Questlove of The Roots Is So Much Better at Instagram Than You
Of all the stupid things we do with our phones, Instagram might be the worst. Not only has the app falsely convinced us all we're professional photographers, but it's done something even worse: It's encouraged our worst vainglorious tendencies. No one is Amaro-toning his or her real life. There are no 'Grammed photos of rashes or credit card statements; it's all fake, stylized versions of our day-to-day lives. We all should uninstall. Your Instagram profile? It should go. Mine? Definitely. 
Questlove (Questlove Jenkins) @ Instagram Listen, you not as cool as Questlove, so knock it off.
But Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, of hip-hop combo The Roots, can keep his.
Questlove's Instagram feed is a glorious thing, and when I'm not inanely taking pictures of trees in my neighborhood, I justify my being a part of Instagram by looking at Questlove's photos.
When Questlove posts a picture of his friends hanging out, they're Fred Armisen, Chris Rock, and Tyler the Creator. His "day at the office photos" feature Jim James rocking a saxophone and Beyoncé and Solange Knowles casually dancing around. His selfies are works of art, his beard and fro immaculately flowing in all directions at once. (Yeah, he can get away with that pick in his hair.) When he posts a picture of his food, it's no mere burger at some hip new organic bistro; it's a 19-course meal of sushi prepared by Jiro Ono, the ancient sushi master featured in the 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and the photos are accompanied by lyrical, flowing sentences: 
Questlove (Questlove Jenkins) @ Instagram Imagine being in the same room as Beyoncé and Solange. Now imagine having the confidence to take a picture of them.
"This was my life's path before me: a man whose tireless work ethic and drive in pursuit of perfection. I tell people all the time the ultimate occupation is the one you are willing to wake up at four a.m. for and go to bed at 3:59 a.m. with no complaints. It's about artistry and commitment to a craft. It's about how a human hides his pain and redirects it to a work of art."
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