Questlove Puts Sly Lives! Into Awards Spotlight
Roots drummer enlists Disney+ and Hulu to push a Sylvester Stewart doc toward Emmy buzz.
Image: Instagram
Questlove Puts Sly Lives! Into Awards Spotlight
Questlove has officially thrown his weight behind SLY LIVES! (Aka The Burden Of Black Genius) for the Outstanding Documentary or Non Fiction Special category. In a For Your Consideration post on Instagram, the Roots drummer tagged Disney+, Hulu and production partner Two One Five to amplify the campaign.
Shining Light On The Burden Of Black Genius
SLY LIVES! explores the life and legacy of Sylvester Stewart—better known as Sly Stone—whose innovative fusion of funk, soul and rock reshaped pop music in the late 1960s. The documentary dives deep into themes of creativity, racial politics and personal struggle, tracing how Stone’s art spoke to a generation and beyond.
Questlove’s Instagram caption reads: “For Your Consideration
SLY LIVES! (Aka The Burden Of Black Genius)
Outstanding Documentary or Non Fiction Special
@disneyplus @hulu @twoonefive
@slystoneofficial @the_official_sly_and_family_st
@slyandthefamilystone_fp”
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DK3EidRyOrI/
That image, styled as a retro poster, uses stark black-and-white photos of Stone in performance to underscore both his triumphs and his later battles with fame and addiction.
Streaming Powerhouses Join The Campaign
By tagging Disney+ and Hulu, Questlove highlights the streaming homes where SLY LIVES! is available. Disney+ acquired the doc in late 2023, and Hulu added it to its awards-season roster soon after, aiming to reach both legacy subscribers and younger viewers discovering Sly Stone for the first time.
Production credit goes to Two One Five, the indie studio behind several music-focused documentaries. Questlove’s post also nods to the official Sly Stone outlets on Instagram, uniting fans, rights holders and industry voters in one coordinated push.
From Summer Of Soul To Sly Lives!
Questlove’s interest in music history runs deep. In 2021, his directorial debut, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), premiered at Sundance and went on to earn the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2022. His success with that project set a high bar—and revealed how powerful archived concert footage and interviews can be in reframing cultural narratives.
With SLY LIVES!, Questlove taps into a legacy even older than the Harlem Cultural Festival. He knew Sly Stone’s influence firsthand: The Roots sampled and cited Family Stone tracks early in their career, and Questlove has long championed under-recognized Black artists through his DJ sets and writing.
“SLY LIVES! (Aka The Burden Of Black Genius)” offers a fresh perspective on Sly Stone’s genius, balancing the joy of hits like “Everyday People” with the sobering look at the toll of stardom.
Why This Push Matters
Award recognition can lift a documentary’s visibility—and spark streaming viewership. With voters in both the Television Academy and critics circles scanning FYC campaigns now, Questlove’s post arrives at a critical moment. His credentials lend credibility to the project, and the slick graphic gives voters an instant visual cue.
If SLY LIVES! secures a win, it would mark another milestone for music-driven storytelling on streaming platforms. For Questlove, it would reinforce his role as a tastemaker who bridges past and present—transforming archival art into contemporary conversation.
SLY LIVES! is streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu. Voters have until late summer to cast their ballots for Outstanding Documentary or Non Fiction Special. With Questlove leading the charge, the film has a head start on awards-season chatter—and a shot at bringing Sylvester Stewart’s story to an even wider audience.
Questlove’s campaign underscores how personal passion projects can evolve into cultural touchstones. As SLY LIVES! vies for major recognition, the documentary promises both a revelatory look at a musical pioneer and a timely reminder of the power of Black creativity.
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