Questlove Unveils Earth, Wind & Fire Film, Teases 3 New Projects Tied to 1988 Hip-Hop
Updated
Updated · Variety · Jun 5
Questlove Unveils Earth, Wind & Fire Film, Teases 3 New Projects Tied to 1988 Hip-Hop
3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jun 5
Summary
HBO will debut Questlove’s “Earth, Wind & Fire” documentary on Sunday, with the filmmaker framing Maurice White as a leader whose childhood abandonment shaped both the band’s rise and his later struggles.
Questlove said the film avoids a simple celebration, instead tracing how White went from Chess and Ramsey Lewis sessions to rebuilding Earth, Wind & Fire after early setbacks and turning mysticism and discipline into the group’s sound.
One rediscovered episode in the documentary shows the band being booed in Philadelphia in 1972 while opening for Parliament-Funkadelic, a moment Questlove said revealed how hard they fought before becoming stars.
Questlove also said he is starting 3 more music-related projects but would not identify them, offering only a hint that 1988 was a landmark year for hip-hop.
He added that he is unlikely to direct a Prince documentary himself, saying he is too close to the artist’s story even as he praised Ezra Edelman’s unreleased film as definitive.