The documentary on Sly Pierre de Questlove confronts the “Black Genius burden”: NPR

Even Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is struggling with the Impost syndrome. The conductor awarded Grammy Award for roots says that the feeling was particularly acute in 2021, when his documentary Summer of the soul Was nominated for dozens of prices, including the Oscar.

“Even if my experience with Summer of the soul was one of the most magical and transformer moments of my life … There is a fear of winning, because if you succeed too much, you are a supporter is such a nightmare for most blacks. “”

The alienation of success – in particular with regard to black artists – is one of the themes that Questlove explores in his new documentary, Sneaky lives! (aka the burden of black genius). The film focuses on Sly Stone, a funk musician who directed Sly & The Family Stone in the 1960s and 1970s.

The group’s tubes, including “Everyday People”, “Dance to the Music” and “Family Affair”, had a deep influence on music and culture. “Sly will invent the alphabet for which most pop and R&B or black music will write for the next 60 years,” explains Questlove. “We always write about his dictionary to date.”

But success has wreaked havoc on Sly, and he fought with glory and drugs: “As for most black artists, the guilt of being elected, the guilt of being the kind of winner takes place , and Sly will be in a way the first domino in a long list of people who will sabotage a good thing, “said Questlove. “And so that’s what this film explores, as, why we are clogging?”

Questlove says he called the documentary Sneaky lives! Because he wanted fans to know that the musical pioneer has been clean for almost a decade and that he is doing well.

“He has a daily and normal existence, as if he plays with his grandchildren,” explains Questlove. “Being normal, being human, not being the scary black guy, not being the overexualized person, but just a normal, relatable and daily person. For me, it’s the dream.”

Strengths of the interview

By writing sly, the success of 1967 “Dance to the Music” is sarcastic

What people do not know is that Sly has essentially considered “dance to the music” her song with closed counters. Sly had released this really intelligent first album entitled A whole new thingWho is probably my favorite album of all his canon. But it was far too verbose, too intelligent, far too cheesy, just ahead of his time that only a few hung on. And the rejection of this album is sort of depressed and its label said: “Listen, you do too much. You have to simplify it. People are not as intelligent as you. Guy in the room, be a relatable guy in The room.

And in a way in a very bitter and full way, he says: “Very well, well, people want to dance to music. Very good.” And so he did something very sarcastic. … But what Sly does not realize is that, in the very sarcastic way and bitter fingers of the bitter environment, he includes everyone and the people who seize it. And so “Dance to the Music” is one of these accidental songs n ° 1 that he did not intend to catch up.

On the 1969 song “stand!” With the blow of the pause at the end

I think in a way that it was Sly’s wink to the black community, because at that time, Sly was a hit pop, but he really did not have a lot of figures for his black audience , as when he got out of the first box, his white audience immediately hung on to him. I know with some black artists, even if it is tacit, one of the burden of black genius is sometimes, as, the burden of being the favorite black person of whites. It is, as, a mark of shame like: “guy, I must first do my people well before the rest of the world loves me.”

So, I have almost the impression that with a kind of code change, he wanted to add a game to this song that really made say that blacks said: “Ok, he is always with us.” You know? So he adds this really great part at the end which really solidifies his genius.

On sly as a musical pioneer

Sly is the first person to use a rhythm machine. Sly is the pioneer of the room, the musician of all-terrain. There is the pressure to feed the machine, to write the blows of victory. There is the idea of ​​what you are in relation to who you really are. Over the generations, Sly could not do it. And when he drops the stick, there was someone in the wings waiting to pick up this stick, and at the time, this person was 12 years old and the name of this person was Michael Joseph Jackson. So Michael Jackson will eventually pick up the relay of what should have happened to Sly.

Then, 10 years later, in 1982, Michael himself will pass the same process of being the elected official, to be the God, to be the unifying, to be the center of attention, then suddenly, He will find himself on a kind of a hamster wheel of perfection. And it happens to everyone: Prince, Whitney Houston. It is this level of pressure that we put on themselves. And there is simply no space for humanity in entertainment, but especially in black entertainment. So I have the impression that the time has come to have this conversation … in particular with blacks, (because) we are now in a space where we are open to things like discussion on therapy and health mental.

On pressure, sneaky confronted with the response to the movement of civil rights

The messaging of his music has always been encouraging, always a cheerle of justice and a positivity cheerfulness. And unfortunately, even if the music talked about this optimism, inside, it was sort of collapsed to the seams because there is a pressure – or a burden – that is why we call it “the Burry of black genius “, there is a burden when you put yourself in this position where they often have to offer solutions or answers for the reasons why society is the way it is.

On Sly’s music becoming “darker” and move into funk

What is going on late is for each time the pressure is on swimming to prove his “darkness”, the more successful he gets, his only answer is to create “darker” music. … The ultimate will be his fifth album, which is There is a riot that goesThat each critic saliva on this album as “Oh My God is the most surprising funk album of all time.” Yes, this is Funk’s very first album, but for me, it’s probably 41 of the most painful and documented minutes in the life of a creator. For example, he is clearly someone who does not want to participate in his trip. I hear someone crying for help, but because the music is so great and so breathtaking, we end up fetishing his art and you don’t see the pain. …

It is certainly not only the story of Sly Stone. This is the story of anyone I worked with. This is the story of Frank Ocean or Lauryn Hill or Dave Chappelle, Kanye West. Like all those who have already been mired in difficulty. Whoever you ask, like: “Why are they doing this?” Like, everyone goes through there.

Ann Marie Baldonado and Anna Bauman produced and published this interview for Broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Jacob Ganz adapted it for the web.