The Roots’ drummer Questlove has taken to Instagram to honour his friend Prince by offering up 40 reasons why the late musician was a legitimate hip hop pioneer.
Questlove’s ’40 reasons’ Instagram post (below) comes in response to hip hop magazine The Source recently putting Prince on their front cover. Beginning his post, Questlove writes, “First I chuckled cause well — okay it’s been a min since I saw The Source but after I pondered — yeah it made sense.”
Then, Questlove goes all out with 40 — count em’, 40!! — reasons why Prince is so important to hip hop, including number six, “takes fashion taboos & makes them mainstream and acceptable”; number 29, “Parental Advisory was invented because of him”; and number 33, “had an MTV mansion/compound long before anyone did”.
Damn straight!
Prior to his ’40 reasons’ post, Questlove paid tribute to Prince by playing a section of the animated film Finding Nemo during a DJ set in Brooklyn, New York, which he did for good reason. He has also spoken about Prince’s legacy and influence on episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
A private ceremony was held for Prince at a Jehovah’s Witness temple earlier this month, with a public memorial planned for August.
Catch Questlove’s 40 reasons alongside his original Instagram post, below.
40 Reasons Why Prince Was A Hip Hop Pioneer, According To Questlove
1) came from troubled home
2) limited access to music forces him to create his own world of music
3) Overcame Poverty
4) creates fictional background tales to keep the press guessing
5) lives by the DIY creed
6) takes fashion taboos & makes them mainstream and acceptable
7) cock blocks & steals yo lady on the low (ask Rick)
8) puts his crew on—get them deals & makes them stars
9) pretty much wrote the book on gettin some better than any of his contemporaries
10) had beef w his peers who hated on him
11) invented the remix (not disco edits, but reimagining the album version)
12) played mystery card—let us think what we wanted—gave the press middle finger
13) ghostwrote for everyone
14) used mad aliases
15) refused 2 b ordinary & eschewed the proper English language as a ways 2 communicate
16) knew the B side wins again and again
17) used the exotic honey to his advantage
18) used his music to give his views on the po po, politicians, gun control, war, god, squares & “the man”
19) turned a long music video into a revolution
20) best drum machine programmer ever
21) used synthesizers as a way of life
22) could make an entire album in less than a week
23) balled so hard in Paris & other parts of France—so he made a film about it
24) cut his crew off and got a new crew
25) went all hippie like it was nothing
26) made dis records
27) never wifed em, mostly replaced em
28) started his own label
29) Parental Advisory was invented because of him
30) made a Black Album w a chip on shoulder to prove to black people he was still bad
31) plays sports better than u
32) had mad songs in the stash
33) had an MTV mansion/compound long before anyone did
34) changed looks constantly
35) dropped music on the net in record time
36) looked out for his peeps on the low doing benefits and raising money like a modern day Robin Hood
37) tries taking on the man for his complete freedom
38) couldn’t tell him NOTHING
39) always escaped into thin air
40) left us way too early #PrinceRogersNelson #HipHopPioneer
