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.

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).

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.

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.

The Oscar winner who co-directed '50 Years of SNL Music' on taking on significant performances by Sinead O'Connor, Kanye West and Ashlee Simpson: "I want[ed] to cover every controversial moment on the show.

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,

There's a riot going on in Questlove's follow-up to his Oscar-winning concert doc Summer of Soul, not least in the wardrobe department. Blazing a trail for the funkadelic/glam rock '70s with metallic,

I think live music on TV is important.” He’s not wrong! And Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music proves it.

SLY LIVES! (aka the Burden of Black Genius) feels like the natural evolution of Questlove’s filmmaking style from his debut.