Here's another reason why Quincy Jones is "The Man": Earlier today, Jones was bestowed the nation's highest arts honor in the East Room of the White House when President Obama adorned him with the National Medal of Arts.


The honor, born in 1984, is awarded to patrons who "...are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States," according to the National Endowment of the Arts. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' scribe Harper Lee, Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep and soft-crooning guitarist James Taylor were also among 2010 honorees and, along with Jones, will join the ranks of 250 others whose creative expression has captivated America. Past recipients from the music field -- and there are few -- include Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Celia Cruz, Ella Fitzgerald, Pete Seeger, Fats Domino, Johnny Cash, Tito Puente, Dolly Patron, Bob Dylan, Wynton Marsalis and Barbara Streisand.

Quincy Jones, who is probably best know for producing several of Michael Jackson's hit albums -- think along the lines of 'Bad,' 'Thriller' and 'Off the Wall' -- teamed with several hip-hop artists this year to release 'Q: Soul Bossa Nostra.' The 15-track offering reworked Q's classic solo work, like 'Strawberry 23,' 'The Secret Garden,' and 'Soul Bossa Nova,' with a modern hip-hop and R&B twist, proving with that with 60-plus years in the music industry, Jones is still willing to push the envelope. The BoomBox sat down for an exclusive talk with Jones, where he talked about the album and how he came about music at an early age. Check out the footage below.

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