Take away the jewelry, the designer, overly enthusiastic fans, and multi-million dollar deals, and envision some rap artists that have a major platform nowadays. Are they truly talented? Do they work to polish that talent, versus remaining stagnant and reaping the benefits? Do they truly work to represent the advancement of the cultural movement in which they’ve placed their name under? Whatever the answer may be, this can definitely be said about the mighty Black Thought, who raised his flag in the selectively populated realm of musical professionalism alongside Quest Love and The Roots. The Philly vocationist will be headlining the capstone ceremony of A3C this year alongside J. Period at the Okayplayer 2nd Annual Best Block Party Ever bash.
http://youtu.be/Ki1R8rMNcSA
The cauldron is always stirring with the use of Black Thought’s creative endeavors. The Roots have been featured as the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, which has provided a stable and free forming work environment while also giving them a fully functional studio in their dressing room to take advantage of down time. During this downtime, they’ve been able to conceptualize some of the many characters that inhabit community pitfalls in their latest studio albums …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (2014) and Undun (2013).
They have never been opposed to the thought of a jam session with other influential artists. Stemming from the points at which some of the best names in music would gather in the home of Quest Love in Philadelphia, including those like Erykah Badu, Musiq Soulchild, and many others, they have continued to highlight and transform the music of young generation artists. Providing instrumental enhancement to artists like Jeezy and Future on The Tonight Show, headlining at major music festivals such as the Philly 4th of July Jam and the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, and offering quality shows overseas are regular occurrences for the lifestyle of The Roots. Black Thought, in particular, can also be seen taking his stance on relevant issues of the African American community within features on the songs such as Pharaohe Monch’s Rapid Eye Movement and Statik Selektah’s Bird’s Eye View featuring Raekwon and Joey Bada$$.
http://youtu.be/00F8laucvcE
As a result of many years of practiced creativity, Black Thought has shown that the talent of a true MC ages like wine. The artist should show a consistency of the person’s character and a steady increase of comfortability within their way to express their insights. This can be achieved through the mountain-climb of professionalism, meaning those who remain diligent to the molding of their craft are those who will enjoy the true benefits of the fresh air at the peak, only to see other journeys to embark on.
