The ten books Questlove chose as a One Grand curator, with his line on each — Prince studio logs, Mingus, Hanif Abdurraqib and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
10 books documented·Last verified August 19, 2026
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What books does Questlove recommend?
Questlove has publicly recommended the 10 books
listed below. Every title on this page is traced to a specific interview, podcast,
article or post where Questlove named it — each one linked so you can check the
source yourself.
Questlove’s list is what you would expect from the most encyclopedic record collector in
American music, and then one entry that isn’t. Six of the ten are about music or the people
who made it: a day-by-day account of Prince’s studio sessions in 1983 and 1984, a history of
the DJ, Brian Coleman’s liner-note archaeology, Mingus’ unhinged autobiography, and Hanif
Abdurraqib, whom he says he started reading because of an essay arguing that ‘Trap Queen’ was
the new ‘I Will Always Love You’.
The one that isn’t about music is the one to read his comment on twice. Sylviane Diouf’s
Dreams of Africa in Alabama is about the Clotilda, the last ship to carry enslaved Africans
to the United States. Questlove’s note: “This book represents my chapter in American
history—my great great great grandfather was on this ship.”
Every quoted line below is his. The descriptions of the books are mine.
Every book Questlove has recommended
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Buying through the links below costs you nothing extra and helps keep this research going.
It never affects which books appear here — a book is listed only if the source checks out.
Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio SessionsDuane Tudahl