The Rhythm Of Time is aimed for preteens, specifically ‘alternative black kids.’
Renown producer and drummer, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is taking readers back to the root of his childhood with new book, The Rhythm Of Time. He visited The View to discuss how the book came to be and why he dedicated it to his nine-year old self and other alternative kids.
“When I would travel with my parents, my father and mother, we were like basically the Black Partridge Family,” Thompson said on the talk show. “My father was an oldies doo-wop legend back in the ’50s. I’d often read to them. Well, they would trick me into reading to them, and oftentimes, I’d pick books in which I didn’t see myself.”
He added, “There’s a term, ‘alt-Black kids,’ where you might not talk the right language or you just look weird. I had weird hair, and I dressed weird. I wanted Black nerds to see themselves as well, so that’s kind of why I wrote the book.”
Synopsis
The Rhythm of Time follows the story of a music-obsessed seventh grader, Rahim Reynolds who travels back to 1997. Penguin Random House lays out the full plot below:
“Seventh grader Rahim Reynolds loves testing out the gadgets invented by his brilliant friend Kasia Collins. First there were the X-ray glasses and all the trouble they caused. Now there’s the new cell phone she built for his birthday, even though his parents won’t let him have one. But Rahim is excited to use the phone to search for videos of his favorite old-school rap group. What he doesn’t know is the phone has a special battery that interfaces with a secret government satellite, which spells trouble when the phone transports him back to 1997. Almost immediately, he learns what every time traveler before him has: Actions in the past jeopardize the future. With Kasia as his only lifeline to the present, Rahim works with her to get home unscathed, all the while dodging bullies (on his end) and suspicious government agents (on hers).”
Other Endeavors
- Since 2009, Questlove and The Roots have served as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
- The Grammy winner is also gearing up for The Roots Picnic which takes place June 2nd to June 4th.
- We reported last month, that he is set to direct and oversee the music production for The Aristocrats, a Disney film.
- He received a Grammy nomination at the 65th Grammy Awards for his book, Music Is History, bringing his total nominations to 18.