Roots Returns Home to Philadelphia

The Grammy award-winning band, Roots, is being honored in Philadelphia for its contribution to music. The city’s Mural Arts Program unveiled a tribute to Roots founders, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter. TheVillage entertainment contributor, Najah Goldstein, talked with drummer Questlove.

TVC: How does it feel to be honored in Philadelphia through the Mural Arts Program?

Questlove: I’ve been personally waiting seven years for this. I know that it is a little weird to say, but I have been waiting all those years for the city to hire me. I feel like I finally made it in Philly when I have my own mural up. You can’t be forgotten that way. I’m just an admirer of the Philly Mural Arts Program. I have done narration for, the program and pretty much know all the locations of the murals. I’m really happy, and this is really important to us.

TVC: Explain the journey of Roots.

Questlove: It started in June 1992. I was coming home from a Juilliard audition because I was trying to go to school in New York. A girl on the train had mistaken me for a guy who played on buckets in a commercial. That was a Friday. The next day my best friend and I were watching “Soul Train” and the commercial came on. We were laughing because we were like that’s the guy the girl thought I was! Three minutes later we were like, “Why don’t we do that?” Half hour later we were in South Philly where we grabbed some buckets, pans and drumsticks from my mom’s house. Literally, that was the start, being mistaken for a guy on a Spike Lee commercial. We got a record deal a year later. Somehow, miraculously, we were allowed to make 15 albums and have a real career. I feel like the 20th anniversary of our history is like the tortoise and the hare: it’s been a very slow journey, but I’m grateful. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

TVC: What is your best advice for young people about following their dream?

Questlove: I would say the cliché, “Follow your dream.” But, I want to give real advice. The real advice is to organize small. Look at the way we made it work. Five years of trying to make it happen, and having two albums out, and trying to figure out what we were doing wrong that people were not responding to us. My manager said that you guys are a rebel without a cause.  You need a movement. We didn’t get it. He told us you got to play Noah you need two birds and other animals then gather them. Next thing you know this girl that worked at Jean&West wanted to come to our Jam Session named Jill Scott, and then this girl that worked at Wawa named Jaguar Wright, followed by a pizza delivery guy named Talib, (Music Soul-child) an unknown Talib Kweli and Mos Def, and an unruly teenager named Bilal all wound up at my parties. We would all gather and have rehearsals every week from 96-99 eventually everyone had a record deal. It was a movement. To me that is more realistic advice than of course sticking to your dream being focused and not being distracted. More importantly if you have a dream, you have to find nine other people that agree with you. I can assure you that no success has ever been by anyone in the United States be it art, acting or music unless it was conceptualized in a movement. That is the story.