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According to reports, The Roots’ lead MC Black Thought is writing and planning to direct a new film, teaming up with his bandmate Questlove on the project. The unnamed film is planned to be powered by the 360-degree immersive platform WonderRoom with the hopes that it “drops audiences into Hip-Hop’s soul,” with its narrative.Black Thought, aka Tariq Trotter, is partnering with the Impossible Creative studio, who has been behind several immersive experiences in cities across the globe. On their website, they describe their mission in creating those spaces as “designing, filming and mastering 360° experiences that cross an illusory threshold – where a room’s walls, ceiling and floor disappear, giving audiences the experience of being there, of infinite perspective in all directions.” Questlove and Shawn Gee of Two One Five Entertainment are signed on as producers of the film.“I’m grateful to Impossible Creative for entrusting me with their technology in bringing my latest project to the world.” the Grammy Award-winning rapper said in a statement about the project. “Hip-Hop has a rich and beautiful history, and by creating a space where audiences play a role and physically live out its greatest moments, the potential for a better understanding of the genre and its roots increases significantly.”“Working with Tarik and the team at Two One Five is a dream come true. Tarik’s stunning vision will allow audiences to feel the music, stories, and culture of Hip-Hop come alive around them in a way that’s never been experienced before,” said David Galpern, Impossible Creative’s co-founder and producer.FanX Studios Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Schwartz will serve as executive producer and provide oversight for Impossible Creative, and Josh Williams will also oversee the film project for Two One Five. Impossible Creative is eyeing next spring for the premiere to take place in New York City.
The film world is nothing new for Black Thought and Questlove. Black Thought has numerous acting credits to his name, including HBO’s The Deuce dramatic series, 2010’s Night Catches Us and the 2014 James Brown biopic Get On Up. Questlove won an Academy Award for Summer of Soul, and is also the producer of the documentary Sly Lives! on the recently deceased rock pioneer Sly Stone.
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Close to 60 years since they were committed to tape, the earliest known live recordings of Sly & the Family Stone will be released this year.
Dubbed The First Family: Live at the Winchester Cathedral 1967, the collection of unearthed live cuts will be issued on July 18 via High Moon.
They’ll be available as digital, vinyl and CD editions, with physical copies being issued with a booklet featuring never-before-seen photos, interviews with Sly Stone and original band members, and liner notes from producer Alex Palao. The CD edition will also feature their cover of Otis Redding‘s “Try A Little Tenderness” as an exclusive bonus track.
Recorded on March 26, 1967, the live set sees the influential group performing as part of their four-month residency at the Winchester Cathedral club in Redwood City, California. Recorded by first manager Rich Romanello, the tapes were soon shelved, but later rediscovered in 2002 by Dutch twins and band archivists Edwin and Arno Konings.
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“The Winchester Cathedral recordings showcase a one-of-kind outfit that was already at the peak of its powers, long before it became internationally famous,” said Palao in a statement. “Sly is fully in command, while the unique arrangements and tighter-than-tight ensemble playing point clearly to the road ahead, and the enduring influence of Sly & the Family Stone’s music.”
Alongside the announcement of the package, a preview of the record has been released by way of final track, “I Gotta Go Now (Up On The Floor)/Funky Broadway.”
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Despite being recorded in March 1967, the live set features no tracks which would appear on their debut album – A Whole New Thing – when it arrived in October of that year. Largely comprising cover songs, only the opening track, “I Ain’t Got Nobody (For Real),” would be issued on one of the band’s albums, appearing on Dance to the Music in 1968.
Sly & the Family Stone would release a total of ten albums across their 19-year career, with the band coming to an end in 1983, and later being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Stone would release a solo album in 1975, with his most recent full-length release being 2011’s I’m Back! Family & Friends.
Earlier this year, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson directed the film Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), which provided a deeper look into the life and legacy of its titular musical mastermind.
“I wanted to investigate and interrogate the idea of Black genius. How is it different from the idea of genius in general? What is the effect of being saddled with that label? How much promise is built into it, how much fear and how much unreasonable expectation?” Questlove said in a statement. “Sly wanted to take you higher — I hope that this film also takes you deeper.”
Listen to “I Gotta Go Now (Up On The Floor)/Funky Broadway” below:
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Dia Dipasupil / Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion wanted to ensure the hotties got a sneak peek of what happens inside the Met Gala, but did she risk being banned to deliver some great content?
Outside the red carpet where the celebs and other guests show off their Met Gala fits, no one knows what happens inside the museum, where all the action and hobnobbing takes place, thanks to Anna Wintour’s strict “no-cellphone” policy.
Megan Thee Stallion didn’t seem to care about the rule, admitting that every chance she got in her Instagram posts, she snuck her phone in and posted and deleted several videos.
In the one video still up on her account, Thee Stallion, Angel Reese, and Doechii rating the Met Gala’s fine cuisine, which, unlike previous years with past attendees, was delicious based on their reactions.
The “Whenever” crafter also took unauthorized videos with Serena Williams, Cynthia Erivo, Rihanna, and Lupita Nyong’o.
In another clip, Megan Thee Stallion hypes up Ciara, who looked stunning in a LaQuan Smith gown. She tells the “Goodies” singer to show off her dress in the video while zooming in to give fans a good look at the piece’s details.
Megan Thee Stallion Wasn’t The Only One To Break The Rule
Megan Thee Stallion wasn’t the only person to seemingly break Wintour’s strict policy. Questlove also broke the rule while filming the annual bathroom selfie moment, captioning the video “Black sh*t.”
Other notable rule breakers include Halle Bailey, Sydney Sweeney, and Angela Bassett.
Now, what will be the consequences for breaking the rule? According to the rules, you risk being banned from the next Met Gala, but chances are high that everyone will just get off with a warning.
But who could blame all these folks for being hyped to be at the BLACKEST MET GALA we have ever witnessed?
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After making its premiere on October 11, 1975 with musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian, Saturday Night Live has been a music and cultural TV institution over the last 50 years.
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And now to celebrate the 50th anniversary, award-winning musician and filmmaker Questlove, along with co-director Oz Rodriguez, made a new documentary called Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music. It features a behind-the-scenes look at SNL’s musical guests, including Jack White, Miley Cyrus, Bad Bunny, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Dua Lipa, Mick Jagger, Tom Morello, Kacey Musgraves, Billie Eilish & Finneas, Dave Grohl, Debbie Harry and many others.
When Does ‘Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music’ Start?
Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music airs starting on Monday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The TV special broadcasts on NBC, while it’s also available to stream the following day on Peacock.
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Where to Watch ‘Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music’ for Free
Cord-cutters have a few ways to watch Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music online — especially if you want to watch for free. DirecTV Stream has a five-day free trial, while other streaming services — such as Hulu + Live TV and Fubo — also offer a free trial so you can watch NBC for free.
Keep reading for more details on how to watch the TV special with Peacock, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.
How to Watch ‘Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music’ With Peacock
The TV special airs on NBC and streams the following day on Peacock for Premium or Premium Plus subscribers only. If you don’t subscribe to the streaming service, you can get access with a Peacock monthly subscription, which starts at $7.99 per month for the ad-supported plan, or $13.99 per month for the ad-free plan.
Along with Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, you can also watch the backlog of SNL starting with season 1 and going all the way through season 50 — that’s a whopping 50 seasons of TV with a subscription to Peacock. In addition, you’ll get access to original programming, such as Love Island USA, Bel-Air, The Traitors and others; hit movies, including The Wild Robot, Monkey Man, Abigail, The Holdovers, Oppenheimer and others; live sports from NBC Sports; live news from NBC News; and more than 50 streaming channels.
How to Watch ‘Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music’ With DirecTV Stream
A subscription to DirecTV Stream — which comes with NBC for Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music — gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels, starting at $74.99 per month. The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch for free if you sign up now.
You can watch local networks such as CBS, ABC, Fox, and PBS, while you can also watch many cable networks, including FS1, Lifetime, FX, AMC, A&E, Bravo, BET, MTV, Paramount Network, Cartoon Network, VH1, Fuse, CNN, Food Network, CNBC and many others.
How to Watch ‘Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music’ With Hulu + Live TV
Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music on NBC is available to watch with Hulu + Live TV too. Prices for the cable alternative start at $82.99 per month, while each plan comes with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ at no additional cost.
Hulu + Live TV might be best for those who want all of these streaming services together in one bundle. It also features many other networks, including ABC, Hallmark Channel, BET, CMT, Disney Channel, NBC, Fox Sports and more.
How to Watch ‘Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music’ with Fubo
To watch Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music on NBC, Fubo starts at $59.99 for the first month, $84.99 per month afterwards (the streamer’s current deal) with more than 210 channels — including local and cable — that are streamable on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and on web browsers.
The service even gets you live access to local broadcast networks including NBC, CBS and ABC, while it also has dozens of cable networks, such as ESPN, Bravo, CMT, ID, TV Land, VH1, TLC, E!, FS1, MTV, FX, Ion, OWN, Paramount Network and much more.
Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music is available to watch on NBC via DirecTV Stream or Hulu + Live TV, on Monday, Jan. 27 with a start time of 8 p.m. ET/PT. The TV special is streamable on Peacock on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
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Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots is one of the foremost minds in music knowledge and history today, using his platforms and connections to the industry to great effect. Questlove, an Academy Award-winning director, is set to hit the chair once more to helm the 50 Years of SNL Music documentary.
Questlove, 53, was tapped to direct the 50 Years of SNL Music documentary, looking back at the sketch comedy series’ special segment for its musical guests over the past five decades.
Joining in on the directing duties will be SNL director Oz Rodriguez and will feature more than 50 interviews from some of the past guests such as Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC fame, Miley Cyrus, Paul Simon, and more. The doc will also feature former and current SNL writers and crew members including onscreen albums Maya Rudolph and Bill Hader, and former writer Conan O’Brien.
“Everyone knows the most famous SNL appearances, whether it’s Elvis Costello, Prince or the Beastie Boys, but they’re the tip of a huge iceberg,” Questlove shared in a statement. “The process of going back through the incredible archival footage was like being in a time machine, DeLorean or other. I’m so happy I went on the trip and now get to share it with everyone.”
Questlove’s Summer of Soul documentary, which examines the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2022.
Eddie Murphy, Al Franken, Justin Timberlake, Kenan Thompson, and a host of other significant SNL contributors and guests will also appear in 50 Years of SNL Music.
The documentary airs on Monday, January 27, on NBC at 8 p.m. ET/PT, streaming next day on Peacock.
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Questlove opined on the ongoing beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar but some fans called his statements dramatic after the war of words largely concluded. The veteran drummer from The Roots band believed that the battle between the two titans took nasty turns, thus signaling a death knell for Hip-Hop.
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, 53, took to social media to issue one of the loudest detracting statements yet to emerge against what is one of the biggest Hip-Hop beef battles in the history of the genre.
“Nobody won the war,” Questlove opened his statement with. “This wasn’t about skill. This was a wrestling match level mudslinging and takedown by any means necessary — women & children (& actual facts) be damned.”
The statement continued with “Same audience wanting blood will soon put up ‘rip’ posts like they weren’t part of the problem. Hip Hop truly is dead.”
The caption of the Instagram post with the statement read “Here We Are Now…Entertain us?,” which seems to be aimed at Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
As it stands, K-Dot doesn’t seem to want any manner of reconciliation with Drizzy and said as much on the track “euphoria” where the Compton lyricist rapped, “Whoever that’s f*ckin’ with him, f*ck you n*ggas, and f*ck the industry too” and once more on “Not Like Us” with the lines, “The industry can hate me, f*ck ’em all and they mama.”
As far as responses go, Drake’s last missive was “The Heart Part 6” and the two have left it at that. The Canadian superstar is contending with other issues after a security guard was shot outside his home in a drive-by shooting along with another incident in which a man was arrested for trying to break into the the massive mansion.
On X, formerly Twitter, the comments from Questlove garnered some sharp responses. However, we’ve got reactions from all sides below.
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If Black Thought thinks highly of your music consider yourself lucky. The Philly native says Mach Hommy and a handful of others are some of his favorite underrated rappers.
The legendary lyricist joined his Roots bandmate on the Questlove Supreme podcast to discuss his recently released memoir The Upcycled Self. While the duo discussed a variety of moments in the book they did find time to discuss his biggest influences. Tariq pointed to classic performers such as Kool Keith, Special Ed and Greg Nice but also spoke on some rappers who he feels do not get enough praise.
“Mach [Hommy], yeah, that’s my ace,” he explained. “I think his association with the whole Griselda family and that movement, but the way that he’s distinctly, ya know, different is huge too.” The “75 Bars” MC also pointed to Your Old Droog but revealed he wasn’t feeling his music at first because he sounded like Nas. “I met him on the road opening up for Royce and Premier when they were doing their PRhyme tour and we sort of hit it off,” he added. “I talk about mentorship and, ya know, just artists that we share demos with one another and I’m just able to just, y aknow, offer wisdom […] he’s been one of those artists.”
You can listen to Questlove and Black Thought chop it up below about rappers who he feels are unsung starting at the 1:29 mark.
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Source: The Balvenie / The Balvenie
On Friday, November 3, the Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Questlove continued their partnership by announcing the release of The Craft of Holiday Entertaining, a limited-edition advent calendar.
Source: The Balvenie / The Balvenie
The Craft of Holiday Entertaining is artfully curated by the six-time GRAMMY Award Winning and Academy Award-winning multihyphenate, and The Roots crew member, to heighten your at-home bar for the holiday season. Since it’s in collab with the Balvenie, whisky enthusiasts will be catered to at it features 12 premium items that include a limited-edition deck of Quest for Craft playing cards, Glencairn tasting glasses and holiday chocolates as well as a QR code to redeem a bottle of The Balvenie DoubleWood 12.
“At the heart of my partnership with The Balvenie is our shared passion for craftsmanship and the journeys that elevate something from great to exceptional,” said Questlove in a statement. “I love to host Food Salons, game nights, and dinner parties and create unforgettable experiences for my guests – especially during the holiday season.”
Quest and Balvenie recently dropped the latest episodes of their Webby Award-winning digital series, Quest for Craft, which is available on The Balvenie’s YouTube channel.
You’ll be able to purchase the Craft of Holiday Entertaining Advent Calendar at TheBalvenieHolidayShop.com beginning on Friday, November 3 and it will cost you $225.
Source: The Balvenie / The Balvenie
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Source: The Balvenie / The Balvenie
Questlove is a busy guy, but he still finds time for his passions. One of those is building with talented artists, and the Roots frontman’s collab with renowned Scotch brand the Balvenie, a digital interview series called Quest For Craft, recently launched its third season.
The series’ purpose is officially billed as a “journey to uncover the convergence of craft and creativity” and along the way it has picked up a Webbie Award. The third season, which features insightful interviews with Anderson.Paak, Lena Waithe and more, is available exclusively on The Balvenie’s YouTube channel, right now.
All the interviews were filmed on location at the famed Electric Lady Studios, and the Balvenie was flowing, making for some dope conversation. In all there are four new episodes—with Yo-Yo Ma and Fred Armisen in addition to the aforementioned.
Check out Questlove’s interview with Anderson.Paak below.
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Questlove hosted a star-studded game night this week, bringing together some huge celebrities for a good old game of UNO. “I’m always having Movie Night, Food Salons, Jam Sessions, Karaoke Madness anything communal with my peers et al,” The Roots member wrote on Instagram alongside a series of photos from the bash, in which Taylor […]
