Now in its 5th year, Soul’d Out Music Festival once again boasts some great hip-hop guests throughout their 10 day festival, with Alhambra being the primary location for performances in the genre. The Cunninlyguists took the stage there Thursday, and Illmac’s release party – which featured performances from NW artists such as Only One, Cassow, Nacho Picasso and Load B – packed the NE Hawthorne venue on Saturday and as far as I’ve heard, there weren’t any issues with police. As currently scheduled, Slick Rick will touch the stage this coming Saturday, but the most exciting show to me takes place tomorrow night.
It’s not every day that a band drummer becomes a hip-hop icon. I’m a firm believer that hip-hop culture is bigger than rap and ?uestlove, for years, has exemplified that through his work. So much more than just the drummer from The Roots, ?uestlove is known for work with artists such as Elvis Costello, Common, D’Angelo, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Jay-Z, Nikka Costa, Al Green, Amy Winehouse and John Legend. Think about that for a minute.
He’s also a social butterfly. Older fans may remember his appearances on Chappelle’s Show, while contemporary fans will certainly recognize him on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Rolling Stone once crowned him the 8th best drummer of all time (behind Stewart Copeland), but the thing that has probably impressed me most was the artist’s book, Mo Betta Blues: The World According To Questlove, and more specifically, the article he wrote about roller skating with Prince. Frickin’ hilarious.
His set tomorrow is expected to be a mash up of DJing and live performance, which seems to suit the multi-facted artist who’s been a huge advocate of both soul and hip-hop cultures throughout everything he does. I’m definitely excited to see what he has up his sleeve. Hope to see you all there.
Note: Also part of the festival, Fly Moon Royalty is scheduled to rock Mississippi Studios Sunday while The Hood Internet plays Holocene. Worth checking out for sure.