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Questlove Talks Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Tribute’ to The Roots In ‘Squabble Up’ Music Video

The rapper pulled from The Roots’ 1999 music video for ‘The Next Movement.’

Questlove was deeply honored by Kendrick Lamar’s tribute to a 1999 music video by The Roots.

The musician and Academy Award-winning filmmaker discussed Kendrick’s 2024 music video for “Squabble Up” on the Thursday, May 22 episode of ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show.’ In the visual for the GNX track, the 22-time Grammy winner referenced The Roots’ music video for “The Next Movement.”

“I woke up to thirty K. Dot texts in my thing. I thought, ‘Oh, no. He just dissed us,’” Quest said around the seven-minute mark below. “I thought it was something else and they were like, ‘Nah, he played tribute to y’all.’”

The DJ and drummer then shared why he was surprised that Kendrick chose to homage The Roots. “It's like we're ubiquitous, but we're not super mainstream, but we're niche, but we're not overexposed popular, so it's hard to tell where we fit in the scheme of things,” he continued.

Quest added that “Squabble Up” was “an honor” but “also a surprise when you see people acknowledging you after all this time.”

The six-time Grammy Award winner thanked Kendrick Lamar in an Instagram post last November. “Feeling seen is a great feeling and I dont take it for granted,” Quest wrote in the caption.

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