SUNDANCE: SLY LIVES! AKA The Burden of Black Genius

Sly and The Family Stone are one of the many artists that colored the soundtrack to my adolescence with hits like “It’s A Family Affair,” “Everyday People,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” “Thank You,” “I Wanna Take You Higher” and so much more. Many of this generation got a massive re-introduction this enigmatic group when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.  However, Gen Z got their baptism through Academy Award winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s doc “Summer of Soul.”

This risk taking filmmaker is back with a little insight and examination of the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone capturing the band’s rise, reign and subsequent fade into oblivion status while shedding light on the burden that befalls some Black artists through the guise of success in America.

Leaning into the conventional biographical methods, the film immediately question Stone with the question, “What is Black genius?”

With humble beginnings as a Bay Area disc jockey, Stone trail blazed musical boundaries, and while many artists fear failure, this doc highlights how success can bring its own pain.

Growing up in Vallejo, California from Texas as part of the Great Migration, this enigma wrote songs during his dee-jay shift and eventually became known for his writing process past his own group with musicians like Grace Slick (The Great Society) and their signature song “Somebody To Love.”  He did what at the time was considered unprecedented for Black musicians by popping across genres past RnB to Rock, British American psychedelic music and beyond creating  an incredible soundtrack.

Thompson does not shy away from the ugly side to this type of genius and fame by extending the narrative with exuberant archival footage and thought-provoking discussions with family, band members, scholars, and musicians.  One of the most sobering moments is Stone’s daughter recalling a moment with her friends emulating snorting coke with chalk and Monopoly money as they had witnessed adults do many times in their presence. That moment only exacerbates his downfall as we witness Stone engaging in a myriad of shows and events to stay relevant as his high also extends to the adulation from a crowd.

Prince, LL Cool J and too many artists to mention have been successful due to the visionary musical artistry of Sly & The Family Stone whose musical creativity is unprecedented.

Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) should and will be a cautionary tale for those artists to come.  It also serves as another chapter added to the extraordinary raw and real filmmaking Ahmir Thompson, who consistently proves there are no boundaries or shackles when it comes to the creativity for Black genius.