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A new documentary, Sly Lives! aka The Burden of Black Genius, is available to stream on Hulu from Thursday, February 13, 2025. The movie follows the life and career of the brilliant but troubled musician Sly Stone and his team, Sly and The Family Stone. It is directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and produced by Joseph Patel.
Sly Lives! is not just a simple retelling of the life of Sly Stone but integrates it with a larger theme—the pressures of being a genius belonging to a racial minority. But despite being a genius in the world of music, Stone, his band, and the music they produced remained underrated in the music scene of the time.
Who was Sly Stone? The true story behind Sly Lives! aka The Burden of Black Genius
Born Sylvester Stewart, Sly Stone rose to the peak of his career during the late 1960s and early '70s. The legendary musician revolutionized multiple genres of music and even created his own. He also had a band called Sly and The Family Stone, which was quite controversial at that point in time due to its mix of Black and white members, as well as both men and women.
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Even the music they created reflected the eclectic and heterogeneous quality of the group, even though it was mostly written and composed by Stone. Sly Stone was also a music producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist. His music reflected the essence of various ideas, such as gospel, folk, big band, blues, British invasion, and psychedelia.
However, Sly Stone's meteoric rise was followed by a long, slow comedown as he became more erratic. Drugs took over his life, and he also faced many run-ins with the law, as per Vulture.
Sly Lives! aka The Burden of Black Genius, is not just a retelling of the rise and fall of the great musician. Instead, it examines the reasons behind the collapse of Sly Stone under the burden of genius. The movie explores how Stone was troubled by the huge expectations from him and the sense that he had to fulfill them, which was obviously an impossible task.
The documentary also explores how the added burden of his Black identity further complicates matters. His racial identity became intrinsic to his music and shaped perceptions, something other great musicians of his time did not have to contend with.
Sly Lives! aka The Burden of Black Genius: Plot, trailer, and more
The official synopsis for the movie, according to Hulu, is:
"Sly Lives! examines the life and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone, the groundbreaking band led by the charismatic and enigmatic Sly Stone. The film captures the band's rise, reign and subsequent fadeout while shedding light on the unseen burden that comes with success for Black artists in America."
After making its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025, the documentary film started streaming on February 13, 2025, on Hulu and Disney+. Apart from Sly himself, Andre 3000, D'Angelo, Chaka Khan, Q-Tip, Nile Rodgers, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, George Clinton, Ruth Copeland, and Clive Davis appear in the movie.
Catch Sly Lives! aka The Burden of Black Genius on Hulu.
