‘SLY LIVES!' asks: What is the burden of Black genius?
As Questlove parades a litany of famous songwriters, producers, and musicians before us in the film's opening montage, we get a brief primer on why his subject was so integral to music. 'It can't be overstated how massively popular they were,' we're told of the band. Stone was also the first songwriter to use a drum machine in a hit song, 'Family Affair.' He wrote music that was classified as R&B, soul, psychedelic, funk, and rock. Sometimes a song was all of those genres at once.
You probably know the band's hits, either in their original form or as samples for too many rap songs to mention. LL Cool J famously opens 'I'm Gonna Knock You Out' with a Sly & the Family Stone sample. 'Everyday People,' 'Stand,' and 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' became beloved anthems. The
Advertisement
Without Sly & the Family Stone, there would be no Prince and the Revolution, a notion seconded by fellow Minnesotans and Prince protégés Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. You can hear Stone's influence in Prince's music, plus both men played multiple instruments and wrote all their songs.
Jam and Lewis are just two of the many talking heads the film interviews. Members of Sly & the Family Stone are also interviewed, looking much older than they do in the bounty of clips from nearly 60 years ago. The band members speak highly of their leader but also truthfully. Their tone is a mixture of love, exasperation, pain, and joy.
Advertisement
Director Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and producer Joseph Patel. 'SLY LIVES! (a.k.a. The Burden of Black Genius)' examines the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone.
Disney/Kelsey McNeal
In addition to sounding great, 'SLY LIVES!' is superbly edited by Joshua L. Pearson. When you have a fellow musician and mix master like Questlove at the helm, every clip is perfectly selected; every song and sample feels part of a bigger thematic whole.
Additionally, since this is a film by someone who understands how to make music, we get more than just platitudes. People like Chic's Nile Rodgers discuss how songs are crafted, and the unusual ways Stone incorporated instruments and hooks into his compositions.
But all is not sunshine and flowers and hippies writhing around at Woodstock (where Sly & the Family Stone played). This is a darker film than 'Summer of Soul,' one that quickly puts us on notice. After that exhilarating and complementary montage introduces the film, Questlove presents archival footage of Sly Stone being interviewed — and it's like a kick in the gut.
With the camera pointed at Stone, his interviewer says, 'There are guys and girls all over this country trying to get to the top, and you get there.
And you blow it
.' Immediately, you see the joy leave Stone's face. It's brutal, but it's also not untrue. Stone's own demons eventually led to drugs, run-ins with the law, and the demise of the band.
If you were around for Sly & the Family Stone's
Advertisement
So what happened? Questlove has a theory that's summed up in his title's parenthetical aside. He presents this theory to his interview subjects. 'For Black artists in America, success can be more frightening than failure,' he says. 'The world's watching you … and I think that Sly was kind of the first Black artist to go through that publicly.'
'A burden came with his genius.'
From there, 'SLY LIVES!' becomes an exploration of what 'Black genius' is, and why it may be a double-edged sword. And it's here where the film slightly disappoints — because we never get a definitive answer. Everyone has difficulty pinpointing the exact definition. I don't think I was expecting a conclusive argument, to be honest, but the creative part of me held out hope that I'd get one. Blackness forces your skillset to be held up as an example, whether you want it or not. We are not a monolith, but damn if we're not often judged as one.
Perhaps Andre 3000 sums it up best when he basically says we'll know Black genius when we see it. 'SLY LIVES!' not only lets you see that genius, it also lets you hear it in the music of Sly & the Family Stone. And since this movie is streaming on Hulu, you can sing along and dance with impunity from the privacy of your own home.
★★★½
SLY LIVES!
Directed by Questlove. On Hulu starting Thursday. 110 minutes. Unrated (profanity)
Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Forever No. 1: Sly & the Family Stone's ‘Everyday People'
Forever No. 1 is a Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer — a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single — by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor Sly Stone, who died on Monday (June 9) at age 82, by looking at the first of Sly & the Family Stone's three Hot 100-toppers: the simple, yet profound 'Everyday People.' Sly & the Family Stone, a genre-fluid, interracial, mixed-gender group (at a time when all three things were unique) was formed in San Francisco in 1966. The group was led by Sly Stone, a musical prodigy who was just 23 at the time. His main claim-to-fame at that point is that he had produced a string of hits for the pop/rock group The Beau Brummels, including 'Laugh, Laugh' and 'Just a Little.' More from Billboard Sly Stone Dead at 82 DJ Akademiks Denies Taking Payola From Drake During Kendrick Battle Raekwon and Ghostface Killah Release Trailer for 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx' Documentary Sly & the Family Stone made the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1968 with its first chart hit, 'Dance to the Music.' That funky celebration of dance music wasn't topical at all, but after the stunning events of 1968 – a year of assassinations, riots and a war without end in Vietnam – acts almost had to say something, and Sly & the Family Stone did on 'Everyday People,' which was released that November. The song is a plea for understanding and racial unity, which is so understated in its approach that it's easy to lose sight of just how progressive its sentiments seemed in 1968. The record has a gentle tone and a disarming opening line: 'Sometimes I'm right and I can be wrong/ My own beliefs are in my song.' Who ever starts out a conversation by conceding 'I can be wrong?' The sense of urgency and passion picks up on the proclamation 'I am everyday people!' which is repeated three times during the song, and then on the call to action 'We got to live together,' which is repeated twice. Stone, who was born Sylvester Stewart, wrote and produced 'Everyday People.' His genius move on this song was to simplify the discussion to the level of a childhood playground taunt – 'There is a yellow one that won't accept the Black one/ That won't accept the red one that won't accept the white one/ Different strokes for different folks/And so on and so on and scooby-dooby-dooby.' The unspoken, but unmistakable, message: Isn't all this division really pretty childish? Sly makes the point even more directly in the second verse: 'I am no better and neither are you/ We are the same whatever we do.' The reasonableness of his argument instantly disarms any detractors. The song's politics are expressed most directly in the third verse, in the song's depiction of counter-culture types vs. establishment types; progressives vs. conservatives. 'There is a long hair that doesn't like the short hair/For being such a rich one that will not help the poor one.' The bridges of the song contain the line 'different strokes for different folks,' which was initially popularized by Muhammad Ali. It became a popular catchphrase in 1969 (and inspired the name of a 1978-86 TV sitcom, Diff'rent Strokes). Sly wisely kept the record short – the childlike sections, which are charming in small doses, would have become grating if the record had overstayed its welcome. The record runs just 2:18, shorter than any other No. 1 hit of 1969. Three Dog Night took a similar approach on 'Black & White,' which was a No. 1 hit in September 1972 – putting a plea for racial unity and brotherhood in simple, grade-school language. Three Dog's record isn't as timeless or memorable as 'Everyday People,' but it shows Sly's influence. 'Everyday People' entered the Hot 100 at No. 93 for the week ending Nov. 30, 1968. You might assume that a record this catchy and classic shot to the top quickly, but it took a while. In the week ending Jan. 11, 1969, it inched up from No. 27 to No. 26, looking like it might not even match 'Dance to the Music''s top 10 ranking. But then it caught fire. The following week, it leapt to No. 15, then No. 5, then No. 2 for a couple of weeks behind Tommy James & the Shondells' 'Crimson and Clover,' before finally reaching the top spot in the week ending Feb. 15. It stayed on top for four consecutive weeks, the longest stay of Sly's career. The song was of a piece with such other socially-aware No. 1 hits as Aretha Franklin's 'Respect' (1967) and The Rascals' 'People Got to Be Free' (1968). 'Everyday People' remained on the Hot 100 for 19 weeks, a personal best for Sly, and wound up as the No. 5 song of 1969 on Billboard's year-end chart recap. The song was included on the group's fourth studio album, Stand!, which was released in May 1969. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 102 weeks – also a personal best for the group. The album, which also featured 'Sing a Simple Song,' 'Stand!' and 'I Want to Take You Higher,' was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2014 and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015. The band included 'Everyday People' in their set at Woodstock on Aug. 17, 1969. Fun Fact: It was the only No. 1 Hot 100 hit performed by the original artist during that landmark three-day festival. The song is widely acknowledged as a classic. Rolling Stone had it at No. 109 on its 2024 update of its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Billboard included it on its 2023 list of the 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List. (We had it way down at No. 293, clearly proving the wisdom of Sly's opening line, 'Sometimes I'm right and I can be wrong.') While Sly was bedeviled by personal demons that shortened his run at the top, he lived to get his flowers. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 (in its first year of eligibility). On his own, Sly received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2017. Numerous artists covered 'Everyday People' in the wake of Sly's recording. Between 1969 and 1972, the song was featured on Billboard 200 albums by The Supremes, Ike & Tina Turner, The Winstons, Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Supremes & Four Tops, Billy Paul and Dionne Warwick. Spend any time on YouTube and you can also find cover versions of 'Everyday People' by everyone from Peggy Lee to Pearl Jam (who performed it in concert in 1995). Other artists who took a stab at it: Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, William Bell, Belle & Sebastian, Maroon 5 (on a 2005 remix and cover album Different Strokes by Different Folks) and the unlikely team of Cher and Future, who covered it for a 2017 Gap ad that has recently gone viral. A couple artists even had Hot 100 hits with their new spins on the song. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts covered the song in 1983 and took it to No. 37. Arrested Development drew heavily from the song for their 1993 hit 'People Everyday,' which reached No. 8. (The song used the chorus and basic structure of the original, with new verses written by lead singer Speech.) Sly & the Family Stone nearly landed a second No. 1 hit in 1969, but 'Hot Fun in the Summertime' stalled at No. 2 for two weeks in October behind The Temptations' 'I Can't Get Next to You.' 'Hot Fun' wound up at No. 7 on the aforementioned year-end Hot 100 recap, making Sly the only act with two songs in the year-end top 10. Questlove, who directed the 2025 documentary Sly Lives (aka The Burden of Black Genius), shared a touching tribute to the icon on Instagram on Monday. 'Sly Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, left this earth today, but the changes he sparked while here will echo forever … He dared to be simple in the most complex ways — using childlike joy, wordless cries, and nursery rhyme cadences to express adult truths.' That last part was a clear reference to 'Everyday People.' Questlove also recalled what he called that song's 'eternal cry' – 'We got to live together!' Said Quest: 'Once idealistic, now I hear it as a command. Sly's music will likely speak to us even more now than it did then. Thank you, Sly. You will forever live.' Later this week: Two additional Sly & the Family Stone No. 1s take the group into darker and murkier territory, with similarly spellbinding results. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Four Decades of 'Madonna': A Look Back at the Queen of Pop's Debut Album on the Charts Chart Rewind: In 1990, Madonna Was in 'Vogue' Atop the Hot 100
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: The influence of Brian Wilson, Sly Stone and … St. Charles?
Brian Wilson, the musical mastermind behind the Beach Boys, died at the age of 82, his family announced Wednesday. Earlier this week came news of the passing of Sly Stone, 82, whose startling originality combining elements of gospel, rock and soul enthralled audiences and fellow artists alike in the late '60s and early '70s recordings of Sly and the Family Stone. Both men were bona fide musical giants. Though their music was similar only in being groundbreaking, Wilson and Stone's lives followed similar, tragic narrative arcs. Both reached artistic peaks achieved by few others in pop music over periods of just a few years. Both were masters of the recording studio at a time when most artists left that part of their work to producers and focused on live performance. And both suffered from the ravages of drug abuse and mental illness for much of the remainder of their lives, making their many fans mourn for what more they could have offered. But what they created in their primes served as inspiration for legions of artists to come. Prince, Public Enemy and OutKast counted Sly Stone as a major influence. Wilson's lush, deceptively sophisticated harmonies and instrumentation were foundational for too many orchestral pop artists to count, and thanks to his epic rivalry with the Beatles in the mid-'60s, they pushed each other to greater heights. The Beatles' 'Rubber Soul' stirred Wilson to create his masterpiece, the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds,' which then inspired the Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.' Speaking of 'Rubber Soul,' Wilson told the Tribune a little over a decade ago, 'I was so blown away by that damn album that I went and wrote ('God Only Knows.') Paul McCartney subsequently called Wilson's work of genius possibly the greatest song ever written. Wilson set out to top the Fab Four yet again with what would have been 'Smile,' but threw in the towel on that legendary 'lost album' amid intra-band acrimony and debilitating mental health issues. Stone and Wilson both were children of California, but we choose to remember the brief but fascinating role of west suburban St. Charles in Wilson's life. Having remarried and feeling revived, Wilson moved to the suburb in the late 1990s to live near producer Joe Thomas, who worked on Wilson's 1998 comeback album, 'Imagination.' Wilson, an iconic Southern Californian, didn't learn to love Midwestern winters and in a few years' time moved back to where he once belonged. But we like to think our slightly less glamorous region played a significant role in Wilson's latter-years career resurgence that followed from what we'll call 'the St. Charles years,' topped by his 2004 celebrated re-creation with a stellar band of his vision for 'Smile.' God only knows what we'd do without the immense musical legacies Wilson and Stone left us this week.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Cynthia Erivo, Lexa Gates, Josh Levi, Sammy Virji & More
The 2025 BET Awards dominated the weekend with a remarkable — but incredibly long — show that featured standout performances from breakout stars like Leon Thomas and Ravyn Lenae, as well as stirring tributes to Ultimate Icon honorees Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Jamie Foxx and Kirk Franklin. More from Billboard Forever No. 1: Sly & the Family Stone's 'Everyday People' DJ Akademiks Denies Taking Payola From Drake During Kendrick Battle Raekwon and Ghostface Killah Release Trailer for 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx' Documentary Kendrick Lamar was the night's biggest winner, taking home five trophies from 10 nominations, including album of the year for GNX and best male hip-hop artist. The Compton MC surprised everyone by showing up in person to accept his album of the year award, making for one of the ceremony's most thrilling moments. Chris Brown was the only other artist to win multiple awards at the BET Awards' 25th iteration, taking home best male R&B/pop artist and the viewer's choice award for his hit single 'Residuals.' In addition to the four sprawling Ultimate Icon tributes, BET also opted to split their in memoriam segment into thirds. For the first section, Sinners star Miles Caton joined Grammy winner Lucky Daye and Grammy-nominated crooner Luke James for a soulful Quincy Jones tribute. Shortly after, Andra Day delivered a haunting rendition of 'Killing Me Softly With His Song' to honor the late Roberta Flack. Near the ceremony's close, rising country star Brittney Spencer took to the stage for a show-stopping cover of the late Angie Stone's 'No More Rain (In This Cloud).' Both performers at Monday night's show (June 9), Lil Wayne and Amerie made headlines for non-awards-related news. Weezy, who recently dropped a remix of 'Banned From NO' with Nicki Minaj, dominated the weekend's music conversation with his new Tha Carter VI album, which was largely met with a tepid reception from fans and critics alike. Amerie also faced a bit of the Internet's wrath thanks to her spotty NPR Tiny Desk '1 Thing' performance, which she quickly came back from via two performances of her signature hit during BET Week. With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Cynthia Erivo's big solo swing to Sammy Virji and Skepta's eclectic new collaboration. Be sure to check out this week's Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below. Somehow, between racking up Oscar nominations as Elphaba in Wicked, guest-starring in Poker Face and hosting the 2025 Tonys, Cynthia Erivo found the time to craft her lush, 20-track sophomore studio LP, I Forgive You. A remarkably subtle record given her reputation for rafter-rattling belts, I Forgive You reaches a scintillating peak about midway through with the soulful standout 'Play The Woman.' Co-written by Erivo, Justin Tranter and Will Wells, 'Play the Woman' finds the Emmy, Grammy and Tony-winning powerhouse opting for a more restrained vocal performance as she paints the guitar-inflected soundscape with vivid pictures of queer love and desire. 'I could run these hands of mine down the map of your spine/ Feel how your heat against my fingertips could make the blood in me rush,' she coos, injecting in each phrase with healthy doses of vulnerability and flirtatiousness. — KYLE DENIS Garage producer Sammy Virji samples Brandy's 'I Wanna Be Down' and Kid Cudi's 'Day & Night' and taps the legendary Skepta to provide a barfest to give us an absolute banger for the summer. Big Smoke's hook is infectious, and his sharp verses show why he's one of the most versatile rappers doing it today. What an absolute banger. — ANGEL DIAZ After spending the last few years pouring into other artists as a writer, Sabrina Claudio turned the mirror back on herself with her freeing Fall in Love With Her project. 'Detoxing' finds Sabs looking to flush away the toxins of an ex who cut her deep. Guitar strings flood the background as Claudio's potent vocals shine through, compared to the more airy texture displayed on other parts of the LP. She told Forbes that 'Detoxing' invokes feelings of nostalgia tied to Coldplay and Avril Lavigne tracks. — MICHAEL SAPONARA A silky, heartfelt ode to infatuation and emotional intimacy, Jon Vinyl's 'Dopamine' is drenched in warmth and sensual energy. From the jump, he lays it all out — this is about being captivated not just by physical beauty, but by a connection that feels both grounding and euphoric. With lines like 'She's a masterpiece, I swear I need it all' and 'My dopamine, the fix I'm looking for,' Vinyl positions this love interest as both his muse and medicine. Lyrically, he blends vulnerability with reassurance, promising presence and protection. 'Dopamine' feels like a late-night conversation wrapped in candlelight, where both people are letting their guards down and simply feeling. — CHRISTOPHER CLAXTON Fresh off his run as an opener on FLO's recently wrapped Access All Areas tour, rising R&B star Josh Levi has unleashed 'Don't Go' from his forthcoming debut studio album, Hydraulic. Built around an interpolation of Destiny's Child's 'No, No, No,' Levi pays tribute to his Houston roots while offering fresh, uptempo R&B across Tone's sleek production. 'Them other n—as can't hold her/ She like her kisses down low, Kelly Rowland/ She got my game controller/ She wanna rewind, never fast-forward,' he sing-raps in the second verse, riffing on DC4's staccato vocal approach and name-checking OG member Kelly Rowland. — K.D. Produced by Chrissianity, Far Rock and Upstate connect for this unorthodox street single with a hook that pays homage to OJ da Juiceman. Flee Lord, Conway and Eto all deliver stellar verses for this track dedicated to digital scales. Make sure you tare it before weighing up. — A.D. Billboard's Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month for March jets into her next era with the piano-driven 'Latency.' Gates taps into how people are lusting for love, but don't dive in to save face and risk being embarrassed — even when they think the connection is palpable. The 24-year-old described the intoxicating track as a 'sexy fantasy of a love left on delay,' which was born out of a situation of her being surrounded by rich old men. 'It's a tale as old as time,' she says. Watch Lexa live out the fantasy of a true romance, taking her from NYC to the Hamptons in the visual. — M.S. 'All Wins All Year' is a triumphant anthem designed to fuel confidence and ambition. Teaming up with R&B heavyweight Eric Bellinger, rising stars SYX, Steven G, and Dom Belli trade verses with ease, showcasing a collective hunger for success and a refusal to settle for anything less. The track radiates self-assurance and camaraderie as each artist boasts about their come-ups while uplifting their circle along the way. 'All Wins All Year' is more than a flex: It's a celebration of perseverance, loyalty and the unstoppable momentum that comes when you move with purpose and surround yourself with winners. — C.C. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
