Questlove

You’d be hard-pressed to find a musician more respected within the music scene than Roots joint frontman and drummer Ahmir Khalib Thompson, a.k.a. Questlove. He doubles as a DJ and music producer, moonlights as a music journalist, and his list of collaborations could fill a box set. (Insert shameless plea for Questlove to make a box set.) All of this, and we haven’t even mentioned his deliciously ballsy choice to play Fishbone’s “Lyin’ Ass Bitch” to Michele Bachmann on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, or the fact that he’s a playable character in NBA 2K7, 2K8 and 2K9. Ubiquity aside, though, Questlove’s popularity stems from his borderline logic-defying percussive ability paired with the kind of amiable ease and adaptability that can play to any crowd and genre. He’s a dynamite live act, without exception.

Updated 02/08/2012