Questlove has admitted that he initially thought that Kendrick Lamar was dissing him and The Roots in his “Squabble Up” video.
Speaking on The Jennifer Hudson Show, the legendary drummer detailed his reaction to the video which contained an homage to The Roots’ “The Next Movement” clip.
He said: “I was so shocked because the way that people told me — I woke up to 30 K. Dot texts. I thought, ‘Oh no.’ He just dissed us. I thought it was something else. And they were like, ‘No, he paid tribute to y’all in this video.’”
Quest went on to say that he appreciated the reference: “It’s an honor, but it’s also a surprise when you see people acknowledging you after all this time.”
Questlove had previously spoken out about Kendrick Lamar’s feud with Drake, criticizing both men for their conduct in the beef.
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“Nobody won the war,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “This wasn’t about skill. This was a wrestling match level mudslinging and takedown by any means necessary — women & children (& actual facts) be damned.
“Same audience wanting blood will soon put up ‘rip’ posts like they weren’t part of the problem. Hip Hop truly is dead.”
TDE boss Punch acknowledged that they had “seen” Questlove’s comments about the feud but there does not appear to be any lingering bad blood between the two camps.
Questlove later acknowledged that the moment compelled him to finish The Roots’ first album in over a decade.
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Alongside a screenshot of a viral tweet highlighting the similarities between “squabble up” and “The Next Movement,” he wrote: “Damn now we GOTTA FINISH THIS LP huh? We back BABY!”
Quest followed up with a separate Instagram post thanking Kendrick and further confirming that a new Roots project is happening.
After recounting a “surreal” encounter with a fan in Germany, the drummer wrote: “My number one love is the music I create in @TheRoots — that is the fuel to my fire & sometimes if you love something you must set it free. Then if it returns to you it’s real.
“That said I wanna thank @kendricklamar for acknowledging something I thought noone saw or cared about. Feeling seen is a great feeling and I dont take it for granted. Yup, new album still coming lol.”
