K-LY @klyandco - Tumblr Blog

Questlove, The Roots

Q: What message do you want to share with young people of color?

A: We live in a culture of celebrity and the cult of personality, I mean a reality show participant is our president, because we live in such a celebrity obsessed society… It’s my dream, at least in the times that we live in now, especially now that I have one foot in entertainment, and one foot in the white collar world, I want more people to be more crazy about science and being lawyers and being more about business and education. I know that entertainment seems fun, but first of all I’ll tell them it’s a lot of work… Rather than fund someone’s demo, I’d rather fund someone’s app idea… I’m all about music and that sort of thing on my social media, but a lot of times, when I meet an 11 or 12 year old, I’m trying to tell them, “yo man, create apps,” trying to get prepared for the future. I want them to dream about being a lawyer. Now I want journalists to tell the truth, that sort of thing, that’s what I encourage more. I think that’s a blanket statement that I’d like to share with people. Being a celebrity might “seem” fulfilling, but it’s diminished returns. I’d rather encourage them to do something of substance.