Mo' Meta Blues
The World According to Questlove
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4.3 • 129 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
"You have to bear in mind that [Questlove] is one of the smartest motherf*****s on the planet. His musical knowledge, for all practical purposes, is limitless." --Robert Christgau
A punch-drunk memoir in which Everyone's Favorite Questlove tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art, hip hop, and pop culture.
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is many things: virtuoso drummer, producer, arranger, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon bandleader, DJ, composer, and tireless Tweeter. He is one of our most ubiquitous cultural tastemakers, and in this, his first book, he reveals his own formative experiences--from growing up in 1970s West Philly as the son of a 1950s doo-wop singer, to finding his own way through the music world and ultimately co-founding and rising up with the Roots, a.k.a., the last hip hop band on Earth. Mo' Meta Blues also has some (many) random (or not) musings about the state of hip hop, the state of music criticism, the state of statements, as well as a plethora of run-ins with celebrities, idols, and fellow artists, from Stevie Wonder to KISS to D'Angelo to Jay-Z to Dave Chappelle to...you ever seen Prince roller-skate?!?
But Mo' Meta Blues isn't just a memoir. It's a dialogue about the nature of memory and the idea of a post-modern black man saddled with some post-modern blues. It's a book that questions what a book like Mo' Meta Bluesreally is. It's the side wind of a one-of-a-kind mind.
It's a rare gift that gives as well as takes.
It's a record that keeps going around and around.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is the most interesting man in hip-hop. His first book traces his amazing journey, from becoming the touring bandleader for his doo-wop-singer father at the age of 13 to creating the breakthrough hip-hop band the Roots (and inventing the neo-soul movement in the process) to changing the sound of late-night TV on Jimmy Fallon’s show. In Mo’ Meta Blues, Quest muses on all his favorite topics—Black identity, politics, movies, food—but always circles back to music. It’s been the most important thing in his life since he was hypnotized by spinning LPs on his parents’ turntable, and it’s the lens through which he sees the world today. We love Quest’s hilarious stories, like how he used to phone in noise complaints on his own late-night jam sessions so the cops would break them up and he could go to bed. Mo’ Meta Blues is a thoughtful and meditative look into the mind of a musical genius.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
First-time author "Questlove" Thompson is cofounder and drummer of the Roots, the popular hip-hop/neo-soul group that also serves as the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. In this enjoyable memoir, Thompson tells of his work as a DJ and producer with some of the biggest names in the music business, such as Jay-Z and Common, and Dave Chappelle (Thompson was the Chappelle's Show's music director). His always fascinating and sometimes hilarious recollections touch on everything from drumming at age five in his father's professional doo-wop and soul band to roller-skating as an adult with Eddie Murphy at a bizarre party hosted by Prince. Thompson's eclectic "meta" mix of writing styles punctuated by interviews with Rich Nichols, the group's longtime comanager appropriately captures the almost two-decade-long history of the Roots.
Customer Reviews
Great read for fans
If you're into the Roots, ?, or simply a fan of real music, this book won't disappoint.
Excellent book
A very well written, unique book that takes on a journey through the development of the Roots through the eyes of ?uestlove. Includes tons of personal stories and brilliant insight on music in general.
Echelawn
Great read. Very relatable and look forward to vol 2.