Book Review: ​Mo’ Meta Blues

Questlove reflects on life, his career, and the art of music.

By Aazim Jafarey

 

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson wears many hats (metaphorically, of course; his impressive afro nullifies any need for head decoration): co-founder and prolific drummer of legendary hip-hop band (and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon cornerstone), The Roots, highly-esteemed producer, DJ, music journalist, and more. As a result, his musical knowledge is perhaps unparalleled in both its scope and depth. And yet, on the cover of his brilliant new memoir Mo’ Meta Blues, he is depicted as merely a shadow: his face, beard, and a comb jutting from his afro are all outlined in black against a white background. This rather bland design is juxtaposed against Questlove’s afro, which is adorned with psychedelic question marks, outlined in piercing shades of blue, green, orange, and yellow.

As confusing as this cover idea may seem, the art fits the book perfectly. Unlike most hip-hop memoirs, Questlove’s book is not merely an autobiography. Sure, Mo’ Meta Blues is filled with plenty of anecdotes: of his youth, of The Roots’ formative years, of collaborating with and meeting other acclaimed musicians, such as J Dilla and D’Angelo. If the memoir was composed solely of these tales it would still be a compelling read; after all, who doesn’t want to read about late-night figure skating with Prince and Eddie Murphy or Tracy Morgan’s unmatched craziness? Yet what truly makes Mo’ Meta Blues a must-read is its author’s reflectiveness. Much of the book takes place in Questlove’s thoughts, and it is clear that his eclectic mind is a busy place. He frequently espouses novel theories; at one point, for instance, he refers to the 1995 Source Awards as “hip-hop’s funeral.”

His contemplative nature is not only fixated on external affairs; as the title suggests, Questlove takes a ‘meta’ approach to his writing. He meditates on what it means to write a memoir – what stories he should tell, how much of a particular anecdote he should reveal, etc. Not only does he acknowledge that Mo’ Meta Blues is an unconventional book, he actively highlights it. Indeed, the uniqueness of Questlove’s approach is even evident in the way the book is formatted; the first few chapters are structured as a rich Q&A session between the acclaimed drummer and longtime Roots manager and producer Rich Nichols, who later adds commentary via footnotes. At times, the two disagree over the facts of a story, or reach differing conclusions as to its meaning. These inconsistencies, which would likely be avoided in most other memoirs, are fully embraced. In other chapters, email exchanges between co-author Ben Greenman and his editor are reprinted with no further commentary, providing an outside look at Questlove, his busy schedule, and the making of the book itself.

Questlove’s passion for music is remarkable – at one point he reveals that whenever The Roots finish an album he writes a mock Rolling Stone review predicting the score and comments that the work will receive – and Mo’ Meta Blues shines because of it. Music is, quite simply, Questlove’s life and he makes sure to give it a voice in Mo’ Meta Blues. He frequently makes allusions to songs, artists, and albums, and even has a recurring segment called “Quest Loves Records” in which he touches on the most important records of each year of his youth.

Quest states plainly at the very beginning that he does not want his memoir to be an “average book,” and with the help of his unique musical perspective and entertaining anecdotes he fully succeeds.

Aazim Jafarey is a junior at Columbia University majoring in Urban Studies. Originally hailing from the Greater Boston area where he graduated from Phillips Academy, Aazim is an avid music listener and hip-hop enthusiast. In his spare time, he is a freelance rapper who records under the pseudonym, Lucid Dreams. You can check out his music at soundcloud.com/iseelucidly and can contact him at [email protected].