Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has little use for downtime. He’s a founding member of the still-going-strong hip-hop group The Roots, the musical director for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, a highly in-demand DJ, a six-time Grammy winner, and an Oscar winner for his 2022 documentary Summer of Soul.
And he has not one, but two new(ish) documentaries currently feeding the zeitgeist: Ladies and Gentlemen: 50 Years of SNL Music on Peacock, and SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), streaming on Hulu. The latter delves into the life and career of musical innovator Sly Stone. Questlove spoke with Elvis at last month’s Sundance Film Festival as part of the Elvis Suite, sponsored by Darling and Company. He spoke about his definition of “Black genius,” Stone’s unique contributions to the music world, and teased his next project (hint: it’s a deep dive into an iconic band’s singular sound).