?uestlove Set To Teach at NYU

?uestlove will most likely use his real name Ahmir Thompson when he takes on his new role as a lecturer of ‘Classic Music’ at New York University. Although he won’t be giving up his day job as drummer of hip-hop group The Roots, he’ll be linking up with Universal Music Enterprises vice president of A&R Harry Weinger to co-teach the two-credit class at the Manhattan campus. The class will draw attention to the difference between classic and seminal music, focusing on lyrics, production, promotion, marketing, and the public’s reception of the given album at hand, drawing conclusions as to why some albums have stood the test of time and others haven’t. The class is expected to look at albums Stand! There’s A Riot Goin’ On by Sly & The Family Stone, Lady Soul by Aretha Franklin, IV by Led Zeppelin, Dirty Mind by Prince, Off The Wall by Michael Jackson, and Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys and more. NYU’s associate professor of recorded music and head of history and criticism confirmed the acquisition of ?uestlove to Billboard:

“We wanted to bring [?uestlove] in because we felt he should really be a professor; in a lot of ways he already is an informal, unofficial professor, not just in hip hop but in music in general. He’s one of the smartest people in music, besides being a fantastic musician. We thought [this class] would speak to his strengths.”

?uestlove commences teaching at NYU in Spring 2013.