Podcast Summary: What Had Happened Was – "Do You Want More?!!!??! Part 3"
Podcast: What Had Happened Was
Host/Production: Stony Island Audio & Talkhouse; Hosted by Open Mike Eagle
Guest: Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson
Episode Release: November 15, 2023

Overview

This episode is the third deep-dive into The Roots' seminal album Do You Want More?!!!??!, with Open Mike Eagle guiding Questlove through memories, stories, and the behind-the-scenes chaos of its creation. The discussion covers everything from label struggles amidst seismic industry changes, the frantic completion of recording, the serendipitous addition of key collaborators (notably Rahzel and Ursula Rucker), and the group’s early hustle through the European underground. Candid, funny, and self-critical, Questlove shares both personal anxieties and artistic principles that defined The Roots’ sound and career at this crucial juncture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Industry Chaos & Kurt Cobain’s Death (02:47–05:29)

• Questlove recounts the shockwaves from Kurt Cobain’s suicide and how it put pressure on The Roots’ label (Geffen), which was losing its big acts and had no urban division structure.

  • Quote (Questlove, 03:19):
    “They signed us on the strength of the billions that Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, and Nirvana have brought into the label... Now this happens... they basically gave us everything we needed... handed us like three or four credit cards, said, look, just... they trusted us. That’s how rich they were.”

• With a depleted staff and infrastructure, the urgency to deliver the album increased:

  • “We got two and a half weeks to finish this shit. I got a plan.” (Questlove, 05:29)
  • Songs were mixed at lightning speed—one every 1.5 days.

2. Adding Rahzel and Completing "The Lesson" (08:12–12:48)

• The fateful meeting with Rahzel (“the human beatbox”) at Lyricist Lounge and his spontaneous studio collaboration.

  • Quote (Questlove, 08:47):
    “Razel didn’t even know my name... even when on that sketch, he’s like, ‘yeah, we got my man roots on the drums.’ Like, we didn’t even meet each other yet. Wow.”

• Creation of “The Lesson”:

  • A then-13-year-old Dice Raw’s legendary freestyle; improvisational spirit dominates the process.
  • Quote (Questlove, 12:48):
    “That motherfucker just freestyled that entire... like, I sat there flabbergasted. Cause it reminded me of meeting Tariq the first day of high school.”

3. DIY Album Art & Intro (12:51–15:35)

• Back cover photograph shot at midnight in a rat-infested Philly alley, after a late-night studio session.

  • “If you ever seen the back cover... that was done like, basically, you know, midnight, 12:30 in the morning.” (Questlove, 13:56)

• Last-minute creation of the album intro, with ad-libs phoned in from Tariq (Black Thought) and Malik.

  • “They were literally on a telephone. We didn’t mix it Beastie Boy style, you know, and you literally hear, I’m on three-way.” (Questlove, 15:35)

4. Ursula Rucker & the Powerful Album Closer (15:35–22:46)

• The desire to avoid ending the album with “The Lesson” led to seeking a poetic statement on female empowerment; initial plans were for Ntozake Shange, but when she’s unreachable, Ursula Rucker is tapped last-minute.

  • Quote (Questlove, 22:46):
    “And she came to the studio after she got off work, 5pm, knocked that shit out in, like, one take.”
  • Ursula’s spoken-word piece flips the hip-hop tradition of misogynist tracks, providing an impactful ending.

• Questlove’s discomfort with misogynistic tropes in rap and his efforts to “balance” group output.

  • “I wanted to be the rap group that, you know, embraces women and not to be that thing.” (Questlove, 19:40)

5. Financial Maneuvers & the "London Plan" (24:45–27:25)

• Instead of waiting to possibly be dropped by the label, The Roots cash their remaining budget and relocate to London.

  • “We purchased six, seven one-way tickets to London, England. And Rich is like, we’re gonna go live in London.” (Questlove, 24:45)

• Their strategy: build critical buzz and force the label’s hand with trans-Atlantic press.

  • “So the way I see it, we gotta go out and make some critical noise real quick and not wait for the label to do the work for us.” (Questlove, 25:01)

6. European Grind & the Viral French TV Break (27:25–33:56)

• Managed by agents Kara Lewis (US) and Nigel Hassler (Europe), The Roots play relentless month-long residencies across Europe—dive bars, jazz clubs, wherever they can.
• Breakthrough comes on French TV show Tarata after Da Brat cancels, giving The Roots an unplanned 12-minute set.
  • “This is the most important 12 minutes of our life... literally overnight... we became a thing.” (Questlove, 32:33)
• This led to widespread bookings and their first brush with international recognition.

7. Industry Reality Checks & the Biggie “Juicy” Effect (33:56–37:51)

• The Roots’ debut single gets initial radio support but is quickly overshadowed by the release of Biggie’s “Juicy,” which rewrites the rules for hip-hop radio singles.
  • “We thought like we legit. Our five-day total was only... 800 spins. His full week total was more closer to 40,000.” (Questlove, 36:11)
• The resulting deflation transforms their understanding of the business and future album promotion.

8. Song Structure, Hooks, and the Roots’ Artistic Evolution (37:51–44:28)

• Questlove reflects on the band’s refusal (and difficulty) in writing traditional hooks/melodies—a theme that carried throughout their early work.

  • “We didn’t know what song structure was. We didn’t know what a hook... We were very lucky for Scott Storch’s right hand.” (Questlove, 41:35)

• He discusses the learning curve of pop songwriting compared to the jazz and hip-hop fusion the Roots prioritized.

• On “Distortion to Static”:

  • Originally planned to have a less lyrical, more “esoteric” structure, but Black Thought and Malik changed it up last-minute.
  • “I don’t know if we should do an 11th hour change. And I just kept asking Rich, ‘yo, you sure about this? Cause I don’t know if I like it.’” (Questlove, 44:28)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the stakes after Cobain’s death:
  "We don't have a staff yet. So they basically gave us everything we needed, handed us like three or four credit cards... that's how rich they were.” (Questlove, 03:19)

• On Rahzel joining:
  "Razel didn't even know my name... we didn't even meet each other yet." (Questlove, 08:47)

• On the influence of radio formats and learning about hooks:
  "I started getting mad because I'm like, how come... no one's made a Roots... song? Rich would laugh like, he's like, 'cause y'all don't know what a melody is." (Questlove, 41:14)

• On their pivotal French TV moment:
  "This is viral before viral was a thing... suddenly, like, we became a thing." (Questlove, 32:33)

Notable Timestamps

• 02:47 – Questlove reacts to Kurt Cobain’s death and its impact on The Roots’ label deal.
• 08:12 – Meeting Rahzel and freestyle jam session.
• 12:48 – Dice Raw's first major recording; album back cover story.
• 15:35 – Creation of album intro with phoned-in ad-libs.
• 18:27–21:21 – On rap misogyny, balancing acts, and challenges to group identity.
• 22:46 – Ursula Rucker delivers her game-changing spoken word outro in a single take.
• 24:45 – "London Plan": using remaining advance to self-promote in Europe.
• 32:33 – Pivotal French TV performance that launched the group in Francophone countries.
• 36:10 – Radio spin count reality check; Biggie’s “Juicy” eclipses their debut.
• 41:14 – Realization that the band didn't understand melody/hook-writing.
• 44:28 – Last-minute lyric changes on “Distortion to Static.”

Tone & Style

• The conversation is candid, self-effacing, and punctuated by humor, music nerd tangents, and unfiltered industry critique.
• Questlove proudly details the group’s creative quirks and missteps, always framing the struggle with humility and gratitude for key collaborators.

For Listeners New and Old

This episode offers a vivid, almost cinematic look behind the curtains of a classic Roots album. Key moments like the addition of Rahzel, the unexpected power of Ursula Rucker’s poem, and the “world tour, party of necessity” in Europe provide not just context for the music, but insight into hip-hop’s wider evolution in the mid-90s—and Questlove’s unique place in it.

(Next time: the story continues with the creation of Illadelph Halflife...)