Sly Lives!' director 'Questlove' shines a spotlight on the genius of Sly Stone and how he influenced a generation of artists — Sundance Studio

Questlove said his upcoming documentary "Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)" serves as an "intervention cry" to the music community and a "letter to all" who are watching, as the documentary pulls back the curtain on Sly and The Family Stone's rise to fame while spotlighting the singular struggles Black artists have faced through to today.

Questlove uses a photo of Will Smith in his new Sly Stone documentary — three years after Smith's infamous slap overshadowed Questlove's first Oscar win — to illustrate the pressure Black artists face in the public eye.

Ahmir “ Questlove ” Thompson famously won an Oscar for his documentary “Summer of Soul” in 2022… just moments after “The Slap.” Now Questlove has threaded Will Smith into a larger discussion in his new film “ Sly Lives! ” about “the burden of Black Genius” (which is also the new film’s subtitle).

NBC’s celebration of “Saturday Night Live’s” 50-year history will continues this week with a new 3-hour documentary titled “Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music.”

Questlove premiered his new documentary, "Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)" at the Sundance Film Festival. The story focuses on the rise and fall of the funk pioneer Sly Stone.

But Questlove unexpectedly leans heavier on his title’s parenthetical addendum in order to illuminate some deeper truths about the challenges of stardom (especially for Black artists) that may have started with Stone,

Questlove rounded up an A-list group of Black musical talent to share their praises of the "Black genius" Sly Stone in the new documentary Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius). The new film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on Thursday,

Prince was an excellent songwriter, but there was more to him than that, as he was a prolific sportsperson as well as an artist.

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will be among the familiar faces at the Super Bowl when the Kansas City Chiefs go for an unprecedented three-peat against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The highly entertaining Ladies and Gentlemen gets into the best and most controversial musical moments from 50 years of SNL history. But what about the dregs?