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Questlove partners with Pandora on weekly three-hour radio show

By Sarah Mulé
Questlove arrives on the red carpet at the 87th Academy Awards on February 22, 2015. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
1 of 3 | Questlove arrives on the red carpet at the 87th Academy Awards on February 22, 2015. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 25 (UPI) -- The Roots' drummer and co-frontman Questlove is joining forces with music-streaming giant Pandora on a weekly three-hour radio show on his own Pandora station.

After a meeting with Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren, Questlove found the company's musical ideals aligned with his own, and signed on to be a strategic adviser and artist ambassador.

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"I went in there to talk about playlists and I ended up with a job as an equity partner," Questlove said.

"I see in Pandora both a deep respect for the craft of music and a commitment to the musicians that make it their living," he added.

First up in the collaboration between the leader of The Tonight Show band and the technology company is weekly radio show "Questlove Supreme," which Questlove describes as both similar to his NYU music courses and "the black nerd version of NPR."

The first episode of "Supreme" will premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. on Questlove's own Pandora station, and will feature comedian Maya Rudolph, the daughter of singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph.

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"I want a world in which Drake's 'One Dance' can also live with Frank Zappa's 'Uncle Meat' can live with James Brown's 'Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing' and all stops in-between," Questlove said.

For his part, Westergren said Pandora is looking to change the way it does music.

"We are entering into a new phase for the company," Westergren said. "We are working more directly with labels and artists. We really want to invest a lot in that nexus and having someone like him bridge that and speak on our behalf is really powerful."

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