During an interview on Grammy.com on Dec. 7, Questlove shared the intense stress he experienced in planning the tribute to 50 years of hip-hop at the Grammy Awards, confessing that the pressure led to the loss of two teeth by the project’s conclusion.
Questlove, the multifaceted musician, author, and director, took the helm as curator, orchestrating a seamless collaboration between legendary figures like Grandmaster Flash and contemporary artists like Lil Uzi Vert.
Initially hesitant, Questlove recognized the importance of seizing the opportunity to influence the course of hip-hop representation in the industry. Frustrated with being on the sidelines, he embraced the chance to be a catalyst for change, debunking the perception that he was merely a “suit.”
“The thing that really motivated me — Look, man, roll up your sleeves and run through this mud — was like, if there ever was going to be a hip-hop time capsule, a lot of the participants in this show are somewhere between the ages of 20 and 60, and everybody’s still kind of in their prime,” he told Grammy.com.
Reflecting on the magnitude of the stress, he said, “After the success of the thing that we did in March — that 12-minute revue thing — I’ll be honest with you, for 12 minutes, that was like going through damn near, and I’m not even using hyperbolic statements by saying, coming out within an inch of my life.”
After the momentous 12-minute performance concluded, Questlove found himself on an airplane heading back to New York, only to have two of his teeth unexpectedly fall out. The level of stress had reached such extremes that it became a visceral, physical manifestation.
Questlove described the surreal moment, saying, “That’s the level of stress I was [under]. Imagine landing in JFK, and I got to rush to ‘The Tonight Show,’ but then it’s like, Oh, wait, what’s happening? Oh God, no! My teeth are falling out! And going to emergency surgery. My whole takeaway was like: Never again.”