Questlove Hints At A Potential Soulquarians Reunion, Stating, “The Family Is Going To Get Back Together”

One of the notable collectives in hip-hop and R&B may be making a return.

Questlove has hinted at the anticipated comeback of the Soulquarians, a music movement he led in the late 1990s and early 2000s alongside artists such as D’Angelo and J Dilla.

In a recent episode of his podcast The Questlove Show, the Roots drummer and filmmaker revealed plans for a minimalistic Soulquarians reunion featuring some of the original members, including himself, R&B artist Bilal, and producer James Poyser.

“James [Poyser], myself, Bilal — the remaining members of the Soulquarians… we spoke. The family’s going to get back together,” he stated.

Questlove mentioned that following the deaths of Prince and D’Angelo in 2016 and 2025, respectively, he feels a heightened sense of duty to continue the mission of promoting meaningful, analog-driven music.

“Now that [D’Angelo] is not here, I feel that responsibility more than ever,” he noted.

It is uncertain whether other surviving members of the Soulquarians, such as Erykah Badu, Common, Q-Tip, and Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def), will participate.

The original Soulquarians movement, based at Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in New York City, produced a significant set of influential hip-hop and R&B albums.

From 1999 to 2002, this collective of innovative creatives collaborated on albums such as D’Angelo’s Voodoo, Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun, and Common’s Like Water For Chocolate.

“In my head it was this utopian paradise I had always envisioned, the Native Tongues movement recreated,” Questlove wrote about the Soulquarians in his 2013 memoir, Mo’ Meta Blues.

However, tensions emerged as the group was gaining prominence, influenced by a 2000 VIBE magazine article intended to highlight the Soulquarians but ultimately causing complications.

“I was in Chicago for a D’Angelo show … Someone came up and tapped me on the shoulder. ‘Ahmir, it’s Mos [Def]. He wants to talk to you,’” Questlove recalled in Mo’ Meta Blues.

“[Mos said], ‘I’m not an Aquarian … Does that mean I’m not a real Soulquarian?’ Later, Q-Tip called. ‘Yo,’ he said. ‘This article makes it look like I work for you.’ Then Erykah called, and she had a problem with the piece, too.”

He reflected: “When I [checked out the story], I could see their point … It was at that moment that I realized that the paradise I had imagined wasn’t heading in a good direction.”