He encompasses everything an emcee is about: his wordplay is all over the place, the breath control is Ethiopian sprinter like, the voice is strong consistent and you understand every word clearly but what really sets him apart is how he uses syllables the same way a polished musician would playing with a band all the time makes his timing and ability to ride a looped beat child's play to him. I wish Prodigy could've been alive to hear Thought take the Mob's song and make it his.
Yooooo!!! The "Henrietta Lacks"(11:45) and the "flor de lis" (11:20) lines are research worthy!!! Absolutely way above and beyond most listeners heads and knowledge bases!!
I’ve watched a lot of reactions to this verse that Black Thought was spitting and it’s amazing to see the difference in reactions with the young heads vs the more old school people. Us older hip hop heads listen for content while the young ones listen for cadence. So many bars flew over most young listeners heads that it is sad to watch. Henrietta Lacks verse (ALONE) is a history lesson. This freestyle is by far already legendary status in my book.
Believe me, it has nothing to do with age. There are plenty of young heads that still prefer conscious, quality content. Many old heads are rocking out to modern mumble rap. And everything in between those extremes exists too. I work with a good number of 18-20 year olds and they are all rocking Gang Starr, The Roots, Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) and the like... while putting me on to things like Coast Contra. Meanwhile, the oldest dude I work with is 60 years old and listens to Migos and A$AP. Which... isn't so bad really. I'm one of those "in the middle" people. I like plenty of songs that are really only things I'd listen to while driving fast or in the club. But I also think Black Thought, RTJ and other lyricists are phenomenal. Either way, it is all anecdotal at this point. But I believe music is music and no matter what generation you're from, some people will have tastes that align with your own, and many other people will have completely different opinions on what is good. All subjective opinions.
Literally, your favorite rapper's favorite rapper. As he said , in the booth , he's a bull inside a China shop. He also said, how much more of CB 4 can we endure ? I've been with the roots from the beginning, all Hip Hop. Born in 1973 , I'm blessed to see it all the way through. Mumble rapper's and it's fan base , y'all can come home when y'all get ready. The door is open.
"How much more CB4, can we afford?! It's like a Sharia law on My Cherie Amour; how much hypocrisy can people possibly endure? But ain't nobody working on a cure? My young boul, y'all just regular; I'm an apex predator, brim stay fresh, feathered up, et cetera, nevertheless.." This freestyle needs to be studied in linguistics and sociology classes.
Black Thought has been doing that for 25 years plus. I'm glad the masses have a chance to witness a true legendary Mike controller, that's what MC stands for. Go support the roots buy all the albums, they are the most slept-on group in the world. I've been to numerous shows of theirs. They have been traveling the world for 20 plus years. Here's another incredible verse of his "Mesmerizing state-of-the-art caffeine it's over head like Omniverse screens I'm not the average Savage that cursed Queens I'm something from his worst dreams first we are handling first things I'm subsurface unseen grab the whole planet by the purse strings MCS are earthlings not built to hurt things speaking the words of weaklings nothing but sweet things" He's been the Greatest!
I know New York to Philly to the ATL to Houston all the way to LA was on FIRE when he dropped that. A classic history making moment in Hip Hop! Thanks Black Thought for creating a beautiful memory.
If my kid came up to me at 14 and said i want to try to be a rapper i would tell him to study this video. from substance, confidence, lyrics, breath control, importance of being educated, cadence and flow, even knowing how to land on the beat at any point and keep going like a cat landing on his paws.. thats exactly what black does here.. if i had to assemble a hip hop fantasy team black thought is def my qb and king los is 2nd string.
for those who were around in the 90's that didnt go beyond what was on the radio and the young heads today, who really only know him from late night tv.....he is unknown, so they underrate him. but those of us who know the roots, know that he one of the living legends. the only thing that changed since '93 is his fashion sense.
I fell victim of that trap of “oh he’s in the roots he didn’t think he was good enough to stay solo. He was part of a band of a late night talk show for the paycheck instead of making his money off projects and show” I’ve studied rap since I was old enough and black thought was always hidden from me when I was digging…
Thought is the GOAT....dig in his catalog...find him popping up in features...check him adding a verse to other artist songs...catch him on these DJ shows barring up the best...watch him do it for sport and watch him just go high brow to flex it isn't just shit talk, but content from a well read, well traveled, true to life MC poet laureate spitter
Great video! Thanks for appreciating the Truth and spreading the good word bout Black Thought’s brilliance! We were at the roots first headline show in nyc at the supper club back in the day, before “do u want more” album dropped! We saw a flyer featuring a new hip hop band’s first show in ny. We went and been loyal fans ever since. #facts #salute #brickcity #globalexotic
Patrick Wilcox I remember folks talking this, Thought washed up, Roots can't go platinum! Trying to get Questlove to replace him... Those of us that been rocking with him, like, these people serious???
Robert Alexander they have NO fucking clue.. There has been NO other rapper in hisory who has been GOOD or BETTER than him, for longer...not one...u can't name,one rapper..period....this is not debateable..the closest argument is nas, or Dre staxx, they came in at 94 tho...
Ok bro let’s not get ridiculous, he’s a very underrated rapper, and that was probably the greatest freestyle I’ve ever heard, but did you just say Black Thought is the best rapper in history?
Old School Stand Up.... Do you now see why Nas said Hip Hop was Dead ?.... Time for Blind Fury to Spit something...Show this new Generation what spitting is.
Soooooo many educational bars in this! Black Thought is an Avid Reader. Very well read!! 1. Henrietta Lacks- Black woman whom after her death, her cells were stored to fight polio. 2. F. Scott Fitzgerald- Poet / Novelist of The Great Gatsby. 3. Griot- African traveling poet, musician, story teller. 4. Amalgamism- A mixture of different elements. 5. Algorithm- A process or set of rules in calculation. 6. Anomoly- Something that deviates from it's normal pattern. 7. Tigris & Euphrates- Rivers located in West Africa near Turkey, Syria and Iraq. {Birth place of man} 8. Similac- Baby formula filled with protein. 9. Fentinal- Synthetic Opioid, similar to Morphine. 10. Seoul {Soul} Capital of Korea. 11. Apex Predator- Top of the food chain. ie, Great White Shark, Dinosaurs, Lion. {Hard to defeat} 12. Henry Kissinger- Politian who wrote war policies, and treaties. 13. Sharia Law- Muslim Law {Derived from the Holy Quron} 14. War & Peace- A book with more than 1,000 pages. 15. Excalibur- A steel forged sword made of dragon fire of King Arthur, that can only be held by it's true master. 16. CB4- 1993 Chris Rock film about a fake gangster rapper {Rock} who gets checked by some real O'G's. 17. Long In The Tooth- Grow Old. 18. D.O.C. Legendary West Coast Rapper- Lost his vocal cords do to a car accident, whom rapped like an East Coast Artist. JUST A FEW i CAUGHT!
How about when he said things fall apart when the center is too weak to hold y'all? He has paraphrased that line from the poem "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats.
i dont think the dudes' reactions did the freestyle any justice. one dude said that 'you dont hear freestyles like that anymore' and the other one said 'thats one of the best freestyles i have ever heard in my life'. Look Im a old head i been on hip hop since a youngn and i know for a fact that besides another black thought freestyle,the rap game aint never ever heard a freestyle like this one here. make you think 'is this dude human'. his freestyles redefine everything that it takes to make the art we know as hip hop.
darren ford people who are fans know what he can do, no lying he is the best of all time. That being said I would say he’s overlook more so then underrated
Glad this man is getting the recognition he deserves Tariq been killing it. I heard this too many.times to count and it's still.fire. Gotta say this is one of my favorite reactions I've seen.
Yea, If people need perspective.. Watch Black and Meth on Sway. Black makes Method man sound basic. Black Thought is God level MC. Jay-Z wouldn't even step. Career suicide.
He and Juice, greatest freestylers on the planet ever! Straight lights out on point destruction to the mic! Love that people who don't know, are finally getting a dose of the real from Hip Hop great. Been listening to the Roots since Never Do came out on video music box. There hasn't been and never will be another Hip Hop BAND like them ever again. Go get you some Roots Crew and represent!
To differentiate lyrism inhip hop. You have too listen not hear. Big difference. Anyway his name says it all. The pure wisdom of a Black learned Man...."Black Thought" Bring them all....Tariq Trotter the best...Still Love you Nas but Thought got the edge...South Africa stand up!
That freestyle was what I like to say is the difference between who you THINK I am and with whom you are truly fucking with... It's like seeing the Old Master finally rise up to indulge the spoiled children and let them have it!!! LOL
This isn't one of the best freestyles ever, this is The Best freestyle ever in life.(period) You can research all you want and not come up with someone else more versatile, this is as good as it gets!!!
Black Thought is easily the most underrated MC around, how ever, he is also your favorite rappers rapper. Everybody knows, when he spits something serious is going down & he’s not to be fucked with. He may very well be the best Rapper alive. He’s just to smart to deliver some catch a body moving weight shit so the streets tend to look the other way & go for someone else, however real hip hop heads know, the man is a God On that MIC.
When basically everyone whose opinion matters is calling someone "underrated", the irony there is that person is NOT underrated at all, they're a living legend. While mainstream success has largely eluded this man, he's been ruling the alternative rap scene for three solid decades, and his star hasn't faded yet. If anything he just keeps getting better with time.
Dude Stay in the Pocket. Him and Royce Ride the wheels off a Beat. Pun was One of The first greats who wasn't scared to rock with him on a track. Other Emcees been scared of Thought. This ain't nothing new! Breath control is crazy. Bring back Money Making Jam Boys
