Soulquarians

The Soulquarians is a neo soul and hip hop-informed musical collective with members from Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, Richmond, Brooklyn, Chicago, Dallas, and Oakland. The collective formed during the late 1990s, continuing into the early 2000s, and produced several well-received albums. Prior to its formation, members Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and Q-Tip were members of the Native Tongues Posse.

Producer and drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of hip hop band The Roots acted as the "musical powerhouse" behind several of the collective's projects during the late 1990s and early 2000s, including The Roots' Things Fall Apart (1999), D'Angelo's Voodoo (2000), Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun (2000), and Common's Like Water for Chocolate (2000).

The name of the collective is derived from an astrology sign. The founding members of the collective — Ahmir Thompson a.k.a. Questlove from The Roots, D'Angelo, James Poyser, and J Dilla — share sign of Aquarius. Questlove, D'Angelo, Poyser, and J Dilla came together after discovering they had a common interest for the unconventional — offbeat rhythms, irregular chords, and other traits often exhibited by the underground urban music scene. Also around this time, a connection was established between D'Angelo and Welsh bassist Pino Palladino over their mutual love of Motown and other classic soul music, and Palladino became active in the project, playing on the majority of their discography and serving as a member of the Soultronics touring band that supported D'Angelo's Voodoo tour.

Being a collective, they included a rotating list of members, including Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, Erykah Badu, Bilal, and Raphael Saadiq. In a 2003 interview, Questlove unequivocally stated that there were no plans for a Soulquarians album release for the foreseeable future. This was interpreted as a silent breakup of the outfit. However, according to an interview with Common (circa 2005), the collective continues to exist.

Members

Questlove (Philadelphia)
Bilal (Philadelphia)
Common (Chicago)
D'Angelo (Richmond)
Erykah Badu (Dallas)
James Poyser (Philadelphia)
Mos Def (New York City)
Q-Tip (New York City)
Talib Kweli (New York City)
Pino Palladino (Cardiff)[4]
J Dilla (Detroit) (deceased)