Questlove was blown away when Kendrick Lamar referenced The Roots in the “squabble up” video.
Questlove sat down with Jennifer Hudson, who mentioned just how influential The Roots have been to music, including for Lamar.
“I was so shocked because the way that people told me—I woke up to 30 K Dot texts,” Questlove told her. “I thought, ‘Oh no.’ …I thought it was something else. And they were like, ‘No, he paid tribute to y’all in this video.’”
He said he was surprised because The Roots are “ubiquitous,” explaining that they’re “not super mainstream, but we’re niche, but we’re not overexposed popular.”
He added, “It’s hard to tell where we fit in the scheme of things. It’s an honor but it’s also a surprise when you see people acknowledging you after all this time.”
Last November, Dot dropped off the CALMATIC-directed “squabble up” video, which recreates the set of The Roots’ 1999 music video for “The Next Movement.” At the time, many believed it was a nod to Questlove’s comments about Kenny and Drake’s beef from last year. When Questlove caught wind of Lamar’s homage, he shared his thoughts in an Instagram post and thanked the GNX rapper for paying tribute to something Q thought “no one saw or cared about.”
Last May, Questlove reacted to Kendrick and Drizzy’s infamous beef on IG, writing, “Nobody Won The War.”
“This wasn’t about skill,” he continued. “This was a wrestling match level mudslinging and takedown by any means necessary—women & children (& actual facts) be damned. Same audience wanting blood will soon put up ‘rip’ posts like they weren’t part of the problem. Hip Hop Is Truly Dead.”
