Soulquarians
| Soulquarians | |
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Left to right: Talib Kweli, Common (kneeling), Mos Def, James Poyser, Erykah Badu, Questlove, D'Angelo, Q-Tip, J Dilla (kneeling), Bilal
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| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Neo soul, alternative hip hop, funk, soul |
| Years active | late 1990s – early 2000s |
| Past members | |
The Soulquarians were a neo soul and alternative hip hop-informed musical collective. The collective, formed during the late 1990s, continued into the early 2000s, and produced several well-received albums. Prior to its formation, members Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and Q-Tip were members of the Native Tongues Posse.
Producer and drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of hip hop band The Roots acted as the "musical powerhouse" behind several of the collective's projects during the late 1990s and early 2000s, including The Roots' Things Fall Apart (1999), D'Angelo's Voodoo (2000), Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun (2000), and Common's Like Water for Chocolate (2000). In an interview for Spin magazine, Common discussed the production of those albums, stating "It was one of those time periods that you don't even realize when you're going through it that it's powerful".
The name of the collective is derived from an astrology sign. The founding members of the collective — Questlove from The Roots, D'Angelo, James Poyser, and J Dilla — share the sign of Aquarius. Questlove, D'Angelo, Poyser, and J Dilla came together after discovering they had a common interest for the unconventional — offbeat rhythms, irregular chords, and other traits often exhibited by the underground urban music scene. Also around this time, a connection was established between D'Angelo and Welsh bassist Pino Palladino over their mutual love of Motown and other classic soul music, and Palladino became active in the project, playing on the majority of their discography and serving as a member of the Soultronics touring band that supported D'Angelo's Voodoo tour.
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