In Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s tremendous Oscar-winning documentary, Summer of Soul (…OR, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), the musician-turned-filmmaker covered the incredible yet forgotten music festival that featured such iconic acts as Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, and The 5th Dimension. But coming in like a bolt of lightning during Summer of Soul was Sly and the Family Stone, blowing everyone else out of the water with an unbelievable stage presence that is hard to shake even once the film is over.
For Questlove’s second documentary, SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), it makes perfect sense that he focuses primarily on Sly Stone, considering how lovingly he was presented in that first film, and how ambitious and genre-breaking Stone’s music was. SLY LIVES! is far more straightforward in its approach than Summer of Soul was, and not nearly as formally inventive. But considering how electric Stone’s work and life are, SLY LIVES! more than makes up for its standard documentary style through Stone’s gripping story, and Questlove’s exploration of the revolutionary music.
What Is ‘SLY LIVES!’ About?

Questlove focuses on Stone’s musical career over the course of decades, starting with his origins as a San Francisco-based radio DJ and producer in 1964, creating hits that didn’t sound like anything else. Even in his earliest bands, he was in groups that were both black and white, men and women, and creating music that spoke to pretty much everyone. Eventually forming Sly and the Family Stone, his first album was a failure, but once he started trying to make music that was more exciting to a larger audience, Sly and the Family Stone found massive success, becoming one of the biggest bands of the time, a perfect blend of genres that were up-and-coming at the time, like ‘70s psychedelia and Motown sounds.
Especially when focusing on the bigger songs in Sly and the Family Stone’s repertoire, Questlove shows what makes him such a great director of docs about music. He breaks down how perfectly “Dance to the Music” is woven together, allowing every member to have a moment in the spotlight, then showing how this song would influence other artists like Prince and the Revolution with “1999.” In another great breakdown, we hear “Everyday People” take by take, as Questlove shows us the gradual growth of that song. At first, it does not sound like the song we know, but with each new take, Sly and the Family Stone build the track closer and closer to the classic song, until after tons of takes, an all-time masterpiece has been created. As a legendary musician himself, Questlove is the ideal person to break down these songs and show what exactly makes them worthy of such an exploration.
After the heights of Sly Stone’s success, however, we also focus on his struggle to remain relevant and his problems with substance abuse. During this, Questlove also discusses with other great black artists what the phrase “Black Genius” means to them, including musicians like D’Angelo, André 3000, and Chaka Khan. It is fascinating to hear these artists who have also had to deal with major success and maintain such success discuss the rise and fall of one of the greats—but also, how integral Stone still is to music history.
‘SLY LIVES’ Is Much Better When It Prioritizes the Music

Image by Jovelle Tamayo via Sundance Institute

Since this has a narrower focus than Summer of Soul, Questlove absolutely has to get into the more negative periods of Stone’s life, as it’s also a part of the Black Genius exploration he’s approaching here. Yet once the film gets into Stone’s substance abuse and his more problematic periods, the film doesn’t have the same electricity. Questlove enhances these latter scenes through these interviews with other iconic artists and what it means to be a successful Black artist, and he does find a hopeful note to end Stone’s story on, but the film does, unfortunately, feel a bit more like a formulaic music doc in these points as well.
But SLY LIVES! also only focuses on the music, and not on Stone’s life. We start Stone’s story in 1964, when he was already in his 20s, and when discussing his substance abuse later in life, it is often in the context of the music and the ludicrous things Stone would do to stay relevant. Questlove wants to keep the music as the central focus, but it seems like diving a bit more into Stone’s youth, and especially his latter years, would give us a deeper understanding of who Stone was beyond just his musical genius—which Questlove does prove quite well.
Even without the same level of joy and celebration that Summer of Soul had, Questlove’s loving tribute to Stone is still an essential rock documentary that makes the music the real star. SLY LIVES! isn’t quite as inventive as Questlove’s previous film, but the adoration that resonates from this film makes this almost feel irrelevant in the long run. This is just an artist that Questlove simply wants to put a spotlight on and explain why they’re so important to our world, and that’s all we really need. Sometimes, it’s okay to just want to dance to the music.
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) comes to Hulu on February 13.

SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)

Questlove’s SLY LIVES! celebrates the life and work of Sly Stone in a doc that’s just a bit too formulaic.

Release Date

January 23, 2025

Runtime

112 Minutes

Director

Questlove

Producers

Common, Derik Murray, Joseph Patel, Shelby Stone, Derek Dudley, Brian Gersh, Zarah Zohlman

Pros & Cons

Questlove accurately proves the genius of Sly Stone through his incredible body of work.
Interviews with artists like André 3000, D’Angelo, and Chaka Khan elevate the core idea of Questlove’s film.
The breakdowns of individual songs is truly incredible.

After Summer of Soul, this is a bit too straightforward.
SLY LIVES! doesn’t work as well when it gets away from the music.

Watch on Hulu