The Musical Movement We Don't Talk About Enough

In the late 90s, Questlove helped found a collective of musicians and artists including D'Angelo, James Poyser, J Dilla, Erykah Badu, Common, Bilal, and others like Q Tip, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Pino Palladino.

They were dubbed, somewhat accidentally, the "Soulquarians" and this collection of albums is some of the best music ever recorded and has influenced so much music, in completely other genres since.

Today I'm talking all about the Soulquarians, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Common, J Dilla, The Roots etc, diving into specifics of their recording process, some of the albums, their influence since, and how all throughout Questlove knew what he had to do to make it big: build a music scene

SOURCES
Here are the primary sources I consulted for the facts of this video:

Get the vinyl of these albums:

That interview also features Questlove talking about the fact that other groups had music scenes around them, and The Roots didn't.

One other correction: Questlove's moniker doesn't trace back to A Tribe Called Quest. Re-reading through his book, I realize I misunderstood the wording.

Topics:
Soulquarians
Questlove
Erykah Badu
Common
The Roots
D'Angelo
Voodoo
Like Water For Chocolate
Mama's Gun
J Dilla
Jay Dee
Things Fall Apart
Neo Soul

[diggingthegreats]

To clarify some poor wording on my part: when I say that The Roots were "hip hop outcasts" what I mean is, especially for the time, a hip hop band was uncommon (though not unheard of). They were doing things very differently than the East Coast, West Coast, and South scenes of the time. This isn't a sleight against The Roots - It's just explaining the problem that reaches it's climax at the Source Awards. This idea is in line with the quote below:

Another clarification: "hip hop was one thing, and then there was The Roots": I am NOT saying that I don't consider The Roots to be hip hop. I'm pulling this idea from Questlove himself from his book "Music is History". He explains in the chapter "1997" how around 2006 Nas saw the Roots play and was blown away, but Quest realized it was because he had never actually heard them before. "This was always my biggest fear, that we were Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and here was proof. Hip-Hop still hadn't listened to us."

I should have explained this clearer, and included my source directly before making a claim that invokes such a knee jerk reaction. It's not about personal taste or me trying to say what is and isn't hip hop, so my apologies if that's how it came off. But The Roots were a different thing and didn't feel accepted by hip hop during this time.

[PatoNani]

Neo-Soul will be forever my favourite R&B subgenre. Smooth, relaxed and genius.

[EGrif-srii]

He forgot about Raphael Saddiq who was also part of The Soulquarians. He produced some major classics for D'Angelo, Bilal, Erykah, Q Tip and The Roots.

[musamusashi]

What a moment in music history.
Soulquarians for life.

[KevinOMalleyisonlysmallreally]

Jill Scott, Mos Def, Qwali, and Common don't get enough love when the soulquarians come up

[jassybird]

Without even realising it, I've accumulated a playlist over the years that involve all these people. I had no idea, while the indescribable yet familiar feeling it gave me, that they were this connected. A history lesson I very much appreciate, really cool to see.

[alexdesforges]

This video was so well put together and entertaining. Huge fan of Dilla, Questlove, D’angelo and Badu but never knew about how all their stories weee this closely linked. Great video, defo deserves waaaayyyy more views!

[mr.raincat]

As a South Korean, D'Angelo was the gateway for me to find my inner neo-soul. Feel like makin' love and Untitled still hit me like no other.

[BGeezysheezy]

D’Angelo’s “Voodoo” is one of the greatest albums ever made. The music on that takes me to another place entirely

[brandonburton]

What I truly appreciate is how you have weaved musical context in with the hip hop historiography that is Questlove. Everyone should read his books. Because they are incredible.

[perrysaunders]

I wish this style of Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz and Neo Soul was still in style today. Soulful, Afrocentric and Conscious.

[truthserum]

Alternatively called “Neo-Soul”
Truly one of the GREATEST period of music of all time! Also DJ Jazzy Jeff heavily influenced, discovered and produced many artist. PHILLY!! ✨

[kevinmcdaniel]

Q-Tip and ATCQ's influence on not only Hip-Hop but on Neo Soul can't be overstated. It's one of the foundations that Neo Soul was built on.

[novacorps]

The Roots did come from somewhere, Philly and it's amazing music scene. This was the time of neo soul, also mostly all from Philly. Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Vivian Greene, Jazmine Sullivan, Bilal, Zhane, and of course the Roots.

[dylanlegarda]

Roy Hargrove’s ‘Hard Groove’ is a criminally underrated Soulaquarians record. It has D’angelo, Common, Pino Palladino, James Poyser and more. One of the best tracks, ‘Poetry’ has Q-Tip and Erykah Badu in it

[jsoul]

I lived this whole movement. Meeting Questlove, Bilal, Jill, Musiq, Erykah has a painting of mines from back then, Common took the 1 photo i have with her. Dilla became a muse. I never got to meet him, but oddly enough me and his moms (Ma Dukes) are friends to this day. She even appeared in one of my music videos. I remember going to the concerts, and eventually performing at the Black Lilly. This whole time period birthed me. I feel so fortunate. Im a musician NOW because of it. I am forever grateful. Alot of great stories. Good job on the vid.

[ManicallyMellow]

In the late 90's there was a club in Barcelona called Jamboree that exclusively played Soulquarian, Slum Village, and Dilla records after the live jazz finished by midnight. I went with three of my friends who all ended up drunk and falling out with each other over who was hooking with me later on. Hearing that music you knew it was on a level you just hadn't heard anywhere before it was sonic. Looking back now i feel lucky to have caught that moment as it was happening.. even if it did involve friends getting a bit too turned on by it.

[AuthorLHollingsworth]

Neo Soul is still my favorite music of the late 90's and early 2000's. Each artist had their own style, and the sound will never end for me.

[larrymcmillan]

The Soulquarians had to be the most Innovative Musical Collective in my time so far, and I'm going on 45. Probably the most exciting collective to ever record at Electric Ladyland Studios.

[rickeykoga]

Wait what??? These artists impacted my life tremendously and I can't believe they were connected thru Quest. Never stop documenting this history my guy