Questlove’s life, career, subject of ‘What Had Happened Was’ podcast

The Roots drummer will discuss his career with podcast host-creator Open Mike Eagle on the show's fourth season.

Open Mike Eagle will examine the life and career of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson for his “What Had Happened Was” podcast. The rapper will interview The Roots’ drummer-bandleader for the podcast’s fourth season.

Throughout the season, Open Mike Eagle will speak with Thompson about many topics surrounding his career. One of the many focus areas will be creating The Roots’ first four albums; “Organix (1993), “Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995),” “Illadelph Halflife (1996),” and “Things Fall Apart (1999).”

In addition, Thompson will also speak with Open Mike Eagle about his rise as an artist. He will share stories about his career and creative collaborators, including Roots frontman Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Jill Scott, D’Angelo, and the late J Dilla.

Hilton Honors Experiences Pre-Party with Questlove
Questlove joined Hilton Honors for an exclusive event to kick off the “Roots Picnic” on June 1, 2023, at The Logan Philadelphia, Curio Collection by Hilton in Philadelphia. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Hilton Honors)

Thompson is one of entertainment’s most notable and recognizable multi-hyphenates. As a musician and producer, he’s won six Grammy Awards. In 2021, Thompson made his directorial debut with the concert film documentary, “Summer of Soul,” which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. He authors several works and launched the book publishing company AUWA Books in March.

The Roots are the house band for “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” Thompson and the Roots crew have played for Fallon since 2009, starting with “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Fallon and The Roots took over “The Tonight Show” in 2014.

Thompson also hosts his own podcast, “Questlove Supreme.” He and his co-hosts interview a wide array of guests with forensically detailed questions, including Will Smith, Bill Clinton, Biz Markie, and Jermaine Dupri, leading them to a Podcast of the Year win at the iHeartPodcast Awards in March.

Season 4 of “What Had Happened Was” will premiere on Oct. 11, with a new episode dropping each week. It can be streamed on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

Open Mike Eagle launched “What Had Happened Was” as the flagship podcast of his own network, Stony Island Audio. The first three seasons each concentrated on an individual figure in hip-hop: DJ-producer Prince Paul, rapper-producer and Run The Jewels member El-P, and A&R-producer Dante Ross.

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