Before our forever first lady Michelle Obama hit the road for her Becoming book tour, she turned to one music impresario to get the crowd hype: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.
The Philly native is not only one of the co-founders of The Roots, but Questlove is also a DJ, producer, author, and avowed music nerd. And Thompson is responsible for the music pumping through the areas before Mrs. Obama hits the stage.
Titled The Michelle Obama Musiaqualogy, Questlove compiled over 300 songs into three volumes of music to match each stage of life Mrs. Obama spoke about in her memoir, Becoming.
The former first lady said she picked Thompson to curate the super intimate soundtrack because “life’s a little better when we live it to Questlove’s beat.”
“Like a lot of people, I connect many of my memories with the songs and melodies I was listening to at the time,” Mrs. Obama added.
“From the jazz and Stevie Wonder of my childhood, to Prince and Earth, Wind & Fire as I came into my own as an adult, to Beyoncé, Janelle Monáe, and so many others who provided the stirring backbeats of my time in the White House – music has always been a defining part of who I’ve become,” she continued in a statement.
“That’s why I’m so thankful to Questlove for curating these playlists and infusing them with his signature style. Life’s a little better when we live it to Questlove’s beat.”
Thompson has released all three volumes of The Michelle Obama Musiaqualogy on Pandora and Spotify. Mrs. Obama will sit down with him to chat about her book and her favorite tunes on Thompson’s podcast, Questlove Supreme.
