Questlove, more formally known as Ahmir Thompson, has announced he is currently working on his upcoming film Sly & The Family Stone. The film currently does not have a release date. However, Sly & The Family Stone isn’t the first film that put Thompson behind the camera.
Summer of Soul, a film about Sly Stone’s band’s involvement in 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival that took place at the same time as Woodstock, was the documentary that started Thompson’s directing career. The footage from the festival was tucked away for 50 years until now. The film was featured at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival where it won two awards.
Sly & The Family Stone is said to be about the iconic and influential artist Sly Stone, who is known for breaking the rules at incredibly dangerous times. Stone helped culturally define the psychedelic-rock genre and was willing to take on the consequences of his successes in music as well as shifting the norms during a time where people of color were extremely discriminated against. “The pressure of explosive mainstream pop success and the responsibility of representing Black America forced him to walk the fine line of impossible expectations,” said MRC Entertainment of the film.
Thompson disclosed that fellow rapper Common would be one of the executive producers on the upcoming film. “It goes beyond saying that Sly’s creative legacy is in my DNA…it’s a black musicians blueprint…to be given the honor to explore his history and legacy is beyond a dream for me.”
The Philadelphia-based musician was among many other artists who took to their social media to react to Donald Trump getting banned from Twitter. Because of the storming of the Capitol that took place earlier this year, many people used their platforms to address the issue. More specifically, artists like Laura Jane Grace, Yoko Ono, Ice T were alongside Thompson on Twitter.
Photo Credit: Owen Ela
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