Music Is History

Written by Questlove and Ben Greenman

Narrated by Questlove

A New York Times bestseller, Music Is History combines multi–Grammy Award winner Questlove’s deep musical expertise with his curiosity about history, examining America over the past fifty years.

Focusing on the years 1971 to the present, Questlove finds the hidden connections in the American tapestry, whether investigating how the blaxploitation era reshaped Black identity or considering the way disco took an assembly line approach to Black genius.
And these critical inquiries are complemented by his own memories as a music fan, and the way his appetite for pop culture taught him about America.

A history of the last half-century and an intimate conversation with one of music’s most influential and original voices, Music Is History is a singular look at contemporary America.

“An entertaining, informative and far-reaching work, meticulously excavating American culture and history with the eye of a seasoned cratedigger.”—Washington Post

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781980095286

Questlove

Questlove is a drummer, DJ, producer, culinary entrepreneur, designer, New York Times bestselling and James Beard Award–nominated author, and cofounder of Philadelphia’s most influential hip-hop group, the Roots. He is the musical director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where the Roots serve as the house band, and a four-time Grammy Award–winning musician. He is also an adjunct professor at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. 

Reviews for Music Is History

[andy5185 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ah, Questlove rocks my world. I have always loved his musicianship, but this book is a testament to his deep love of music origins and the part it is has played culturally and historically over the years. I am about the same age and I agreed with so many of his thoughts, but was also schooled on how to look at certain music and its influences. I created a playlist for all of the songs he talks about and loved listening to it with his thoughts in mind. Lovers of contemporary music history of the past 50 years or so should check this out.

[andjhostet-527429 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this, Questlove details the link between music and history. Both how it relates to world history, as well as his own personal history, going year by year of his life to explain historical and musical events. Sometimes it can be a bit rambly, I wish it were more focused at times. I was also a little disappointed that the last 20 years (the most relevant to me) were condensed to one single chapter.

He has great tastes, and I've been exploring a LOT of new albums because of him, there are over 500 songs mentioned in this book.

[jscape2000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I delight. I wish I had read it with the spotify playlist open.

[bodagirl · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I just could not focus on this book. It was an interesting concept but I got lost between Questlove's switching back and forth between historical facts, historical theory, musical history and musical theory.