Michelle Obama, Seth Rogen, Mariah Carey and more: 8 great episodes of ‘Questlove Supreme’
iHeartRadio’s “Questlove Supreme” is an educationally fun listen as the iconic musician hosts and chats with celebrity guests. Since 2016, Questlove has interviewed friends, colleagues, and icons. Questlove started the show as a platform to ask his favorite people things he’s always wanted to know. The episodes’ discussions are filled with music, pop culture phenomena, and you’ll find yourself laughing along the way. Questlove’s Team Supreme members include Phonte, Boss Bill, Laiya, Suga Steve, and Unpaid Bill, who also jump in the conversations.
Interested in diving into the series? We’ve rounded up some of the best episodes in case you’re just getting started. New episodes are released every week.
Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama spoke with Quest about her time as the First Lady, her love of music, and style. She is a huge fan of Questlove’s! Michelle spoke about her memoir, Becoming. Michelle hopes to inspire people to start important conversations in their lives and look at things differently. Quest scored a 300-song playlist to complement the book. In this episode, she shares why she does not foresee herself running for office.
Seth Rogen
Actor, comedian, filmmaker, and entrepreneur Seth Rogen discussed how growing up in the early 1980s led to writing and standup comedy. Seth spoke about working with his long-time collaborator, Evan. They met in bar-mitzvah class in the 1990s. Seth is still surprised by the fact that he and Evan finished Superbad‘s first draft by age 14. Seth discussed his favorite films, music, cannabis, and his business endeavors.
Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon hosts The Tonight Show! The Saturday Night Live alum is a friend and colleague of Questlove’s, since he drums in The Roots, The Tonight Show‘s house band. On this episode, Jimmy spoke about his kids, his daily routine, and the power of sleep. Jimmy shares his earliest musical influences, doo-wop, the mixtape approach, and best music moments on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show. Jimmy shares stories meeting some of his favorite stars like Prince and Stevie Wonder.
Chaka Khan
Questlove interviewed Chaka in 2017 at Jim Henson’s Studio. She talks all about her middle class upbringing in Chicago, starting in music, and growing up on a college campus with a military family. We learn that she joined the Black Panthers at 14. Questlove always wanted to ask her about her process, so the rest of the conversation is about writing, her inspirations, collaborators, working with Miles Davis, Ray Parker Jr., and more.
The Jacksons
The Jacksons’ catalogue of songs lives on with a legacy of trailblazing songs, records, and choreography. Quest said, “We would be pressed to find one person on this earth who has not been affected by their legacy,” and likens them to an American dynasty. Jackie, Tito, and Marlon chatted with Quest just as they re-released four of their albums. Tito also appeared solo on an episode of “Questlove Supreme” in 2020.
Michelle Obama discussed the importance of The Jacksons in her music rotation in her conversation with Quest. She’s been a forever fan! As a kid, she and her family would practice and perform a rendition of “Stop the Love You Save,” perfecting choreography and singing different parts.
Sleater-Kinney
Rock band Sleater-Kinney spoke about starting out in the 1990s in America’s Northwest. They discussed their participation in the Riot Grrl movement, how art is a journey, producing their records, and why it was important to take hiatuses in their career. They also discussed Carrie’s book, Hunger.
Mariah Carey
Diva Mariah Carey chatted with Questlove in January 2021 about her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. Mariah discusses quarantining. There’s so much goodness in her interview, so it’s broken into 2-parts. She talked about recording studio preferences and says she adjusted to working in a home studio format, starting around The Rainbow Album in the late 1990s. Mariah said she and engineer Brian Gardner have an effective system where they can create a portable studio anywhere.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
In 2020, Pulitzer Prize winner, MacArthur Genius, and Kennedy Center honoree Lin-Manuel Miranda appeared on “Questlove Supreme.” The filmmaker, director, musician, and actor discussed Hamilton and In the Heights. Unpaid Bill from Team Supreme and Lin-Manuel bonded over their shared Wesleyan University alum status. They chatted about the importance of hip-hop, their favorite films, and what it’s like to collaborate when performing.