New documentary examines burden of Black genius

For anyone who’s ever thought that extremely talented people also often had problems coping with the challenges of daily life, Questlove’s new documentary on Sly Stone directly examines that contention. It’s at the heart of Sly Lives!, his latest production, which debuted last Thursday on Hulu. He also told NPR’s Terry Gross he’s experienced the same phenomenon himself, particularly in the wake of all the acclaim given to his previous documentary Summer of Soul in 2021. “Even though my experience with Summer of Soul was one of the most magical, transformative moments of my life … there’s a fear of winning, because if you’re too successful then you’re singled out,” Questlove said. “And being singled out for positive reasons or negative reasons is such a nightmare for most Black people.” Sly Stone and his band created such seminal hits as “Everyday People,” “Dance to the Music,” and “Family Affair.” “Sly will invent the alphabet for which most of pop and R&B or Black music will write from for the next 60 years,” Questlove added. “We’re still writing from his dictionary to this day.” But success took a toll on Sly, and he struggled with fame and drugs. “As with most...