Adam Blackstone is only in competition with himself. At the young age of four, he fell in love with music. Later, his elementary school music teacher encouraged him to switch from drums to bass. His foundation earned him a full scholarship to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he majored in Jazz Performance and played in the musical theater pit band and at local venues, including jazz clubs, restaurants, and open mic nights—where he met Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. It all led to him playing for Jay-Z at his farewell concert in November 2003. Fast forward over 20 years, and he’s back onstage with Hov celebrating the respective 30th and 25th anniversaries for Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint. In partnership with Omar Edwards and Young Guru, Backstone and the fellow musicians collectively “executed the homie’s vision” as co-music directors. 

Whether it was working through mind-blowing transitions or incorporating special guests, Blackstone breaks down his humble beginnings, the collaborative magic behind Hov’s historic Yankee Stadium concerts, his overall approach as a musical director for any artist, his goal to reach EGOT status, and why his best gig is being a father. 

VIBE: When did you first fall in love with music? 

Adam Blackstone: I fell in love with music at a very young age. I remember being at church at 4 years old, hopping from instrument to instrument, with my family encouraging it. It was never like, ‘Get off that thing, little boy.’ They always pushed to be great at whatever we decided. My dad is what we would call today ‘a one-man band.’ My mom sang in the church choir, along with my uncles, my aunties, my cousins, so it rubbed off on me at a very young age, and I’m so thankful for the gift of music. 

Are you a self-taught musician?

No. As I picked up the instruments, my family moved to an affluent, arts town in Willingboro, New Jersey. I switched to the bass guitar in second grade. I remember moving to this town, and we were kinda like the Huxtables out there. I was primarily playing drums, and my second-grade music teacher mentioned they were looking for a bass player at the school. [He asked,] “Why don’t you switch?” and I was like, “Heck no.” It was easy for me to walk with drumsticks. I couldn’t walk with the big, upright bass, but here we are 42 years later. I am thankful to Mr. Jim Moran for making me switch to the bass. It was one of the best decisions that I ever made. I later got a full scholarship to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia for jazz studies, and that’s when it started for me. 

From Jersey to Philly. Then you were called last minute to be a bass player for Jay-Z’s farewell concert. 

He was retiring; he was a liar. I must say at that time we really, really took that to heart. It was like whoa. He had reached the pinnacle of what he even thought music could do for him. It was like, “Yo, there’s nothing else to do.” I’m thankful that he realized the error of his verbal ways and kept going because without that, I look at that farewell situation as meaning maybe I wouldn’t have been able to do Super Bowls and all of these kinda things. He opened the door for a lot of us people of color, so I’m thankful he kept it going for sure.

Did you always have dreams of being a Musical Director? 

I didn’t know what an MD was, honestly. All I knew was that I just cared a lot more sometimes than some other people. Essentially, that’s how I got thrown into the MD role. Even at my local gigs, I was just like, ‘Hey guys, we ain’t about to go out there and get crushed by these other bands. I can rent out the rehearsal room for a couple extra hours. Let’s just keep practicing.’ Then artists started to trust me to get their situations together, and little did I know that that was what a musical director did. I just kind of had it naturally because I just wanted to be great at all times for whoever I was playing for. I started playing in the pit band. I was playing at restaurants. That led me to the open mic scene, and lo and behold, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson walks in, sees me, and takes me under his wing.

How do you think 21-year-old Adam would think about your recent full circle reunion with Questlove and Hov? 

It’s unbelievable. I know that dreaming big and trusting God, it still feels like I got a lot more to do. If I can be honest, I would tell my younger self to just keep dreaming and not put any limits on yourself.

Can you give us a peek into your process as the MD? 

Specifically for this gig, it was a team of us. Omar Edwards and Young Guru. We acted as co-musical directors for this. There was a lot of music. I never want to take their credit away. I mean, the process is really executing the homie’s vision. He has a vision for what he wants to do. He’s very firm in it at times, but then he also trusts us. I do sketches, and Omar will come in with an idea and a sketch, and we’ll combine the two. That happened a couple of times, especially during the show intros or when Guru put “Change Clothes” over “Throwback” with Usher. The process is just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks, but the biggest difference with us is that we’re all fans of Jay. [We’re arguing over] favorite joints. Omar’s bringing up something that was a freestyle from back in the day and we like, “Oh shoot, let’s put that in.” Or he’s like, “Yo, I did two versions of ‘Dead Presidents.’” I did two versions of “Can I Live” or “Marcy Me,” and we combined them. It’s the genius behind who he is, and as a fan, that keeps us creative, too, because we want to hear what he has to say from a fan’s perspective—even though we’re on stage with him. I was 14 years old and from the suburbs [when Reasonable Doubt came out]. What he’s rapping about isn’t anything I have personally experienced, but I do see how introspective people are when listening to his lyrics. He literally— all pun intended— gives you the blueprint on how to hustle, but have a different outcome. It’s pretty epic, to be honest.

Is the process just as easy with other artists? 

Each process is just different, not necessarily easier or harder. It’s just different. For instance, Jay is very hands-on with us, and then I have an artist like Rihanna or Justin [Timberlake] that might say, “Hey, let me hear what you got.” But then you got an artist like Jill Scott. I’ll play her some chords, and she’ll say, “That’s not the color that I was thinking about when I wrote that song.” So, it’s like now I got to find the right shade of yellow in the chord, and then we end up having a song like “Pressha.” I don’t want to say easier or harder, but it’s just very different.

What was it like coming off the heels of Roots Picnic to saying yes to the anniversary shows? 

Saying yes to the anniversary shows was easy for me because in my head, I was like, “We’re just gonna keep this going. Here’s part 2 to whatever we doing for Roots now.” It ain’t end up like that because we did a goddamn Summer Jam type show on night three, but it was fire, man. I’m so thankful for the gift of music not only to let me go and see the world, but also to perform with some of my favorite artists. Music has a lot of power in it to heal and spread joy, and so many things, bring back some nostalgia; It was super dope for me to say yes. Just because I played 20 years ago doesn’t mean he’s required to have me back, so I look at that as a blessing. 

Do you guys plan to top that for the Paris and L.A. shows?

I don’t think you go after it trying to top it. I think you are always just trying to make it a one-of-one. Reasonable Doubt was one of one. The Blueprint was one of one. Night 3 was one of one. Roots Picnic was one of one, to be honest. We can make sure that we are doing the very best possible one-of-one type of shows, and we’re gonna have a good time. 

Aside from you being in such demand in the MD space, you were also named Creative Director of The Sun Rose. How did that partnership come about? 

A young lady named Candis Grace. She introduced me to some of the people over at Sun Rose when I was wanting to just do a jam session concert. Then, I got an Emmy nomination for musical directing the Super Bowl with Dr. Dre, and I was like, “Hey, we should celebrate this.” Did the jam session. Fast forward, after I did that concert, they saw how impactful our community could be in that space. They went through their own transitions, and the new partnership had reached back out for me to come do a concert again. I think he wanted to see like, “Was that a fluke or for real?” As you know, those Sun Rose nights go up in there. It’s very niche. We normally do invite-only. That’s what I think is even better than Blue Note. What we do at Sun Rose is very exclusive, but we have a great time. I wanted to bring that vibe when they made me creative director. It’s not just Hip-Hop, R&B, and gospel. We’ve had Nicole Scherzinger. We’ve had Andra Day, David Bowie’s band, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake. I want to create that vibe where no matter who you’re coming to see, it feels like family and inspirational. 

What you are to Sun Rose is what Robert Glasper is to Blue Note. How do you feel about rejuvenating jazz back into the L.A. nightlife? 

I’m super excited about that. It happens to come at a time where Black music is just thriving, and it’s pop music. With jazz and blues being the oldest form of American music, we’re celebrating America 250; it’s like we can’t celebrate this country without celebrating us, our music. Robert, Terrace Martin, Keyon Harrold, Kenneth Whalum — we’ve been trying to do it, and honestly, Rob is the daddy of it. When The Sun Rose happened to hit me, it’s not that we’re rivaling Blue Note at all. We’re going to continue to uplift one another through this music, in whatever venue allows us to play it. This is what we’re gonna do. 

You’ve done Grammys, Coachella, Roots, BET Awards, tributes. Do you have a standout favorite moment from the past few months?

I would have to say Roots Picnic. Being home in Philadelphia, at the crib doing what I love, is a full-circle moment with Questlove, my forever MD to me. My brother, and then Jay-Z, being one of the first big artists who gave me an opportunity as a young kid to play bass. And then the other, my son and daughter. My son sang the national anthem at the Sixers game, and my daughter had her first vocal recital at 5 years old. Those are my top 3 highlights.

You’re a proud dad. How do you balance the demands of your career and your family? 

It is hard. I can’t even front. It is very hard. I’m thankful for my children’s mother. She has allowed me to chase my dreams, but being a father is the number one gig in my life. I’m never going to slight them for anybody, for any artist, for any gig. They have been on stage with me.  I done answered the phone for my son at the Super Bowl. I ain’t care. It’s been really, really cool to see my evolution through them as well. I’m just so thankful that God chose me to be their father, and I’m doing my best. 

After nearly 25 years in the game, what dreams are you still pursuing, and is one of them reaching EGOT status? 

All of my accolades have come from a genuine place. I don’t know the word, but it’s not like I’m chasing it. When I did Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl for my first Emmy, I was just excited to do it. I thought it was gonna be really cool and we were ready for it. Then I got an Emmy nomination and didn’t really know that even existed for the type of work that I did. I got three more after that. If anything, I’m in competition with myself. Same thing with the Grammy noms. When I did “‘Round Midnight” with Jazmine Sullivan, I heard her sing that song when she was 15. I was at an open mic club. We both snuck in, I think. I wasn’t chasing the Grammy, but now that I have two and the Tony nomination? I’m right there. The projects that are coming in. I can’t lie and say I [don’t] ask myself if this is the one, and if it’s not the one, it gotta be something that I’m just personally passionate about.

How important was it for you to make your debut album, and can fans expect more new music in the near future? 

It was very important for me to make the album Legacy. We were going through COVID. I was losing people, and I needed to make something that my children can own. It’s cool to play the bass for Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, and all these people, but what can my children have of their own to see their father on and be proud of that’s not just a highlight of somebody else’s show? I made the album and was super inspired by all types of music genres as well. It was genreless because of who I even had on the album. It was very important to me to do that. That stamped me as a recording artist. I’ll be working on some more music when I get the time to do it. I want it to be right. I don’t wanna rush it, but there will be new music soon. 

What about Humble Magic?

Yes, that was my latest album. Humble Magic is really a sense of knowing that everything you touch is magical, but having the humility to know that you have a long way to go. I have so much more to do in this life. I’m so humbled by the gift God has given me, and I know that what I touch and what I produce is magical as well. 

Because you’ve done so much, Adam, is there anything that you can’t do? 

There’s nothing I can’t do, nothing I can’t do. I’m gonna say, and even if there is, I ain’t gonna put that even in the atmosphere.