Harper's Bazaar: The Playlist by Questlove

Harper's Bazaar: The Playlist by Questlove

If fashion and music go hand in hand—and of course they do—then think of playlists like a wardrobe, personally curated and deeply reflective of the wearer’s lifestyle, outlook, and more. This particular one shows the diverse stylings of prolific drummer, producer, DJ, and author Questlove, the musical director of the June issue of fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar, which is producing a series of playlists with different musicians, available only on Apple Music. The Roots cofounder is releasing his Sundance award-winning documentary commemorating the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, Summer of Soul, on Hulu July 2, featuring performances from icons like Nina Simone, Sly & The Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, and many more. To coincide with its release, Questlove curated a playlist around the issue’s theme of freedom. “I feel most free when I’m sharing music with people,” he says. With the playlist, Questlove highlights cuts from a range of soulful artists, such as a live 1969 recording of Stevie Wonder’s “I Was Made to Love Her,” Rotary Connection’s cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect”—which Questlove describes as “sultry, sexy, and unexpected”—as well as Jimi Hendrix’s “Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland).” “For Black entertainers, music was the only cathartic outlet we had in terms of grasping the type of freedom that white people had,” he says. With each issue of Harper’s Bazaar, this playlist will update with picks by their latest musical director, so stay tuned.

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