Earlier this month, Music Times reported the untimely death of longtime collaborator and manager of The Roots, Rich Nichols, and Questlove recently shared his thoughts on the producer.
In a heartfelt obituary published by Vulture, Quest describes a man who pushed him and his bandmates to their creative limits and challenged them in every way possible.
Quest says Nichols is responsible for helping the group discover its creative mission, which the drummer described as using "hip-hop to find the value in the modern-day black experience without any boasts about bank or gangsterized tall tales. He was always looking for a balance where portraits of everyday black Americans, stories about their struggles and triumphs both, were seen a kind of heroism."
He went on to say that Nichols and his mission will live on through the people he impacted the most.
"He will live on in me, in Black Thought, in the rest of the Roots, and in every artist and project he touched," Questlove said.
As previously reported, it was confirmed July 17 that Nichols had lost his battle with leukemia.
The death was confirmed on Billboard and The Roots online home, website Okayplayer.
"Okayplayer is deeply saddened to confirm the news that our friend, mentor and The Roots' manager Rich Nichols passed away this afternoon at 3:05pm, after a battle with leukemia. Rich was in so many ways the guiding spirit behind the group and certainly of Okayplayer itself, a role that could never even begin to be captured by the word "manager" and even as I type it, it feels like a slight to his true legacy and-we do not use the word lightly-genius."
Read more of Questlove's tribute to Rich Nichols here.
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