The Questlove Show builds on the award-winning Questlove Supreme podcast, bringing listeners into intimate, one-on-one conversations with peers, influences, and friends. Hosted by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, each episode uncovers the unexpected — from morning rituals and hidden talents to the art and experiences that shaped a guest’s journey. Sometimes playful, sometimes profound, always curious, QLS offers rare insight into leaders in music, film, television, comedy, literature, mental health, and beyond. It’s a fresh, unpredictable spin from a trusted source — a place where randomness is encouraged, tangents are welcomed, and conversations are anything but ordinary.


The Questlove Show

Bruce Hornsby joined Questlove Supreme in 2020 for a deep-dive that went way beyond &ldquo;The Way It Is,&rdquo; tracing his late-blooming journey from Virginia jock to conservatory-trained improviser to unlikely pop star. Bruce broke down how playing with The Grateful Dead rewired his approach to live performance, why he&rsquo;d spent decades upsetting soft-core fans, and how a small-town Southern upbringing informed his blunt (and progressive) songwriting about race and class. He shared wild, personal stories about mentoring Allen Iverson, getting discovered by Michael McDonald, and being the piano heartbeat behind (fellow QLS guest) Bonnie Raitt&rsquo;s &ldquo;I Can&rsquo;t Make You Love Me.&rdquo; Hornsby also talked about doing (fellow QLS guest) Spike Lee scores, his modern Classical influences, and why he&rsquo;d rather chase new harmonic territory than nostalgia. It was a rare, funny, and candid portrait of a virtuoso who kept reinventing himself&mdash;even as his most famous song found new life with artists from 2Pac to Polo G.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

QLS Classic: Bruce Hornsby

In this Questlove Show mini episode, Open Mike Eagle and Cousin Jake unpack their recent sit-down with legendary producer&nbsp;DJ Muggs. They explore Muggs&rsquo; evolution from boom-bap architect to self-mastered, independent creator who&mdash;as he told Ahmir&mdash;built his own musical universe. The conversation digs into the so-called &ldquo;drumless&rdquo; beats wave, how lowering drums in the mix opens new space for MCs, and what artistic maturity and freedom really look like after decades in the game. Along the way, the two QLS affliates touch on some highlights and key points from the episode, and the power of real, in-person collaboration in Hip-Hop.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

A Reaction To The DJ Muggs Episode Of The Questlove Show

De La Soul&rsquo;s Maseo sits down with Questlove for an unfiltered deep dive into his Hip-Hop journey, his approach to deejaying, and the making of a true original. From volatile days in Brooklyn and Long Island to early block parties and the creation of classics like &ldquo;Me Myself and I,&rdquo; &ldquo;Afro Connections,&rdquo; and the epic &ldquo;Cool Breeze on the Rocks&rdquo; splice session, Mase breaks down the art, risk, and innovation behind De La&rsquo;s catalog. He explains how a skipping record sparked a 20-minute freestyle, how an eight-second guitar pedal became his first sampler, and how the same laugh he was once teased about eventually became a defining element of Gorillaz&rsquo; &ldquo;Feel Good Inc.&rdquo; Plug 3 also opens up about the Nitro Tour, navigating music-industry politics, pioneering De La&rsquo;s Kickstarter era, and processing the loss of Dave while keeping the group&rsquo;s legacy alive.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Maseo of De La Soul

Back in late 2019, Seth Rogen joined Questlove Supreme in-studio to trace his journey from Vancouver teen comic and Superbad writer to Hollywood multi-hyphenate, unpacking weed culture, comedy craft, and the struggles and rewards of making big, risky movies.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

QLS Classic: Seth Rogen

The LEGENDARY DJ Cash Money joins Questlove live from the 2026 Roots Picnic at Philadelphia&rsquo;s historic Belmont Plateau for a mini masterclass on the city&rsquo;s turntablism legacy. A renowned turntable wizard, collector, and beacon of Philly Hip-Hop history, Cash traces the city&rsquo;s evolution from Grandmaster Nell and Cosmic Kev at Hotel Philadelphia to the birth of the Transformer scratch at Central High&mdash;breaking down how Philly quietly rewrote the rules of the DJ. Cash also traces his own evolution from house party selector to technical innovator, inspired by Latin Rascals edits, Gemini mixers, and his own dancer&rsquo;s sense of rhythm. Along the way, he reveals the wild story behind his &ldquo;Pump Me Up&rdquo; routine, which later found its way into Public Enemy&rsquo;s &ldquo;Fight the Power&rdquo; and the Def Comedy Jam theme. This mini-episode is merely an appetizer for a much bigger discussion to come.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

DJ Cash Money Backstage At The Roots Picnic

Questlove sits down with R&B icon Eric Ben&eacute;t for a deeply human, wildly musical conversation tracing the singer&rsquo;s journey from Milwaukee family harmonies to gold plaques and Grammy nominations. Ben&eacute;t opens up about early sonic imprints like Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, and &ldquo;Wichita Lineman,&rdquo; his Alabama and Mobile roots, and how discovering Questlove&rsquo;s own lineage story reshaped the way he thinks about ancestry, Haiti, and spirituality. The two dig into Prince vs. Michael Jackson, a legendary James Brown clip, and what it really meant to grow up in Milwaukee during the Jeffrey Dahmer years. Ben&eacute;t breaks down his path from band life to major labels, the making and shelving of Better and Better, how David Foster and Dean Parks helped shape Hurricane, and why songs like &ldquo;Spend My Life With You&rdquo; and &ldquo;Sometimes I Cry&rdquo; never get old on stage.&nbsp;Along the way, the longtime friends talk vocal maintenance, the emotional cost of fame, the rise of Neo-Soul, and what Ben&eacute;t would tell his 16-year-old self. Ben&eacute;t's latest single, "Who's Gonna Save Us," is newly available now.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Eric Benét

According to our Questlove, Australian powerhouse The Avalanches&mdash;Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi&mdash;single-handedly changed his perspective on how music could be made and delivered. Their acclaimed album, Since I Left You, not only &ldquo;cracked our skulls open,&rdquo; it remains one of Quest&rsquo;s &ldquo;top 10 albums of ALL time.&rdquo; For two decades, the duo has left no stone unturned in mastering the art of building an entire sonic landscape from the ground up. So how do they do it? And, perhaps more importantly, why?&nbsp;Listen as The Avalanches break it all down on this week&rsquo;s episode. They weigh in on how many samples were used, how Prince Paul was an inspiration, and why sometimes archaic technology is more preferred than the cutting edge. Listen back to this classic QLS episode recorded in 2021, during the height of the pandemic.&nbsp;See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

QLS Classic: The Avalanches

Questlove is back to answer another batch of listener questions. This mailbag edition with Ahmir and Cousin Jake dives into recent episodes while revisiting classic Roots and Dilla history. Quest' clarifies a detail from <a href="https://tr.ee/Y4PQLwIxBg">the recent DJ Muggs episode</a>, agreeing that Muggs essentially pioneered Hip-Hop's dark, dusty psychedelic sound. He also unpacks the backstory behind Phrenology's "roll call" segment, explaining how a reclaimed Slum Village beat, Ursula Rucker, and an exhaustive Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists inspired Justin Warfield's memorable closing shout-out. Elsewhere, Quest reflects on the Electric Circus sessions with Common and shares his perspective on J Dilla during the Welcome 2 Detroit era. The episode closes with some personal history connected to Philly dialect. Want to get your question on the show? <a href="https://www.podpage.com/questlove-supreme/">Contact us through QuestloveSupreme.com</a>.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Questlove Reaches Into The Mailbag & Answers - August 6

Legendary music journalist and MTV News icon Kurt Loder joins Questlove in the studio for a deep dive into the evolution of rock criticism, music journalism, and pop culture. Loder traces his journey from his early days covering Janis Joplin and Captain Beefheart to his era-defining work at Rolling Stone and MTV News, sharing firsthand memories of punk at CBGB, Prince, and the rise of Hip-Hop into the mainstream. Kurt opens up about writing Rolling Stone's first major Rap review, chronicling Tina Turner's life and remarkable comeback in book form, and navigating the ethics, responsibility, and influence of the critic's pen. Questlove and Loder also unpack the line between fandom and objectivity, the danger of snap judgments, and how artists like Prince, James Brown, and Joni Mitchell redefined the possibilities of pop music. This episode is a masterclass in music history, criticism, and culture, told by one of <a href="https://x.com/kurt_loder">the most trusted voices ever to cover it</a>.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Kurt Loder

In early 2021, Questlove and Team Supreme sat down with The Doors' John Densmore for a revealing, fun, and spirited conversation. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer reflects on the 1960s Los Angeles scene that gave rise to his legendary band, discusses sharing songwriting credits, and explains why The Doors resisted the temptation to recruit a high-profile new singer after the loss of Jim Morrison. Densmore, who recently released <a href="https://bio.to/nocountryforoldmen">DoPE with 2026 QLS guest Chuck D</a>, also shares his admiration for another later QLS guest, Stacey Abrams. John is as cool as he ever was. Enjoy.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

QLS Classic: John Densmore

In this mini-episode, Questlove and Open Mike Eagle dig into the real economics behind movie soundtracks and sync licensing. Sparked by a listener question about Saturday Night Fever and Rick Dees&rsquo; &ldquo;Disco Duck,&rdquo; they break down how fees, royalties, and leverage have shifted from the compilation-album era to today&rsquo;s catalog-buyout climate. Along the way, the two also revisit the quietly stacked High School High Soundtrack, The Roots&rsquo; role in it, and a fateful night linking D&rsquo;Angelo, Erykah Badu, The Fugees, and Marvin Gaye&rsquo;s storied studio. Ahmir and Mike also reflect on overloaded summers, vanishing time, and how the right song in the right scene can rewrite music history.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Questlove & Open Mike Eagle Talk About Soundtracks

DJ Muggs and Questlove link up in Hollywood, California for a deep dive into the creative vision that made Cypress Hill one of Hip-Hop's most groundbreaking acts. From SP-1200 grit and Psychedelic textures to Rock-infused boom bap, Muggs traces his journey from Queens to Bell Gardens, revisits the making of classics like "How I Could Just Kill a Man," "Hand On The Pump," and House Of Pain's "Jump Around." Along the way, he discusses his latest collaboration, Don't Call Me Lucky, with Los Angeles lyricist TF, mentoring The Alchemist, and why today's drumless, loop-driven renaissance feels like a continuation of ideas he was exploring decades ago. Still driven by curiosity over convention, Muggs explains why chasing dusty, unconventional sounds remains at the heart of everything he creates.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

The Questlove Show

…

iHeartPodcasts

#492

QLS Classic: Bruce Hornsby

#491

A Reaction To The DJ Muggs Episode Of The Questlove Show

#490

Maseo of De La Soul

#489

QLS Classic: Seth Rogen

#488

DJ Cash Money Backstage At The Roots Picnic

#487

Eric Benét

#486

QLS Classic: The Avalanches

#485

Questlove Reaches Into The Mailbag & Answers - August 6

#484

Kurt Loder

#483

QLS Classic: John Densmore

#482

Questlove & Open Mike Eagle Talk About Soundtracks

#481

DJ Muggs