(JUAN.of.a.KIND)

The Big Q&A: The Roots' Black Thought Talks New Album, Personal Tragedy, and Jimmy Fallon | VIBE

A rare and excellent interview with IMO the greatest MC alive (and I personally told the man exactly that when I shook his hand at a live Roots show I attended nearly 5 years ago), Tariq Trotter aka the incomparable Black Thought of The Roots. Cop undun, out in stores now as it’s getting phenomenal reviews across the critical spectrum. No doubt, the Legendary have done it yet again. 18 years in the game and sitting right on top of it with the most thought provoking album of the year.

#Black Thought #Interview #The Roots #undun

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lightningcollective:

THE ROOTS | The Other Side (feat Bilal & P.O.R.N.)

The Roots, also known as The Legendary Roots Crew, The Square Roots and The Foundation, are an influential, Grammy winning hip hop group based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, famed for a heavily jazzy sound and live instrumentation. Inspired by the “hip-hop band” concept pioneered by Stetsasonic, the Roots themselves have garnered critical acclaim and influenced later hip-hop and R&B acts.

While everyone is shitting their pants about The Black Keys - El Camino, I’ve been eye’ing up on my home city band/hip hop group from Philly, The Roots. Their recent album, ‘How I Got Over’ was a good one and for sure it was some good vibes almost anytime of the day. The first time I listened to that album was traveling on the “el” on the Red Line to downtown Chicago and when I heard this was coming out, my ears were wide open curious to know/hear what they had going on this time around. I’m going to say one word…damn. This is one more fabulous album adding on to their flawless discography.

Though the group had multiple members going in and out, this group doesn’t disappoint. I chose this song due to the fact of how raw of the hip-hop/soul vibes are clashed together. Dynamic drums, deep vocals, organ synths/pianos, and moving chorus drops all create a ‘feel good’ sound. If you aren’t into The Roots, this sound, or whatever it is, they’re a group to get into if you want to expand your mind a little. To end this off a bit, what threw me off a little bit was in the end of the album there was movements (Possibility, Will To Power, and Finality). It’s literally them playing instrumentals that are really nice to hear, fucking around banging on shit, or well, both. Regardless this album has some unique features on it.

The Roots, stay relevant and keep it real. Love your shit.

The Roots - Kool On (feat P.O.R.N. & Truck North) [LC recommends]

4 full front-to-back listens deep in yet another excellent studio recording (and one hell of a reverse narrative concept) from the most consistent band in music and my favourite group/musicians of all-time. And this beautiful joint is an early contender for the best track from undun. From Tariq’s unmatched storytelling abilities on the first 2 verses to P.O.R.N nicely holding his own on the third verse to Bilal’s pitch perfect handling of the dramatic hook, this track (featuring ?uesto’s laced-out drums and Poyser’s heavenly keys) just gets everything right on and IMO is one of the best compositions The Roots have ever created (coming from a loyal admirer of 2-1-5’s finest for 16 years and counting). Copping the CD on the 6th of December to show support for the hardest working band in hip-hop.

#The Roots #undun #2011 #Black Thought #P.O.R.N #Bilal

This viddy put a HUGE smile on my face. Two of my TOP 10 favourite MC’s of all-time. (#8) 1/2 of Black Star: Mos Def aka Black Dante and (#1) Frontman of The Roots: Black Thought aka The Bad Lieutenant, both expressing mad respect and admiration for one another’s extraordinary lyrical skills. In particular, Mos is shown enthusiastically rhyming off every single grimy lyric to 75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction) (Pt. III of a trilogy* of Roots tracks where Thought absolutely murders the microphone in breathless fashion without a single break in the verbal action). This is hip hop magic and pure passion for the art form on display. Mos: “I know the whole shit.” Indeed. You gotta love it.

*The other 2 tracks in question are: Thought @ Work and Web (but if you’re a fan of The Roots then chances are you already knew that)

#Black Thought #Mos Def #75 Bars

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The Roots - Distortion To Static (Freestyle Mix)

It’s been 11 years (almost to the day) since I last peeped my all-time favourite band/group/musicians live in my hometown. See you legendary gentlemen later this evening at the Ottawa Bluesfest.

#The Roots #Black Thought #Malik B #Dice Raw #Distortion To Static #Freestyle Mix #1995 #Ottawa Bluesfest

The G.O.A.T. MC: the one and only Tariq Trotter aka Black Thought. Flexing his lyrical muscles in the vocal booth while murdering a mixtape freestyle over the original version of the Thought @ Work beat (uncleared Beatles sample style). Press play to watch a master lyricist at effortless work. Can’t wait to once again peep Thought (and the rest of The Legendary Roots Crew) at work, live on stage at the Ottawa Bluesfest this summer.

#Black Thought #Freestyle #Tanko #Mixtape

"Yo, it all started at the after midnight Philly, but walk with me / mad niggaz comin’ down from New York City / Probably hit the skating rink U-S-A / bangin’ Schoolly, Gangsta Boogie and P.S.K. / I remember shells, gazelles, top tens and lottos / mega designs, reefer smoke, colty-nine bottles / and tie wulffalores / corner boys with the luchi wore / 84’s from Atlantic City Gucci store / linoleum break dancing rustoleum cans / I put the writing on the wall, signed: truly yours / Philly smashed ‘87 music seminar / out on the battle field like Pat Benatar / kick the ball with crown rulers outta Camden / people Patty Dukin’ in the party all cramped in / around the time Flav started Cold Lampin’ / Rebel Without A Pause was a street anthem / old Memorex cassette tape collections / bright spotlights and all the fights at the Spectrum / when the Fresh Fest come / leather bombers and sheep skins / brothers would bust they guns to get one / MC Breeze, Disco C, Jazzy Jeff, Cash Money and Minz and Lady B / everybody bangin’ Sucker M.C.’s in ‘83 / I was South Philly like St. Charles and Crazy D / the wild north side Puerto Ricans’ll snuff you / 20 deep in a Ford Escort bumping a tough proof / I used to follow my cousin, he was a buck too / y’all don’t like how I’m livin’, well fuck you / I been a G since a little kid / stickin’ my head up in somebody dial-a-party gettin’ in this shit / at late night, should’ve been in bed / instead, I was runnin’ round with the downtown lemonhead / a little man hangin’ with them grown women is / under 13, seeing real strong images / and that’s the reason for my real rap penmanship / that’s where I started it and that’s where I’m a finish it"

Black Thought, absolutely destroying his guest verse on Ghostface’s In Tha Park (from the upcoming Apollo Kids LP). Props to Tony Starks for granting the Bad Lieutenant a rare guest spot (most MC’s don’t feature Black Thought on their albums for fear of being outshined or “murdered on their own sh!t” as the expression goes). Ghost (who is a great MC in his own right) holds his own in this joint, no doubt. But Riq Gees goes in all the way during the 1.5 minutes in which The Roots frontman meticulously paints a vivid picture of Philly hip hop culture back in the day (when “they used to do it out in the park”). Verse manually transcribed by truly yours (as best as I could decipher).

#Black Thought #Lyrics #Hip-Hop Quotable

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Ghostface Killah - In Tha Park (feat. Black Thought)

“Hip hop was set out in the dark / they used to do it out in the park” - MC Shan

#Ghostface Killah #Black Thought #Apollo Kids #2010

"Yo, it’s too much strain for nominal gain / I’m going through things / headaches, abdominal pain / tryin’ to numb it with that kettle like I’m from the Ukraine / check the blue flame / lighter runnin’ out of butane, wassup wit / my destructive urge that’s unproductive / choices I’m stuck with now, starting to fuck with / contaminating family and close friends / telling me to stop, burnin’ the candle at both ends / ain’t like I’m on a coke binge / hangin’ in dope dens / or like it’s just a pool / of Patron I’m soaked in / the dark of the covenant / slash train wreck for you to rubber neck / you ain’t felt the true pain yet / so you be lovin’ that / hit me up at black dot / gov like the government / banana republican / alien intelligence / kill-switch, real piss, thinking of some ill shit / the stone the builder refused / he need to build with / got immunized for both flus / I’m still sick / via satellite radio, the realness"

The incomparable Tariq Trotter aka Black Thought from the HIGO track Radio Daze (posted below this quotable; press play and feel free to follow along), effortlessly dropping my favourite group of bars from the entire album. Riq Gees is still sick, indeed, not to mention underrated and under-appreciated as a super MC (and if you’ve ever attended a live Roots experience, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about). Lyrical transcription by yours truly. “It’s all for youuuuu.” (c) Miss Jackson

#Black Thought #How I Got Over #Radio Daze #The Roots #Hip-Hop Quotable

Black Thought – Jam Boys | Hypebeast

More BT goodness. This time, Tariq talks a bit about his underrated fashion sense. From The Beast of Hype:

UBIQ Black Thought Interview

UBIQ: State your name.

BT: I’m Black Thought. Lead vocalist from the Roots, a member of the Money Making Jam Boys.

UBIQ: How important is fashion to you?
BT: Fashion was very important in the early part of my career now its just in me. I always been one of those dudes and push the envelope and set the trends. I got kicked out of my high school prom for what I had on.

UBIQ: What brands do you like?
BT: I have a homie that has a denim bar in soho and he makes a brand called Samurai. I rock the PRPS. That is my favorite denim since 2002

UBIQ: What are you rocking on the footwear
BT: I have a relationship with GUCCI. I like LV’s, the skater look shoes, the LV Kanye joints was crazy. I use to be heavy into NIKE but my taste have evolved. I wear classics like Jack Purcells and all the classics.

UBIQ: What’s going on in the music world?
BT: I try to keep a full plate. We did a music documentary that has a soundtrack. It’s called “A Soundtrack of A Revolution”. It’s The Roots and TV On The Radio. It’s nominated for an Oscar. I’m also working on an album with Danger Mouse and that’s called The Dangerous Thoughts, and then the Money Making Jam Boy’s project and then you know the new Roots album which is called “How I Got Over”. That will be out in February.

UBIQ: What’s going on with all the music getting leaked on Black Thought?
BT: I have no idea how these records are getting out. It’s various songs that don’t make the album, not because they aren’t good, it just might not fit the albums feel. But I am going to start releasing joints on The Money Making Jam Boys Project though.

UBIQ: Since UBIQ is short for UBIQUITOUS, We wanted to know where your favorite place in the world is?
BT: If I had to dip I would go to Stockholm Sweden. Only thing I don’t like is they are harsh on the drugs. I love the people and the shopping is crazy. The Nobel Peace Prize is from there, so you know its peace!

IM BLACK THOUGHT AND MY MUSIC IS UBIQUITOUS.

Black Thought + Danger Mouse = The Dangerous Thoughts? Sheeeeiiiiiiit! Instant coppage (along with The Roots long-awaited How I Got Over in Feb). DL the Black Thought/UBIQ collabo Jam Boys at the main post link up top; sh!t is fly as a kite flown by Ben Franklin (or Roosevelt Franklin, for that matter).

#Black Thought #Jam Boys #UBIQ #Fashion

"And I’m a legend in my own grind / look at y’all, just a legend in your own mind / I let the drum talk to me cause it won’t lie / a lot of rappers try to kill it but it won’t die / I keep ‘em coming back to fill it like a dough pie / to be the low guy / dress up and smoke to this / grand imperial, hall of fame material / Black General Riq-Kufriti / name, record, serial / my thang highly glam-able / I bang like a hammer do / swine flu, bird flu, every type of animal / I’m immune to Tamiflu / and I’ll be damned if you would say I’m bananas / who I bring is intangible / lyrical Jet Li, working on your requiem / step in the party, er’rybody scream that’s him / push a fast B-M, black great gatsby/ if this the last day and times, I’m the cashier /"

And in an effort to transcribe every new Black Thought guest verse on Late Night, here are Riq’s lyrics that were delivered during the live performance of Grindin’ by the Clipse (which wasn’t televised but you can watch it here and follow along if you like to see if I made any misinterpretations). This is perhaps my favourite group of bars (so far) that the lyrical beast from Philly has penned exclusively for the musical acts on Late Night. These rapid-fire bravado bars are straight killing sh!t on a massive scale. And with the Legendary Roots crew doing a flawless recreation of the classic Neptunes beat for Grindin’ (in particular, Knuckles on percussion and Kamaal re-creating the echoey tongue clacks via the keys), the entire live performance (starring Pusha T, Malice and The Roots) is incredibly bangin’ and raw to the bone. I can only hope that more classic hip hop joints are re-imagined on Late Night, complete with The Roots providing the soundscape and Thought dropping a brand new guest verse.

Speaking of which, when Raekwon was on the show a few weeks back, I couldn’t help but hope that he would perform a classic joint from the RZA-produced masterpiece that is Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Could you imagine Incarcerated Scarfaces featuring Black Thought (with The Roots on the beat)? *hip-hop-gasm* Of course, Rae ended up performing Catalina from Cuban Linx Pt. II (which is a fine joint from a worthy LP sequel and the best hip hop album of 2009), complete with a guest verse from Black Thought (transcribed here by yours truly). But man, if you consider yourself a true head and you’re somehow not watching the musical magic occurring every late weeknight on NBC, then you’re straight missing out, money. And to my fellow lyric heads out there: in this strange world where the most talented group that hip hop has to offer gets an opportunity to shine every night on national TV while putting some amazing spins on existing compositions from every music genre, we are ALL the big winners here (so please enjoy AND appreciate it while it lasts). Again, with Conan masterfully handling The Tonight Show and The Roots laying their creative fingerprints all over Fallon’s show, we are in the midst of the best late night talk show landscape in history. Well, that is of course if this HORRIBLE rumour doesn’t come to fruition.

#Black Thought #Clipse #Late Night #Live Performance #Hip-Hop Quotable

"Pull a win in a Bavarian whip (i.e. BMW) / big, dead brothers in there looking scary as this / I’m out the back / in a black trench, clearly I’m lit / look at the black Prince / holla, then back to back shots of absinthe / I’m kind of a big deal / I can feel ecstasy without popping a pill / I’m on top of the world / in my old fort, copping a feel / Godfather meets Apocalypse Now / It ain’t no stoppin’ us now / Just like McFadden Whitehead / People say them Philly boys havin’ it right here / And it’s no comparison, the difference is quite clear / Thus we white bread / brothers like America’s nightmare / I need my own show like Regis / to talk about the way these rappers is aegis / get that, money? / it’s blasphemy / is smart as a crash dummy / that’s funny / brothers is a battle that lasts to me /"

Black Thought, from the live version of Popular Demand by the Clipse. If there’s one thing that I’m thankful for about Fallon’s Late Night gig (and it’s definitely not Jimbo), it’s that the show format is giving all us hip hop heads the massive treat of multiple Roots collabos, of which Black Thought’s live guest verses (which will not be found on any album or single…or painstakingly and lovingly transcribed anywhere on the net but here!) are the definite highlight.

I’m having such a great time breaking down (or at least trying to break down to the best of my hearing abilities) Thought’s verses, which I’m convinced he writes maybe a day or 2 before the musical guest appears on the show as the lines are fresh and new (I pride myself on having every single BT verse memorized in my brain, for the most part) and most importantly, are relevant to the track. In addition, let’s not forget that aside from this nightly gig, The Roots are still doing live shows in their non-existent spare time.

So considering all of that, Thought continues to amazingly out-shine each of the great MC’s that have let him join them on their own track. And no doubt, Pusha T and Malice are both excellent MCs; Pusha in particular is hilariously animated live, as I witnessed myself 2.5 years ago (and Malice delivered the most impacting high-five I’ve ever felt…that was cool). And this further proves the theory of why Black Thought is rarely featured on other artists’ albums: The Bad Lieutenant will kill you on your own sh!t (nothing personal, just business). Despite that, MCs out there, you better (not) stand clear; I dare you to feature Riq Gees on your LP. It can only increase the quality of the recording ten-fold (and hell, I might even cop).

#Black Thought #Clipse #Late Night #Hip-Hop Quotable

Clipse featuring Black Thought - Popular Demand (Popeyes) (Live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), backed by The Roots (who perfectly recreate the Neptunes beat).

Enjoy this viddy while I go ahead and attempt to transcribe Tariq’s one-time only Popular Demand verse (he killed it, BTW).

#Black Thought #Clipse #Jimmy Fallon #Late Night #The Roots

"Yo, as I child I used to fantasize / bout the lights and camera eyes / gettin’ more gettin’ mine / everything they glamorize / lookin’ for some presence in the skies like it’s camouflage / never expected I’d be the greatest man alive / see I’m from Philly where the ambulance is standing by / people are screamin’ at the sky / extend their hand to God / asked myself “what kinda man am I?” / the person in the mirror replied: / “a cannon that was canonized” / and now I’m royal like them Tenenbaums / they say I’m so hard to analyze / I can’t apologize / and you can only pass judgment if you qualified / stand strong ‘til they call my numbers / I ain’t gotta hide"

Tariq Trotter/Black Thought/Riq Gees dropping yet another one-time only guest verse (transcribed by yours truly, something I just love to do) during a fantastic live performance of Raekwon’s Catalina on Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon. I say one-time only because Thought wasn’t on Cuban Linx II and there’s no remix of said joint that I know of (let alone one featuring Tariq). So the Bad Lieutenant penned this never-before-heard album-quality verse strictly for Chef’s live performance of the track (with The Roots masterfully replicating the somber Dr. Dre-produced beat). And just like the lyrical machine that he is, Thought went right into the following bars as the show went to the final break:

“Yeah, where I’m a start it at / look I’m a part of that / Downtown Philly where it’s realer than a heart attack.”

Indeed, those are the beginning lyrics of the incomparable title track from Game Theory —-> a perfect LP with no fat whatsoever and best believe (spoiler) one of the greatest albums of the decade.

#Black Thought #Catalina #Jimmy Fallon #Late Night #Live #Raekwon #The Roots #Hip-Hop Quotable

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Black Thought - The Professional (Unreleased)

“This guy’ll kill you to death inside of 3 rounds! This guy is a wrecking machine…and he’s hungry!” - Mickey Goldmill warning Rocky Balboa about the dangerous Clubber Lang in Rocky III.

In the same tradition as Thought @ Work, Web and 75 Bars, the Bad Lieutenant blacking out for nearly 3 minutes straight with no chaser on this dusted off track recently unearthed from the hip hop vaults. Underrated and understated beasting right here; listen up and proceed with caution because sh!t is straight banana bread laced with walnuts (edit: which coincidentally I’ve been eating a lot of lately). IMO, Pacquiao should use this ill joint as his entrance theme tonight (only in a perfect world would that ever happen).

*Currently reading Pacquiao’s Keys To Victory*

#Black Thought #The Professional #Unreleased #Boxing #Manny Pacquiao