If you know Questlove, you know he doesn’t go anywhere without his Afro pick. It’s become his signature look — even if he says he didn’t intend it to be. And now that it is, he has buckets full of them. The Roots drummer and DJ told The New York Times, “When I started on the Tonight Show, they ordered me 4,000 Afro picks. I give some to fans and people steal them, so now I’m down to about 2,000.” The latest person to rob Questlove? Seth Rogen — and he’s not shy about it.
This week, the comedian and actor swiped Questlove’s iconic Afro pick and decided to let everyone know with photo evidence. His tweet reads: “I straight up stole this from @questlove at the Tonight Show and framed that shit.”
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I straight up stole this from @questlove at the Tonight Show and framed that shit. pic.twitter.com/VDmiclbWkB
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) April 26, 2017
And while some praised Rogen on Twitter, others weren't happy about his antics, quickly pointing out the cultural significance of both the Afro pick and the deeper implications of his actions.
Not cool dude. https://t.co/vt1XhjM5Kv
— Scott McKinney (@ScottMcKinney1) April 26, 2017
@Sethrogen @questlove Nothing new white people stealing things from black people for centuries
— LOUNEY (@LouneyMor) April 27, 2017
@Sethrogen @questlove Do you know what a "Pick" is used for?
— san (@sanosbo1) April 26, 2017
To understand the backlash, you have to know that Questlove’s Afro pick isn’t just any hair tool; it's a meaningful icon of Black culture that dates back thousands of years, according to The Guardian. And the specific one he took is a copy of the original Black Fist pick patented in 1976, which was a political emblem throughout the Black Power movements of the 20th century and continues to represent Black pride and identity to this day, according to the History Workshop.
Questlove first responded to the controversy on Twitter, saying "Enter *Seth Rogen laugh* here."
enter *Seth Rogen Laugh* here https://t.co/btwqmrHwIn
— Questlove Gomez (@questlove) April 26, 2017
He later uploaded a video to Instagram showing hundreds of identical Afro picks where that one came from. "Ayo, @sethrogen ✊?," he captioned the post.
So, do you think Rogen knew all this? Was he framing it to honor Questlove and the pick's history, and used a poor choice of words to express that? Or is this the case of a Rogen prank gone very, very wrong? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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