April 06, 2023
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson will auction off records from his personal vinyl collection at a livestreamed charity event to raise money for two programs supporting public high school students pursuing careers in culinary arts.
The Roots drummer's charity auction will be held Friday, April 7 at 3:30 p.m. on Whatnot, a digital marketplace for collectors. Those who are interested in joining Questlove's livestream can sign up to place bids on nearly a dozen of the record producer's favorite albums to support two food-related causes close to his heart.
Both programs partner with chefs and agricultural businesses to help underserved high school students pursue careers in those fields and find ways to develop an entrepreneurial spirit. Questlove sits on the Food Education Fund's board of directors, and cofounded the Future of Food Entrepreneurship Program in 2022, Town & Country reported.
"Questlove is an undisputed talent as a legendary musician and producer, and is widely recognized for his encyclopedic knowledge and contributions to American music," John Walters, head of special projects at Whatnot, told Billboard. "His dedication to music and its history makes him a perfect addition to the community of passionate collectors on Whatnot, we're excited to see what he'll be sharing with our growing vinyl community."
Questlove is auctioning off a handful of albums by well-loved artists, including James Browns' 1971 record "Hot Pants," Kool & The Gang's "Music Is The Message" from 1972 and The Dells' "Sweet As Funk Can Be" from 1972.
Other albums included in the auction are The Awakening's 1972 album "Hear Sense and Feel," 24-Carat Black's "Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth" from 1973, the Headhunters' "Survival of the Fittest" from 1975, the Ohio Players' "Ecstasy" from 1973, The Soul Searchers' "Salt of the Earth" from 1974 and the Cannonball Adderley Quintet's 1967 album, "Why Am I Treated So Bad!"
A signed print from "Dust & Grooves," the 2014 book about record collectors featuring Questlove himself, is also being auctioned off for charity.
In addition to auctioning off records, Questlove will choose one bidder from the livestream to accompany him to his favorite record store, A-1 Records in New York City, on Friday, April 21 ahead of Record Store Day. The shopping trip will be livestreamed on Whatnot for fans to see beginning at 11 a.m.
Last month, Questlove announced that he would direct a live action hybrid adaptation of Disney's "The Aristocats," the latest in a series of remakes of popular Disney classics.
The authors is also getting into the publishing business with a AUWA Books, an imprint of MCD. He'll publish Sly Stone's upcoming memoir, his own "Hip Hop Is History," an upcoming project from TikTok star Drew Afualo and a book about workplace organizing by a leader of the Amazon Labor Union.
