Tag Archives: black-thought

T ariq Trotter, a.k.a. Black Thought, has given the world endless insight into his mind in the 35-plus years since he founded the Roots with his high school classmate Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. But even after all those richly detailed lyrical flights and legendary live shows, he began to suspect he …

On an early Saturday evening in Philadelphia, in a pastoral stretch of park known as the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Questlove is making time stand still. Onstage with him are Ronald Isley, wearing a patent-leather suit and looking ageless enough at 82 to make you think of Dorian …

Portugal. The Man is willing to go the distance to achieve the American dream. On their latest single, “Thunderdome [W.T.A.],” the band recruits Black Thought and Natalia Lafourcade to consider what it takes to make the ultimate sacrifice. “Welcome to America/ I’m waiting on a miracle/ All my sins American/ …

Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter announced that he’s releasing a new memoir. The Upcycled Self is set to arrive Nov. 14, Variety reports. The Roots co-founder’s story “begins with a tragedy: As a child, Trotter burned down his family’s home,” according to an announcement describing the book, and “doesn’t just narrate …

The widow of founding Roots bassist Leonard Hubbard and his estate have filed a lawsuit against band co-founders Questlove and Black Thought, among others, alleging they violated RICO laws and claiming they defrauded Hubbard out of millions. The complaint, obtained by Rolling Stone, alleges that Questlove (whose real name is …

Black Thought and El Michels Affair have shared another new song, “Glorious Game,” featuring Kirby, the title track from their collaborative album, out April 14. The track is anchored by stuttering drums and a bulbous bass line, with Kirby’s from-the-heavens falsetto on the psych-soul chorus providing the perfect counterbalance to …

With 2023 marking the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the Roots rapper Black Thought has shared his own incredible love letter to rap music in collaboration with BET. “This is a Love Letter to Hip-Hop for me because hip-hop is the love of my life,” Black Thought said in a statement …

The Roots’ Black Thought and soul outfit El Michels Affair have dropped a new song perfect for Valentine’s Day, “That Girl.” The track finds Black Thought delivering tongue-twisting, devotional bars over an El Michels Affair groove anchored by heavy bass hits and clattering percussion but warmed by psychedelic touches. “At …

During the pandemic, the Roots co-founder Black Thought fell into a collaborative rhythm with the soul group El Michels Affair, soaking in the material sent to him by their frontman Leon Michels. Soon enough, the musicians had crafted a complete album’s worth of material, now set to be packaged and …

The hip-hop duo Black Thought and Danger Mouse delivered a pensive ode to the late musician MF Doom in the music video for “Belize,” which appeared on their recently released collaborative album Cheat Codes. Super-producer Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton filmed the video under the direction of UNCANNY, also appearing in …