Made Ready For Music
The story of Questlove goes far beyond his roots.
You’d be hard-pressed to name an artist today who more completely personifies the concept of a “nonlinear path” than Questlove. The Philly-born drummer, DJ, author, professor, podcaster, and general renaissance man seems almost impossibly cultured — as if he’s lived 1,000 of the coolest possible lives in a few mere decades on earth. And in a way, he has. Born into a musical family, Questlove grew up steeped in the world of artists. Early on, he saw the exhilaration of the road life. He hung out with everyone from incredible guitarists to brainy lighting techs. He met actors and writers. All along, he was downloading into his creative DNA a love for building community in everything, whether that’s cutting gels for stage lights or entertaining millions of American families on TV every night. For Questlove, it’s always been about forging your own path, seeking out and deeply engaging with the people around you, and then making yourself ready for all the remarkable twists and turns you couldn’t possibly see coming. His particular brand of multi-hyphenate creativity, he says, has turned out to be remarkably fitting for this era: a time in which there are no limits to all the lives we can lead, and the paths we can walk.
Check out his collaboration with Citizens Bank’s Made Ready campaign, brought to life in our 4-part video series along with a special video set to The Roots’ new song, “Feel It (You Got It).”
Series directed by Pasqual Gutierrez