Ahmir-Khalib Thompson

Questlove, born Ahmir Khalib Thompson in Philadelphia, is a drummer, DJ, record producer, filmmaker and actor best known as the joint frontman of the hip-hop group the Roots. He grew up around his parents' doo-wop shows, filled in on drums for his father's band at 12, and founded the Square Roots with Tariq Trotter while in high school; the group released Organix in 1993 and later became the Roots. Their 1999 single You Got Me won a Grammy, and Things Fall Apart went platinum. He has produced albums for D'Angelo, Common, Jay-Z and others, and since 2014 the Roots have backed The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He produced the 2015 Broadway cast album of Hamilton, and his directorial debut, Summer of Soul, a documentary on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature plus a BAFTA and a Grammy. He has written several books and hosts the podcast Questlove Supreme.