says Questlove's filmmaking partner, Oscar-winning producer Joseph Patel, talking about that 2021 documentary's list of stars such as Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight & the Pips and more.
With 'Sly Lives!', it was Quest who held great importance for Sly Stone," notes Patel. "That was one of Ahmir's longtime favorites and one of his most influential artists.
Questlove's 'Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music' doc features footage of the program's storied live performances, from the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Run DMC and more.
Collection
[
|
...
]