Table of Biography
Questlove is a drummer, musician, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor from the United States. Questlove is known as the co-founder of the jazz/hip-hop group, The Roots” and the longtime drummer for the band.
Early Life
Born as Ahmir Khalib Thompson, better known by his stage name Questlove, was born on the 20th of January 1971, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the United States.
According to the astrological chart, he has a birth sign of Aquarius and is currently 53 years old as of 2024. He holds a US nationality while his ethnical background is unknown.
Caption: Questlove’s parents (Source: Idol Celeb)
He was born to his parents Lee Andrews (father) and Jacqui Andrews (mother). His father had achieved commercial success with his doo-wop band, the Hearts, in the late 1950s, while his mother was a model and vocalist.
Additionally, he grew up with his older sister whose name is Donn. When Questlove was just seven years old, he began drumming on stage at shows, and at the age of 13, he became a musical director.
Education
In terms of his academics, he attended the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia. After completing his high school education, he took jazz and composition classes at the Settlement Music School.
At the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, he met future Boyz II Men members and rising jazz legends Christian McBride and Joey DeFrancesco. Tariq Trotter, a streetwise art student, found powerful support for his freestyle rapping ability in Questlove’s drum rhythms.
Professional Career
Questlove on drums and percussion, Tariq Trotter and Malik B on vocals, Josh Abrams (Rubber Band) on bass (who was replaced by Leonard Hubbard in 1994), and Scott Storch on keyboards soon completed the Roots lineup. While on tour in Germany, the band recorded an album called “Organix,” which was released by Relativity Records in 1993.
The band proceeded to record, releasing two critically lauded albums, “Do You Want More?!!!??!” and “Illadelph Halflife,” in 1995 and 1996, respectively. “Things Fall Apart” (1999), their follow-up album, brought the group’s first gold record and Grammy win for the single “You Got Me.”
Caption: The Roots’s concert (Source: PhillyVoice)
The Roots continued to captivate fans with albums like “Phrenology” (2002), “Game Theory” (2006), “How I Got Over” (2010), and “Undun” (2011), with Questlove and Black Thought providing the backbone to a changing lineup. They also collaborated with Jay-Z on his MTV Unplugged performance in 2001, and with John Legend on his Grammy-winning cover album “Wake Up!” in 2010.
Left the Roots band and joined Soulquarians
Questlove left the Roots in the late 1990s to work with other jazz and soul-influenced artists. Their collective, named the Soulquarians, was heavily involved in the creation of critically acclaimed albums such as Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides (1999), D’Angelo’s Voodoo (2000), and Common’s Like Water for Chocolate (2000).
Caption: Questlove playing drum (Source: MPR News)
In the early 2000s, he was also the musical director for Chappelle’s Show, as well as the executive music producer for projects such as the 2014 Chris Rock film “Top Five.” In addition, he has carved out a prominent side career as a DJ, which allows him to play favorites from his extensive record collection of at least 170,000 records.
Other musical works
He was the executive producer on D’Angelo’s album “Voodoo,” Slum Village’s album “Fantasia, Vol. 2,” and Common’s album “Like Water for Chocolate” in 2000. He joined the Philadelphia Experiment as a drummer in 2001. He also played drums on Christina Aguilera’s “Loving Me 4 Me.” The Roots released “Phrenology” the following year, which went gold.
He was the executive producer on D’Angelo’s album “Voodoo,” Slum Village’s album “Fantasia, Vol. 2,” and Common’s album “Like Water for Chocolate” in 2000. He joined the Philadelphia Experiment as a drummer in 2001. He also played drums on Christina Aguilera’s “Loving Me 4 Me.” The Roots released “Phrenology” the following year, which went gold.
Jimmy Fallon’s House Band
In 2009, The Roots were named the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and in 2014, they were named The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “Things Fall Apart,” their album, has been hailed as a classic.
Before Amy Whitehouse died in July 2011, Questlove was planning to work with her. In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Questlove second among the top 50 Tweeters in Music and eighth among the “Readers’ Pick for Best Drummers of All Time.”
Acting credits and Book
In the year 2000, he played in Bamboozled. After that, he appeared in “Brooklyn Babylon,” “Finding the Funk,” “Top Five,” “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” “Vincent-N-Roxxy,” “Someone Great, and Soul.” Similarly, he was a composer in “Street Time” in 2003.
Following that, he appeared on Chappelle’s Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, VH1 Rock Docs, iCarly, The Cleveland Show, The Eric Andre Show, Roots, Sparkle: A Don Quixote Story, Roots, Sparkle: A Don Quixote Story, and Drunk History.
Questlove published his memoir “Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove in 2013. He has since followed up with more popular books on topics close to his heart, such as Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation (2013), Something To Food About (2016), and Music is History (2021). He is an adjunct professor at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.
Questlove – Awards
Caption: Questlove poses backstage at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with his Academy Award (Source: The Today Show)
Through his profession, he has earned several awards and nominations. He has won six Grammy Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, one Academy Award, and one BAFTAs Award.
Net Worth 2024
As of 2023, Questlove’s net worth is estimated at around $16 million while his salary and income are still under review.
Relationship Status
In terms of his personal life, Questlove is possibly single and unmarried. He has a close relationship with his friends and family. Furthermore, he is not dating anyone. It will be updated if there is any new information about his dating life.
Body Measurements
Caption: Questlove posing for a photo (Source:
The Today Show)
This American singer stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs an average. Looking at his appearance, he has a pair of brown eyes with black hair colour.
Questlove – Social Media
On his Instagram page ‘@questlove’ there are over 2.9 million. Likewise, there are over 3.3 million followers on his Twitter page ‘@questlove’ and over 716k followers on his Facebook.