From his Academy Award to multiple Grammy wins, Questlove is a well-decorated musician. Still, many are not aware of the cultural shaping he has done behind-the-scenes or even as part of The Roots. However, Kendrick Lamar knows.

Yesterday (May 23), during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Questlove shared his inital response to Lamar’s subtle reference to The Roots’ 1999 “The Next Movement” visual in the offical “Squabble Up” video.

“I was so shocked because the way that people told me,” he said. “I woke up to 30 [Kendrick Lamar] texts.”

He continued: “I thought, ‘Oh no.’ He just dissed us. I thought it was something else. And they were like, ‘No, he paid tribute to y’all in this video.’”

Despite The Roots success, Questlove believes that although they are “ubiquitous,” the groupo is “not super mainstream.”

“We’re niche,” he continued. “We’re not overexposed popular. It’s hard to tell where we fit in the scheme of things. It’s an honor but it’s also a surprise when you see people acknowledging you after all this time.”

Back in November, Questlove shared his initial response to the tribute shortly after GNX’s release on Instagram.

Watch Questlove’s full appearace on The Jennifer Hudson Show above.