At this point, Questlove has so many jobs, it’s not only hard to keep track of them all but one also wonders when exactly he has the time to do so many things without the assistance of a secret twin, a la The Prestige. He’s joked about it himself, but it’s getting out of hand; in addition to organizing the Grammys’ hip-hop tribute in 2023, organizing the annual Roots Picnic, directing the live-action Aristocats remake for Disney, and curating playlists for his celebrity friends, he’s a best-selling author. In that last capacity, he just announced the release date for his upcoming book, Hip-Hop Is History, a deep-dive follow-up to his fifth book, Music Is History.
Questlove announced Hip-Hop Is History last August, so that turnaround is pretty impressive. At the time, he said, “No one asked me to, but I’m carrying that burden. And for all those who are present and accounted for, there is something to celebrate with hip hop’s 50th.There may be a lot of water under that bridge. Our disdain for looking in the rearview mirror is entrenched in pain and trauma. But as a child of legacy and nostalgia culture, I want to be the GPS for people to celebrate that thing called hip-hop.”
Hip-Hop Is History is out on June 11 via Auwa Books, Questlove’s own imprint.