What Had Happened Was

Between WHHW seasons we're introducing What Had Happened Once, one-off interviews showcasing the history and legacy of rap music. This is a live conversation with Dr. Todd Boyd aka The Notorious PHD from the Chicago Humanities Festival 2024 on his new book Rapper's Deluxe, a full flavored re-contextualization of hip hop history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The season finale of the podcast concludes the story of The Roots' album 'Things Fall Apart' and explores the infamous Soulquarian photo shoot featuring Questlove, Mos Def, Q-Tip, Dilla, and Erykah Badu. It discusses the start and end of the Soulquarian movement, reflections on changing perceptions, and a chaotic concert with Kanye West that led to leaving room for future discussions.

In this episode of our season-long sitdown with Questlove we dig even deper into the creation of Things Fall Apart starting with the conclusion of the You Got Me sage then unpacking album highlights like Act Too (Love of my Life) featuring Common and Doube Trouble featuring Yasiin Bey fka Mos Def. The latter story containing a retelling of the moment Questlove knew he needed to level-up his production following a link-up with Dilla, Q-Tip, DJ Premier and The Alchemist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode explores the stories behind songs from The Roots album 'Things Fall Apart', including the difficulty of creating the hit single 'You Got Me'. They discuss encountering Jill Scott and her replacement by Erykah Badu on the song. The chapter also touches on the concept of survival, the creation of 'Step into the Room', mixing and cooking experiences, creating music for a record, and a battle between Jill's version and Erykah's version of a song.

The podcast discusses The Roots' breakthrough album 'Things Fall Apart' and the creation of the Philadelphia open mic scene. Guests Jill Scott and Musiq Soulchild share their experiences from legendary jam sessions. Questlove, the superproducer from Detroit, is introduced to Dilla, leading to a new sound. The speakers also explore topics like hip hop therapy, finding an audience, and the influence of fashion on their youth.

Questlove concludes the story of The Roots' Illadelph Halflife album with the fallout from their breakthrough single 'What They Do'. The episode explores the impact of the Source Awards in 1995, their admiration for D'Angelo, finishing the album and releasing the single, the power of therapy, creating a music video, and their experience with MTV and Biggie.

Questlove shares the story behind the underground single Clones and how Chicago's Common became involved. The Fugees and The Roots push each other to excellence on stage. Discussion on the ego and musical process during the album creation. The Jazzy Fat Nasties, a lost album, and a snowstorm getaway driver story. Malek's studio involvement and memories of Fatin's contributions. The Roots and Fuji's co-headlining concert and anticipation leading up to it.

Questlove takes us back to 1994 to discuss the creation of The Roots' Illadelph Halflife album and the controversial direction change it brought. They explore their sound influences, the meaning behind the album title, and their struggle to get their music played on radio. They also touch on therapy, the origins of their production company's name, and their financial situation after closing the budget on their previous album.

The conclusion of 'Do You Want More?!!!??!' reveals how The Roots met Rahzel the human beatbox, their first improvised session together, and the epic ending with Ursula Rucker's poem. Also, learn about the challenges in the music industry, female empowerment, hip-hop's influence on pop culture, and the release of their album 'Distortion Static'.

Questlove continues the story of The Roots' album 'Do You Want More?!!!??!', highlighting the creation of their breakthrough single, their experience with audio engineer Bob Power, and Black Thought's amazing rap prowess.