In an interview published in the June issue of SPIN magazine, ?uestlove, Roots drummer and Barack Obama supporter (he said as much at a Roots gig at the Apollo in Harlem a month ago) on the Senator’s chances to become the Democratic nominee in August and later US President in November. He was asked to expand what he meant by his De La reference:
Q: What do you mean? That Obama’s getting elected is gonna be like 3 Feet High and Rising and bring all the liberal white and black people together? And then we’ll get bored and turn on him?
A: Nah man, I said enough. All I’ll say that everybody’s already waiting there in the wings, ready to nail him.
Q: It’s taken a while for hip-hoppers to come around to Obama. The initial reaction was to be suspicious or cynical or feel like it doesn’t matter who’s president.
A: But there’s a hopeless romantic in everybody, and what Barack says is beautiful, and its executed in such a way that you just believe. And people need something to believe in–bad… I guess it’s better to protect yourself. But I don’t think people can survive without something to believe in. We’re all not atheists.
[...] (Badu, Mary J Blige, Jill Scott and even Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier) and guest producers (?uestlove, J-Dilla, and the Neptunes) make the album hard to swallow for some of his evergrowing fanbase; [...]