Illustrious Philadelphia rapper Black Thought combines a career with the Grammy-winning, Late Show-soundtracking hip-hop band the Roots with film and TV roles; he’s also involved with a forthcoming stage musical. Rumours surrounding solo work started 20 years ago, but Tariq Trotter finally released some in 2018. Cane & Able follows two shorter EPs; the able “Cane” here is producer Sean C, who lends Trotter a more mainstream-attuned set of beats than Salaam Remi (Vol 2) or 9th Wonder (Vol 1).
That’s not always a good thing. On the weird muzak that is Nature of the Beast, passé outfit Portugal. The Man and rapper the Last Artful, Dodgr guest. The best that can be said is that Trotter’s singing is warm and assured.
Elsewhere, though, this veteran polemicist is on fire, his learned invective weaponised to meet the present moment. “If I’m a walking institution, I’m an HBCU (historically black college and university),” he offers on Thought Vs Everybody, one of two politically charged tunes already released. The rest of the track-listing has both power and nuance, taking in personal relationships (We Should Be Good), autobiographical pain (Fuelt) and references to TS Eliot (Ghetto Boyz N Girls), with Trotter barely pausing for breath before landing the next masterful rhyme.
Streams of Thought Vol 3: Cane & Able is out 16 October
