Money, Power, Respect.....

I have for years wished I had the money/influence to make dream projects happen. I long to produce a viable vehicle to showcase the Eddie Murphy that I love to watch. I wish I could produce/write the perfect Marvin Gaye project whether it be film or theatre. Lastly I wish I could give my musical heroes a shot in the arm to turn their careers around. My first order of business would be to let Questlove head up the project. So many talented artists release projects that lack vision,direction or that umph that came with their early/prime work.

For those who are unsure of his qualifications to spear head a legendary project. Check his resume. Ahmir Khalib Thompson (born on January 20, 1971), known professionally as ?uestlove or Questlove (also known as BROther ?uestion, Questo or Brother Question), is an American drummer, DJ, music journalist and record producer. He is best known as the drummer for the Grammy Award-winning band The Roots, which is now the in-house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He has produced for artists such as Common, D'Angelo, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Jay-Z, Nikka Costa and more recently, Al Green and John Legend. He is a member of the production teams the Soulquarians, the Randy Watson Experience, and The Grand Wizzards. Add to that Common, Maroon 5, and Pharell just to give you a glimpse of his diversity.

My friend Dre and I discussed this over Christmas break, that certain artists ought to seek him out and humbly place their musical trust in him. Prince immediately comes to mind, as one who could benefit from the Questo touch. Quest is a die hard Prince follower as evidenced by his Rollingstone Prince playlist. He could provide Prince with that funk that has all but disappeared over the last four releases. He along with Prince could find the sonic fountain of youth and really produce some fantastic music. Prince is still a phenomenal musician, his guitar work, writing and showmanship remain intact. The heartbeat of a band is the drummer and whether he's drumming or is using John Blackwell something is missing from the songs.

The Michael Jackson estate should hire Questlove in an executive producer capacity. Here he could be used to edit/finish those projects that Michael was unable to complete with his untimely passing. He could select producers that fit the vibe and vision of the demo's and help to round out the sound. Jackson recent releases lacked that glossy warmth that comes with a Quincy Jones production. Rodney Jerkins is talented as are the hodge podge of producers that contributed to the posthumously released "Michael". With Quest at the helm he could help to recreate that magic that MJ fans are longing for. He hinted at this with remix of Pharell's In My Mind entitled out of my mind. According to his Myspace blog while creating the rarely heard redux, Pharell would offer short musical quips to guide the drummer. This song should sound like Debarge meets DJ Premier or something to that effect. The end result was a project that surpassed the original.

Finally legend has it that Stevie Wonder has some 5000 songs in a vault, turn them over to Questlove. Wonder set the bar so high in the 70's that no artist has been able to surpass it, including himself. I believe that he takes so long between projects because he is trying to create that masterpiece to rival his early work. While his fans are waiting on a release of new work he could release previously unreleased material to satisfy them.( By them I mean me. ) Every other year allow Quest to cull 10-12 songs for a compilation. This will give a window into the mind of a genius that we rarely get to peer through. Also it allows him to have a part in the process instead of all these things coming out after he dies without any say so. The snippets released last year gave glimpses of the brilliance that could possibly lie on the shelves. The below link is to wet your appetite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmoIz9k0eCE&feature=player_detailpage