The Questlove Show

Questlove sat down with director and composer John Carpenter in Hollywood to discuss Cathedral , a graphic novel and heavy metal album inspired by a single dream. Carpenter tells how a bongo lesson from his father led to the iconic Halloween theme. He also talks about casting Kurt Russell after their Elvis TV movie, why The Thing was his hardest shoot, and says The Exorcist remains the scariest mo...

The Questlove Show hoped to record an episode with DJ Shadow while he was on the East Coast for the 30th-anniversary tour of Endtroducing….. , but scheduling didn’t work out this time. Instead, Open Mike Eagle—who is performing on some of Shadow’s current tour dates—and Cousin Jake celebrate Shadow’s landmark debut, its lasting impact, and more. They talk about...

Join legendary producer and musician Nile Rodgers as he travels across the country in his Lincoln Navigator® SUV, sitting down with some of music's biggest names to uncover the turning points that defined them. Experience Before the Moment: A Lincoln Original Series on the iHeartRadio App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A real tycoon is in the building. Questlove sits down with Vallejo’s own E-40, the Yay Area legend who was selling records out of his trunk back when getting a major-label deal felt impossible. He built his own label, financed his projects independently, and gave Hip-Hop an entire dictionary of slang and similes. Now, with Turning My Money Over —a historic 40-song quadruple album&mdash...

On this exclusive Questlove Show mini episode, Questlove talks with bass virtuoso Stanley Clarke about Last Train To Sanity , a recent 15-track album he funded himself and is selling only through his own website, with packaging designed by his daughter Natasha and full liner notes meant as a protest against streaming. Clarke also talks about recovering from a nerve injury in his arm, recording Sch...

Questlove sits down with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, the multi-instrumentalist from Perth—one of the most isolated cities on Earth—who spent years letting the world believe his one-man project was a band. Parker talks about turning down a big-name producer to make Innerspeaker alone in a beach shack he later bought, the more than 1,000 voice memos labeled “this will change...

We said we’d come back for Part 2—and we did. Arthur Baker, the architect behind “Planet Rock,” “Confusion,” and so much of the ’80s dance-floor sound, returns to The Questlove Show to finish what we started nearly a year ago. Arthur takes us from carrying crates of vinyl onto airplanes to the Synclavier sessions for Hall & Oates’ Big Bam Boom ,...

In part two of Questlove’s conversation with Wallo267, the tables turn. Wallo takes over, pushing Ahmir to make some changes. They trade questions about the albums that changed their lives, ’80s jackets, Soul Train Saturdays, and the day Wallo flew to London to meet the artist whose music carried him home from prison. The result is raw, funny, and—as Questlove admits—the mo...

Following the Roots Picnic backstage conversation between Soulection founder Joe Kay and Questlove, Open Mike Eagle and Cousin Jake unpack the discussion and its broader significance. They trace L.A.’s beat scene from the Good Life Café through Sketchbook and Low End Theory, and examine Joe’s thoughts on Stones Throw Records’ early influence. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Wallo267 visited The Questlove Show to discuss his latest book, Yes To You, No To Them. Instead, he ended up disrupting Ahmir’s day—in the best possible way—with an experiential pep talk that captures why so many people need this book. The acclaimed  Million Dollaz Worth of Game  co-host, motivator, and music lover looks back on his journey—one that began just acr...

Open Mike Eagle and Cousin Jake reflect on Questlove’s deep conversation with Maseo of De La Soul, pulling out its funniest reveals and heaviest emotional moments. This touches on nuggets from Gorillaz’ "Feel Good Inc." and salute the artistic integrity of scrapping big-name collabs when the music isn’t right. Along the way, they point out connections De La Soul to Bushwick...

Vince Staples sits down with Questlove for a rare, unflinching conversation about community, survival, and growing as an artist without losing yourself. Speaking about his latest album, Crybaby , Vince shares hard-earned truths and wisdom from his life, cutting through myth and memory with his trademark clarity and dark humor. The two artists explore happiness, death, faith, hobbies, and the music...

Questlove and Cousin Jake field some deceptively simple mailbag questions about cheesesteaks and cereal. Ahmir breaks down his fiercely loyal cheesesteak habits, giving way to tempting side quests about ketchup etiquette and Ultramagnetic MC’s memorabilia on South Street. The Q&A then pivots to music nerdery, with Ahmir naming his all-time favorite live album and dissecting what makes a...

Questlove sits down with Soulection founder Joe Kay live backstage at the 2026 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia. The conversation traces the origins of a global movement that grew from zip files and SoundCloud posts into a worldwide community. Joe reflects on his earliest musical memories—from family deep cuts and white-label promos to discovering J Dilla—and how those influences helped sh...

In this QLS Mini, Open Mike Eagle and Cousin Jake briefly unpack their stress soundtracks, from comfort spins like XTC and R.E.M. to the way MTV and MTV News quietly raised a generation. Using their recent Kurt Loder Questlove Show interview as a springboard, they revisit formative moments like the Kurt Cobain and Tupac reports, the Real World era, and how Loder became a kind of Gen X Walter Cronk...

Questlove and JoJo are NOT close friends. They aren’t—or at least, that’s how they approached this conversation: two pals from different genres and generations who have bonded in recent years, sitting down to see what else they might have in common. For  The Questlove Show , the two get into JoJo’s evolution from teen prodigy to Grammy-winning, multi-platinum artist&md...

In this Questlove Show mini episode, Open Mike Eagle and Cousin Jake unpack their recent sit-down with legendary producer DJ Muggs. They explore Muggs’ evolution from boom-bap architect to self-mastered, independent creator who—as he told Ahmir—built his own musical universe. The conversation digs into the so-called “drumless” beats wave, how lowering drums in th...

De La Soul’s Maseo sits down with Questlove for an unfiltered deep dive into his Hip-Hop journey, his approach to deejaying, and the making of a true original. From volatile days in Brooklyn and Long Island to early block parties and the creation of classics like “Me Myself and I,” “Afro Connections,” and the epic “Cool Breeze on the Rocks” splice session,...

The LEGENDARY DJ Cash Money joins Questlove live from the 2026 Roots Picnic at Philadelphia’s historic Belmont Plateau for a mini masterclass on the city’s turntablism legacy. A renowned turntable wizard, collector, and beacon of Philly Hip-Hop history, Cash traces the city’s evolution from Grandmaster Nell and Cosmic Kev at Hotel Philadelphia to the birth of the Transformer scra...

Questlove sits down with R&B icon Eric Benét for a deeply human, wildly musical conversation tracing the singer’s journey from Milwaukee family harmonies to gold plaques and Grammy nominations. Benét opens up about early sonic imprints like Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, and “Wichita Lineman,” his Alabama and Mobile roots, and how discovering Questlove’s...

Questlove is back to answer another batch of listener questions. This mailbag edition with Ahmir and Cousin Jake dives into recent episodes while revisiting classic Roots and Dilla history. Quest' clarifies a detail from the recent DJ Muggs episode , agreeing that Muggs essentially pioneered Hip-Hop's dark, dusty psychedelic sound. He also unpacks the backstory behind Phrenology 's "roll call" seg...

Legendary music journalist and MTV News icon Kurt Loder joins Questlove in the studio for a deep dive into the evolution of rock criticism, music journalism, and pop culture. Loder traces his journey from his early days covering Janis Joplin and Captain Beefheart to his era-defining work at Rolling Stone and MTV News, sharing firsthand memories of punk at CBGB, Prince, and the rise of Hip-Hop into...

In this mini-episode, Questlove and Open Mike Eagle dig into the real economics behind movie soundtracks and sync licensing. Sparked by a listener question about Saturday Night Fever and Rick Dees’ “Disco Duck,” they break down how fees, royalties, and leverage have shifted from the compilation-album era to today’s catalog-buyout climate. Along the way, the two also revisit...

DJ Muggs and Questlove link up in Hollywood, California for a deep dive into the creative vision that made Cypress Hill one of Hip-Hop's most groundbreaking acts. From SP-1200 grit and Psychedelic textures to Rock-infused boom bap, Muggs traces his journey from Queens to Bell Gardens, revisits the making of classics like "How I Could Just Kill a Man," "Hand On The Pump," and House Of Pain's "Jump...

During the recent Thundercat episode of The Questlove Show , the creation of MF DOOM's iconic mask was misattributed. After QLS past guests (shout out to Dante Ross), friends of the show, and our legions of dedicated listeners called out the mistake,  The Questlove Show is proud to set the record straight by welcoming the mask's original and sole creator, KEO —a longtime friend, collabo...