Sly Lives! is a stunningly vibrant and empathetic tribute to the late, very great Sly Stone. The film chronicles his meteoric rise—forming one of the first racially and gender‑integrated bands during the heady civil‑rights era—and his unparalleled influence on funk, soul, psychedelic rock, and subsequent genres.
Featuring vivid archival performances and intimate interviews with surviving collaborators, family, and artists like André 3000, D’Angelo, Chaka Khan, Jimmy Jam, Q‑Tip, and George Clinton, the documentary probes the title’s central thesis: the unique “burden of Black genius”
Director Questlove skilfully interweaves musical breakdowns with civil‑rights history, revealing how systemic pressures shaped Stone’s struggles with addiction and reinvention. The result is an emotionally charged, intellectually rich portrait of a man who changed music—and the cost he paid for it.
“Pop has rarely been able to look away from Sly Stone … his meteoric rise eventually led to a long, slow comedown…” – The Guardian
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