The Questlove Show

As The Questlove Show celebrates Black Music Month, we're revisiting a classic 2019 Questlove Supreme conversation with one of hip-hop's true pioneers, Kurtis Blow. The legendary New York MC reflects on the genre's formative years, giving credit to the peers and innovators who helped build the culture from the ground up. He also breaks down his classic catalog and revisits some...

As The Questlove Show's celebration of Black Music Month continues, we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations. Actress, author, and cultural force—and yes, songstress—Jenifer Lewis shares hard-earned wisdom from her life, career, and travels. Listen as this queen of multi-hyphenates commands the QLS stage with humor, honesty, and unforgettable stories. Questlove called this 2022 two-parter interview a Top 3-all...

In the words of Questlove our guest for this classic episode, is "a part of one of THE most important musical dynasty's in music". His touch has been pivotal to the evolution of jazz, but that's not all folks! Branford Marsalis' contributions to the culture can be seen and heard through his acting, the products of his marriage of jazz and hip hop, his barrier breaking presence as a band leader on late night television, his composit...

This mini-episode of The Questlove Show features Ahmir, Open Mike Eagle, and producer Cousin Jake reflecting on Mike’s 2025 long-form QLS conversation. Open Mike Eagle shares that he’s just finished a new album, talks about his listening habits (ranging from British bands to YouTube talk shows) and how being embedded in the industry pushes him away from rap in his leisure time. They dig into live performance philosophy&...

As we celebrate Black Music Month, look back to late 2024, when James "JT" Taylor joined Questlove and Suga Steve to revisit his upbringing and two decades with Kool & The Gang. JT detailed arriving with the legendary Funk-Jazz band to help them reach new plateaus with hit songs including "Celebration," "Ladies Night," "Joanna," and more. This conversation also touched on JT's solo career at MCA Records, his ventures in film, a...

Hip-Hop visionary Fab 5 Freddy joins Questlove to trace his path from Bed-Stuy's Hancock Street to painting whole-car subway masterpieces, exhibiting in Rome, and helping bring Rap to the mainstream through Yo! MTV Raps. While discussing his new memoir, Everybody's Fly, Fred shares vivid memories of Brooklyn riots, preserving Malcolm X’s final speech on reel-to-reel tape, and even cold-calling Thelonious Monk as a kid. Freddy...

Nick Polowy is the Los Angeles–based artist behind The Questlove Show logo and many of the animations that have appeared throughout QLS episodes since 2022. While taping in Hollywood, Ahmir and Open Mike Eagle sat down with Nick for a special mini episode to talk about his creative process, the deep research that informs his work, and a career that spans everything from major television net...

Black Music Month kicks off in a major way. Mickey Guyton joins Questlove for a deeply personal conversation about carving out space as a Black woman in Country music, from her church roots in Texas to performing on global stages like the Super Bowl and in China. She opens up about her religious upbringing, perfectionism, anxiety, creative burnout, and finding her true audience among marginalized...

In 2024, Ben Vereen joined Questlove Supreme with his daughter Kabara. Quest' recently called this one of the most powerful QLS episodes in the show's history. What began as a conversation about a legendary, award-winning career in theater, film, and television organically went someplace much deeper. Ben Vereen shared discoveries about his identity and traces his knowledge of self while speaking about Roots, Sweet Charity, and his ...

Christopher Cross joins Questlove in Hollywood for a deep musician-to-musician conversation about songwriting, studio craftsmanship, and surviving meteoric success. Cross reveals the true origin of Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) and the outlaw mythology behind Ride Like The Wind, while recalling experiences like seeing Jimi Hendrix live, opening for Led Zeppelin, and singing background vocals with Carl Wilson. He breaks down...

In a recent conversation with Padma Lakshmi, Questlove brought up the near-sacrilegious act of putting ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago. Chicago native Open Mike Eagle reacts — while admitting he may already be disqualified from the debate for entirely different reasons. The podcast affiliate (and recent guest) also speaks about the hometown food he gravitates towards, name-checking some purveyors. 

The mini episode conve...

Angela Nissel joins Questlove for a deeply funny and moving conversation about growing up in Southwest Philly, breaking into television, and navigating grief after losing her mother—the subject of her new memoir, Good Grief, Pass The Bread, Mom Is Dead.

The longtime friends revisit their wild early days together, from te...