Temple University honors Questlove with Klein Excellence in Media award

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson will return to North Philadelphia to accept Temple University’s Excellence in the Media award.

The Grammy- and Oscar-winning musician will be recognized by the Klein College of Media and Communication for his exceptional contributions to the media on Sunday.

Klein College students and faculty are thrilled to have the Philadelphia icon on campus. DJ Clark Kent recently appeared on Questlove’s podcast, Questlove Supreme, and commended the artist for his work ethic and journey in the media.

“[Questlove] is not the guy from the Roots anymore,” Kent explains. “You were the guy from the Roots until Jimmy Fallon happened. And then it was like ‘That’s not the guy from the Roots anymore— that’s the guy who is the music director, that’s the guy who did the Oscars, that’s the guy who did the Grammys, that’s the guy who did MTV, [performing] on stage with Jay-Z.’”

The Philly native attended South Philadelphia’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, which allowed Thompson to assemble the Roots, a hip-hop musical group, with Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter.

Aside from producing studio albums, the Roots have successfully collaborated with big time artists such as Jay-Z, Common, Q-Tip, and D’angelo, to name a few. The Roots are currently the in-house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and have had that privilege since 2014.

Thompson won six Grammy awards throughout his musical career, and recently received an Academy Award for Best Documentary in his directorial debut for the 2021 film, Summer of Soul. The documentary shines the light on the historically forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969 and features never before seen footage of the event, including performances by Stevie Wonder, David Ruffin, Mavis Staples, Nina Simone, and Mahalia Jackson.

Questlove previously served as an executive music producer for the 2016 remake of the historical drama, “Roots,” and the beloved Broadway musical, “Hamilton.”

Additionally, Questlove has written several books that were listed as New York Times best sellers, including “Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove” and “Creative Quest.” His third book, “Something To Food About: Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs,” was nominated for the James Beard award.

“Questlove’s accomplishments across forms of media — from music to books to film — are remarkable,” said Klein College Dean David Boardman. “As Philadelphia’s public university, we are thrilled to honor Questlove in his hometown, and he honors us by coming to meet with our students and Klein College community.”

Temple University will present Ahmir Thompson with the Lew Klein Excellence in Media Award on Sunday, Oct. 23.