Thursday, February 13 — Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson—the renowned Academy Award winning filmmaker, producer, DJ, podcast host, and bandleader of The Roots and The Tonight Show—and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, today announced the original motion picture soundtrack to SLY LIVES! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), Questlove’s acclaimed new documentary about enigmatic musical chameleons Sly & the Family Stone.
In addition to the band’s signature hits, the album features seven rare and previously unreleased alternate versions, along with three unreleased new edits by Questlove and Brooklyn-based DJ, remixer, and hip-hop producer J.PERIOD.
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was compiled by author/music journalist Jeff Mao and producer/director Joseph Patel and co-produced by Mao, Patel, Questlove, and Rob Santos on behalf of Sony Music. It will be available in three configurations: The CD and LP editions are set for release on Friday, May 9, while the digital edition is out today, February 13, on all major streaming platforms. The CD and LP editions are available for pre-order now HERE.
SLY LIVES! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), produced by Two One Five Entertainment (the production company founded by Questlove and Black Thought) and Network Entertainment in partnership with MRC Non-Fiction and Disney’s Onyx Collective, alongside producers Joseph Patel and Derik Murray, explores the life and legacy of Sly & the Family Stone. The interracial, mixed-gender band broke down barriers in the late ‘60s and 1970s by fusing soul, funk, gospel, Latin, and psychedelic rock on both a string of Top 40 hits (“I Want to Take You Higher,” “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” and more), and canonical albums (1969’s Stand!, 1971’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On).
The film captures the group’s rise, cultural dominance, and subsequent fade, while also touching on the often-unseen burden of being a successful Black artist in America. It features cameos from André 3000, D’Angelo, Nile Rogers, Chaka Khan, George Clinton, Q-Tip, Clive Davis, Ruth Copeland, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
The documentary, which premieres on Hulu today, made its debut on January 25th at the Sundance Film Festival to widespread critical praise. Variety called it a “a dazzling and definitive funk-pop documentary,” with Vulture writing, “You walk out of Sly Lives! feeling like you’ve genuinely learned something, but you also walk out exhilarated.” The Wrap, meanwhile, praised the movie as “illuminating” and “exceptionally rich,” highlighting Questlove’s “knack for cinematic pacing, compositions, and arrangement.” SLY LIVES! (aka the Burden of Black Genius) also received acclaim from The Hollywood Reporter, which called the film a “tender and sobering love letter,” and Collider, which crowned it an “essential rock documentary.”
SLY LIVES! (aka the Burden of Black Genius) is Questlove’s second directorial effort of 2025, alongside Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, helmed for NBC/Peacock with Oz Rodriguez. Both projects follow his debut music-doc, 2021’s Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
LP
1. Sing a Simple Song (Alternative Mix) *
2. Underdog
3. Trip to Your Heart (Alternate Mix) *
4. Dance to the Music (J.PERIOD Edit)
5. M’Lady
Side B
1. Everyday People (J.PERIOD Edit)
2. Hot Fun in the Summertime (Interlude) *
3. Hot Fun in the Summertime (Mono Single Master)
4. Everybody Is a Star (Mono Single Master)
5. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
6. Thank You For Talkin’ to Me, Africa (Alternate Mix) *
Side C
1. Family Affair (Questlove Rhythm King Edit)
2. Runnin’ Away (Alternate Mix) *
3. Just Like a Baby
4. Babies Makin’ Babies (Interlude) *
5. If You Want Me to Stay (Alternate Version)
Side D
1. Thankful N’ Thoughtful (Alternate Version)
2. Family Affair (Wedding Band Interlude) *
3. Can’t Strain My Brain
4. Stand! (Take 1) *
5. Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)
*previously unreleased
DIGITAL
1. Sing A Simple Song (Alternate Mix) *
2. Underdog
3. Trip to Your Heart (Alternate Mix) *
4. Dance to the Music (J.PERIOD Edit)
5. M’Lady
6. Everyday People (J.PERIOD Edit)
7. Hot Fun in the Summertime (Interlude) *
8. Hot Fun in the Summertime (mono single master)
9. Everybody Is a Star (mono single master)
10. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
11. Thank You For Talkin’ to Me, Africa (Alternate Mix) *
12. Family Affair (Questlove Rhythm King Edit)
13. Runnin’ Away (Alternate Mix) *
14. Just Like a Baby
15. Babies Makin’ Babies (Interlude) *
16. If You Want Me to Stay (Alternate Version)
17. Thankful N’ Thoughtful (Alternate Version)
18. Family Affair (Wedding Band Interlude) *
19. Can’t Strain My Brain
20. Stand! (Take 1) *
21. Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be Will, Will Be)
*previously unreleased
CD
1. Sing A Simple Song (Alternate Mix) *
2. Underdog
3. Trip to Your Heart (Alternate Mix) *
4. Dance to the Music (J.PERIOD Edit)
5. M’Lady
6. Everyday People (J.PERIOD Edit)
7. Hot Fun in the Summertime (Interlude) *
8. Hot Fun in the Summertime (mono single master)
9. Everybody Is a Star (mono single master)
10. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
11. Thank You For Talkin’ to Me, Africa (Alternate Mix) *
12. Family Affair (Questlove Rhythm King Edit)
13. Runnin’ Away (Alternate Mix) *
14. Just Like a Baby
15. Babies Makin’ Babies (Interlude) *
16. If You Want Me to Stay (Alternate Version)
17. Thankful N’ Thoughtful (Alternate Version)
18. Family Affair (Wedding Band Interlude) *
19. Can’t Strain My Brain
20. Stand! (Take 1) *
21. Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be Will, Will Be)
*previously unreleased
ABOUT AHMIR “QUESTLOVE’ THOMPSON
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is an Academy Award‒winning filmmaker, drummer, DJ, producer, director, culinary entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author, who is the unmistakable heartbeat and co-founder of Philadelphia’s most influential hip-hop group, The Roots. The artist is a modern-day renaissance man and award-winning creative force who made his directorial debut with the Academy Award‒winning feature documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). In 2025, Questlove has directed a multitude of projects including SLY LIVES! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), the original documentary about legendary musician Sly Stone, which premiered February 13th on Hulu. The film made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival to widespread critical praise; Variety called it a “a dazzling and definitive funk-pop documentary,” while The Wrap praised it as “illuminating” and “exceptionally rich,” highlighting Questlove’s “knack for cinematic pacing, compositions, and arrangement.” Additionally, Questlove directed Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, which premiered on January 27th ahead of SNL’s 50th extravaganza. The documentary was crowned the most-watched program in the all-important 18-49 demo upon its debut and received rave reviews from the likes of the New York Times, NPR and more. Variety notably described Ladies & Gentlemen as “well worth watching, probably more than once” and “a Spectacular, Definitive History of the Most Influential Music Stage in America.” Questlove has also signed on to direct a documentary about Earth, Wind & Fire, set for release later this year. These projects mark Questlove’s latest forays into filmmaking following his directorial debut and will be produced by Two One Five Entertainment (the production company founded by Questlove and Black Thought). In addition to his work as a Director, Questlove has executive produced documentaries The League from Academy Award nominee Sam Pollard and the Sundance award winner Descendant from Emmy nominee Margaret Brown. Thompson has also written multiple books, including the New York Times bestsellers Mo’ Meta Blues, Creative Quest, Music Is History and The Rhythm of Time, which is the first book in his middle grade series of the same name. Recently, he published his first picture book, The Idea In You. He is the publisher of AUWA, an imprint of MCD / Farrar, Straus and Giroux on the Macmillan platform. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is the Musical Director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where his beloved Roots crew serves as house band. A six-time GRAMMY Award winning artist with an additional 18 nominations, Questlove has also served in musical directing positions for everyone from D’Angelo to Jay-Z to the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.
ABOUT LEGACY RECORDINGS
Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, is home to the world’s foremost library of historically significant commercial recordings, a peerless collection of works by the most important musical artists of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Across a variety of platforms, the label offers contemporary music fans access to thousands of meticulously restored archival titles representing virtually every musical genre.
ABOUT TWO ONE FIVE
Founded by Academy® Award winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Two One Five (TOF) has produced for media partners such as Amazon, Disney, Netflix, AMC, BET, CNN, Showtime, YouTube, and Twitch. The company’s work includes a wide breadth of projects ranging from feature films and television specials to documentaries, animated series, podcasts, and digital programming. TOF executive produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning historical documentary Descendant, which was acquired by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground. In 2023, Two One Five Entertainment executive produced Sam Pollard’s The League, a documentary centered on the tumultuous journey of Negro league baseball. In 2024, TOF was nominated for a NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Variety Show” for their production of A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop, a two-hour tribute special and once-in-a-lifetime live concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. TOF also produced an A&E series on James Brown (alongside Mick Jagger) as well as the documentary Daughters (executive produced by Black Thought). The documentary debuted at Sundance and received multiple 2024 Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations, including “Best Documentary Feature.” Daughters also received an NAACP Image Award nomination for “Outstanding Documentary (Film)” and a BAFTA nomination for “Best Documentary.” Most recently, the company executive produced the Questlove-directed SLY LIVES! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), the original documentary about legendary musician Sly Stone, which premiered February 13th on Hulu. The film made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival to widespread critical praise; Variety called it a “a dazzling and definitive funk-pop documentary,” while The Wrap praised it as “illuminating” and “exceptionally rich,” highlighting Questlove’s “knack for cinematic pacing, compositions, and arrangement.” TOF also executive produced Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music (also directed by Questlove), which premiered on January 27th ahead of SNL’s 50th extravaganza. The documentary was crowned the most-watched program in the all-important 18-49 demo upon its debut and received rave reviews from the likes of the New York Times, NPR, and more. Variety notably described Ladies & Gentlemen as “well worth watching, probably more than once” and “a Spectacular, Definitive History of the Most Influential Music Stage in America.” Next, TOF will produce Questlove’s forthcoming documentary about Earth, Wind & Fire, set for release later this year.
ABOUT NETWORK ENTERTAINMENT
Network Entertainment is a creatively driven boutique film and television production company that develops, finances, and produces award-winning programming for television networks, streaming digital platforms, and movie audiences worldwide.
Network was shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary for its Muhammad Ali documentary, Facing Ali. Upcoming and recent releases include JIMI, a feature-length documentary on the meteoric rise of the legendary rock star and global icon Jimi Hendrix, the most celebrated guitar player in the history of popular music – in collaboration with Janie Hendrix, Experience Hendrix, Double Agent, ABG, and Beedie Investments, and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Bao Nguyen; Bernie Taupin, a feature documentary directed by Matthew Miele, celebrating Elton John’s legendary lyricist and their half-century partnership; and most recently a feature doc. on the ground-breaking musical artist Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone, directed by Academy Award-winner and four-time Grammy and Sundance Film Festival Award-winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, in partnership with MRC Non-Fiction and Onyx Collective, which debuted on January 23 at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and is premiering February 13, 2025, on Hulu/Disney.
ABOUT ONYX COLLECTIVE
Onyx Collective is a premium content brand under Disney Entertainment Television, with programming exclusively available to stream on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally. Onyx Collective curates globally entertaining stories by creators of color and underrepresented voices, all with a culturally specific point of view, including Oscar®-winning documentary film “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” Emmy® Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning documentary “Aftershock,” Emmy Award-winning docuseries “The 1619 Project,” “Reasonable Doubt,” “Black Twitter: A People’s History,” “How to Die Alone,” “Queenie,” and the upcoming series “Deli Boys” and documentary “SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius).”
The brand’s roster of prolific creators also includes Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media (“Black Panther,” “Judas and the Black Messiah”); Manolo Caro (“The House of Flowers”) and Woo Films; Destin Daniel Cretton (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”) and his production company, Hisako; Jason Kim (“Barry,” “KPOP”); Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Joseph Patel (“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”); Prentice Penny’s Penny for Your Thoughts; Natasha Rothwell (“Insecure,” “SNL”); Yara Shahidi with her production company, 7th Sun Productions; and Erika Green Swafford and her production company, Chocolate Girl Wonder.
Follow @OnyxCollective on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
