‘I feel that responsibility’: Questlove teases reunion of the Soulquarians in wake of D’Angelo’s passing
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The 2000s era collective featured a who’s who of Black musicians including Erykah Badu, Common, Mos Def, Jill Scott, Q-Tip, J Dilla, The Roots and more.
One of the greatest collectives of Black musicians from the early 2000s may be on the verge of a reunion, according to Questlove.
During an episode of his “The Questlove Show” podcast, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker and drummer for The Roots revealed there are tentative plans for a stripped-down version of the Soulquarians coming together for a project, including Bilal and James Poyser.
“James [Poyser], myself, Bilal — the fragments that are left of the Soulquarians… we spoke. The family’s going to get back together,” he said during the March 7 episode.
The 2000s-era collective featured a who’s who of artists, including D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Jill Scott, Bilal, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Q-Tip, Roy Hargrove, and J Dilla. Although each released individual albums during the period, from “Mama’s Gun” by Badu, “Things Fall Apart” by The Roots, to D’Angelo’s “Voodoo” and Common’s “Like Water For Chocolate,” many fans believe the truest version of the collective occurred on Common’s 2002 album “Electric Circus” and the song: “Heaven Somewhere” featuring Omar Lye-Fook, Cee Lo Green, Bilal, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu and Lonnie “Pops” Lynn.
The death of D’Angelo last year largely sparked the proposed reunion. The Virginia native was the third Soulquarian to pass away, following J Dilla and Hargrove.
“Now that [D’Angelo] is not here, I feel that responsibility more than ever,” Questlove said.
What remains unclear about a possible Soulquarians reunion is the involvement of other members, such as Common, Badu, and Q-Tip. In his 2013 memoir, “Mo’ Meta Blues,” Questlove referred to the Soulquarians as a “utopian paradise” and an extension of the Native Tongues. However, in a 2015 interview with Red Bull Music Academy, he revealed there was friction within the collective long before it completely fractured.
“The VIBE magazine photo was the beginning of the end,” he said. “Because when that issue came out, motherf–kers were angry. The issue started out as a feature about me. The people at VIBE had a clue that I was working on D’Angelo, Erykah, The Roots, Jill Scott, Bilal, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Slum Village, and Nikka Costa’s records.”
He added, “At the height of everything, I was working with 17 different artists. I was really gun shy on any unwelcomed praise. I came from a commune. It wasn’t a one-man act. I was very uncomfortable accepting a title or praise. I insisted to VIBE that they could get the story, but they had to make it about the family and not one person.”