Questlove will be helming a documentary about the iconic group Earth, Wind & Fire — and he picked the perfect time to let the world know about it.
On Saturday, September 21 — the date the group immortalized in their 1978 classic “September” — Deadlinebroke the news of the doc, and Quest quickly confirmed it on social media.
The film, for which no title has been revealed, will reportedly feature “exclusive” access to the group’s archives, and has the support of the band and the estate of EWF founder Maurice White, who died in 2016.
“Having been baptized in the Afrocentric joy river of this powerhouse unit, I’ve learned about them, I’ve learned about us & more importantly, I’ve learned and rediscovered myself in the process. I’m so excited to be part of the process of preserving their positive but very vulnerable and real story of Soul, Self & Struggle,” Quest said.
Meanwhile, the ever-busy Questlove is putting the finishing touches on the first Roots album in many years — and he credits Common and Pete Rock‘s latest project for giving the Illadelph crew the inspiration to bring the long-gestating LP to the finish line.
While interviewing the duo on his Questlove Supreme podcast, Quest explained how Common and Pete’s joint album The Auditorium Vol. 1 has put the battery in his and Black Thought‘s backs when it comes to The Roots’ long-awaited 15th LP.
“I believe that this particular album will spark a renaissance,” he said of The Auditorium Vol. 1 before mentioning other anticipated releases from rap veterans such as Nas and DJ Premier, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, and De La Soul, DJ Premier and Pete Rock.
“Not to be outdone, my band has been sitting on the sidelines watching all this action happening and, you know, it’s made us… I will say that it’s made Tariq [Black Thought] into — the muthafucka wrote seven songs in one day! We have not done that since our second album.”
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Later in the episode, Questlove elaborated on the impact that Common and Pete Rock’s album has had on Black Thought.
“[I walked into the room] and was like, ‘Yo, dawg. You ain’t gonna believe this but Rash [Common] and Pete made the perfect summit meeting record. No person’s outshining the other person. Everything’s [equal].’ I was just going off about it and I could tell I planted a seed,” he said.
“But then — I think after the Hollywood Bowl performance that we did — I think that lit something under Tariq. I mean, I can say in the last two weeks, he’s knocked off at least eighty percent.
“I mean, back in, like, Do You Want More?!!!??! days, ‘Riq would write, like, six or seven songs in a setting. This album is definitely, like — it’s probably what he’s working on right now as I speak. It’s inspiring.”
