caption years_active article_title past_members background genre image origin name
left kneeling -rrb- , mos def , james poyser , erykah to badu , questlove , d'angelo , q-tip , j dilla right -lrb- kneeling -rrb- , bilal : talib kweli , common -lrb- late 1990s -- early 2000s soulquarians
 j dilla -lrb- deceased -rrb- group_or_band neo soul soul , alternative hip hop , funk , fair use of the soulquarians.jpg united states soulquarians
soulquarians

the soulquarians is a neo soul and alternative hip hop-informed musical collective .
the collective , formed during the late 1990s , continued into the early 2000s , and produced several well-received albums .
prior to its formation , members common , talib kweli , mos def , and q-tip were members of the native tongues posse .
producer and drummer ahmir `` questlove '' thompson of hip hop band the roots acted as the `` musical powerhouse '' behind several of the collective 's projects during the late 1990s and early 2000s , including the roots ' `` things fall apart '' -lrb- 1999 -rrb- , d'angelo 's `` voodoo '' -lrb- 2000 -rrb- , erykah badu 's `` mama 's gun '' -lrb- 2000 -rrb- , and common 's `` like water for chocolate '' -lrb- 2000 -rrb- .
in an interview for `` spin '' magazine , common discussed the production of those albums , stating `` it was one of those time period that you do n't even realize when you 're going through it that it 's powerful '' .
