Barack Obama forced Questlove into a reflective DJ hiatus

Either our 44th president or Kermit the Frog gave Questlove some valuable advice.

April 25, 2018

Questlove was a guest on The Tonight Show last night, where he told Jimmy Fallon how a man who may or may not have a high profile, two daughters, and a very distinct speaking pattern forced him into a brief hiatus. At a party for someone who Questlove makes sound a lot like Barack Obama, the host, who he can't name because of an NDA, asked him to play some things that might be a little more fun for the kids at the event, which sent Questlove into a break to reconsider the meaning of DJing.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Our host taps me on the shoulder and I'm trying to ignore them, like, I thought it was something just, like, 'Hey man, play Rick Astley,'" he told Fallon. "I can't say his name—NDA—[but] he's like 'Hey, you're doing a good job but, uh, you know I love the disco and the calypso and all that stuff, but look at them.' And, like, his kids are sitting there. He's like 'They want to have fun too so, you know, pep it up.'"

The unnamed host later told him he did a good job, but Questlove still went into "retirement," returning six months later to "play for the kids." Watch the full interview above.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thumbnail image by Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images.

ADVERTISEMENT
Barack Obama forced Questlove into a reflective DJ hiatus