Questlove is opening up about mental health and what he wishes he could have done for some of his past collaborators who were struggling.
During a Q&A following a screening of his latest directorial effort, the documentary SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), the musician and Oscar-winning filmmaker compared Sly Stone’s fall from fame in the ’70s to the pressures Black artists often face. Questlove (real name: Amir Thompson) said he’s witnessed the breakdown of many musicians he’s worked with on their journey to “making it.”
“Maybe one of them I think turned out okay,” Questlove, 54, said, referencing 12 artists he worked alongside at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. “The thing is, it’s very jarring that 11 people that I’ve worked with in that studio, there’s always a sabotage, panic, career-ruining moment that happens with them.”
“I often wish I could have an intervention talk,” he added.
When crafting the unconventional music documentary, Questlove said the artists he had in mind included SZA, Solange, Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill and “literally everyone.”
Questlove said the film “is probably the closest that I could get to a press the panic button for every artist I’ve ever worked with.”
He added that he isn’t exempt from destructive behavior in response to the pressures of fame, which is why he previously didn’t feel compelled to intervene.
“The way that I overwork, the way that I overeat, like I panic. It’s worse than, you know, worse than he [Stone] does,” Questlove continued. “But, you know, my vices don’t seem as drastic as angel dust or whatever.”
When he was no longer performing in 2020, Questlove said he spent time doing therapy work, where he’s been “kicking the can down the road,” and he implored others to tend to their own mental health.
The latest documentary project for Questlove, who previously directed 2021’s Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul and well as January’s Ladies and Gentleman… 50 Years of SNL Music, charts the traectory of Sly Stone, leader of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame funk-rock band Sly and the Family Stone. The group was known for late-’60s and early ’70s hits like “Everyday People” and “Family Affair,” and Stone, now 81, infamously struggled with substance abuse for decades.
With the film’s 2025 release, Questlove said SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) comes when “minds will be ripe for it” and “we’re on the right track.”
“A lot more artists might hopefully see this and really start asking those questions and going with it and working on themselves,” he said.
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) will be available for streaming Feb. 13 on Hulu.
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