Questlove ‘Shocked’ by Kendrick Lamar’s Visual Tribute in ‘Squabble Up’ Music Video
Kendrick Lamar gave a shoutout to The Roots in his November 2024 track “Squabble Up,” drawing visual inspiration from their 1999 video “The Next Movement.” The move caught Roots beat-maker…
Kendrick Lamar gave a shoutout to The Roots in his November 2024 track "Squabble Up," drawing visual inspiration from their 1999 video "The Next Movement." The move caught Roots beat-maker Questlove by surprise.
In his appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Thursday, May 22, he said, "I was so shocked because the way that people told me — I woke up to 30 K. Dot texts. I thought, 'Oh no.' He just dissed us. I thought it was something else. And they were like, 'No, he paid tribute to y'all in this video.'"
Director Calmatic shot the video in an olive-tinted open space, mirroring the vibe of The Roots' original shoot. The tribute shows up in "Squabble Up," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from Kendrick's GNX album.
GNX hit hard. The tracks "TV Off," "Luther," "Wacced Out Murals," and "Hey Now" all followed right behind "Squabble Up," helping Kendrick occupy the top five spots on the Hot 100 chart.
If you're a fan of The Roots, you know they go way back. In 1987, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter linked up with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. Since then, they've scored Grammy wins, built a legacy, and now keep the beat going as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
In November 2024, Questlove shared side-by-side shots of both videos on his Instagram. "My number one love is the music I create in @TheRoots —that is the fuel to my fire & sometimes if you love something you must set it free. Then if it returns to you it's real," he wrote in his caption.
During the Jennifer Hudson Show, the drummer spoke about his band's spot in music, saying, "not super mainstream, but we're niche, but we're not overexposed popular." In her response, Hudson called The Roots a "blueprint to all artists and the music industry."
Their 1999 album, Things Fall Apart, changed everything. It blended live instruments with hip-hop beats at a time when samples and loops dominated the rap genre. Rolling Stone even ranked it among the 200 greatest hip-hop albums ever made.
