With a new collaborative album out alongside Elvis Costello, The Root's band leader and drummer Questlove talked about their work on Wise Up Ghost in an interview with Vulture.
The album fruitfully provides a nice dynamic between the legendary English artist and The Roots, and has also received acclaim from critics and fans alike. However, Quest says it wasn't initially their intention to make a full project. "We never knew we were making a record," he admits. "I always give the analogy, like when the girl asks the guy after a fourth date: 'What are we doing? Are we dating?' After we did fourteen of these songs, we were like, 'Are we making a record?'"
Questlove also discussed his thoughts on Miley Cyrus' twerking, which the 42-year-old artist sees as an issue that goes beyond her choice of dance moves. "To me, it is literally impossible for any form of black music to not have the stain of minstrelsy on it. Minstrelsy is like the great stain on a nice white shoe," he says. "I don’t think Miley Cyrus is really aware of the deeper offense of it. To her, it’s like, 'I’m having fun. I’m 20. I want to fuck up, mess around.'"
"I think a lot of black people are upset because they saw her using black people as accessories," he continued. "I’m all for Miley finding herself. But she should be aware of the power of the images she’s using."
[via Vulture]
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