Black Thought - 'Streams of Thought Vol.1': Best Bars

At this point in his career, Black Thought is known by several epithets: lead vocalist of The Roots, Grammy Award winning artist, Hot 97 freestyle-scorcher, possessed poet, or whatever else you'd like to call him.

And though he’s an OG in the rap game, that’s not enough.

Streams of Thought Vol.1 findsthe Philadelphia MC blacking out on his latest five-track EP with legendary producer, 9th Wonder. He flows freely and ruthlessly—with little to no hooks involved. The only guest appearances come from Rapsody and Styles P.

Attention, all rappers: this man is not to be played with.

1.) “Twofifteen”

Best Bars:

• “My grandaddy sported plaid Donny Hathaway’s/ hustlin’ for everything we had ‘til he passed away/ when I would ask about what path to take/ he used to laugh and say, ‘no man is an island but I’m a castaway’”
• “You gossip on Jay and Beyonce or Kim and Kanye/ but keep risin’ to the top, what my mind say/ picture my daughter drinkin’ water with a sign say ‘for colored girls’, I ain’t talkin’ Ntzoake Shange”

2.) “9th vs. Thought”

Best Bars:

• “These rappers is Peter Pan, I’m Pan-African/ space invader, black and nem/ mixin’ Alexander Mcqueen with Haider Ackman/ real rapture in the form of a living man”
• “Changin’ of the mindset/ money just a concept, never been an object/ even when my mother was livin up in the projects/ now my waitin is higher than young Richard Pryor get/ still speakin’ my mind just in a different dialect”

3.) “Dosteyvsky” ft. Rapsody

Best Bars:

• “When we were young, innocence was ours but that was lost/ where I reside is the dark side of the glory/ the fury I manipulate is the arc of the story/ written without a ghostwriter to author it for me” -Black Thought
• “I ain’t turn starboy in a weekend/ it took more like seven years, make a sane man drink everclear”- Rapsody
• “Before the big life, I had to start with the scrimmage/ know that it’d come sooner or later, I’m Trae Young nigga”- Rapsody

4.) “Making a Murderer”

Best Bars:

• "Not a chink up in the armor though I'm lethally for real/ people tellin' me recently, 'Tariq you need to chill!'/ well picture that the diplomat pistol slap aristocrats/ any rapper coming for me, I'ma send a missle back"
• “A rapper winds up as a John Doe, I told niggas/ sixty seconds to shine before I fold niggas/ I must be out of my mind with it, gold diggers/ here come the general for the quadricentennial, I'm a non millenial/ what I rep is the old niggas"

5.) “Thank You”

Best Bars:

• “Kids playin on the stoop wearin’ dungarees/ unbeknownst to them, their city under siege/ honey and lemon teas, sincere sympathy, the power of positive energy/ as opposed to hatred as a motivator"
• “Thanks for the memories,/ for 1st and 3rd of the month check deliveries,/ agencies in the early 80's for givin' cheese,/ the families with parents who had drug dependencies”

This project's only setback is that it's not longer. He could've given us at least two more songs. Yet in this age of streaming, the brevity of this project makes it impactful and effective as well. Black Thought and 9th Wonder could've easily thrown over 20 tracks like the ones on this EP on here to generate more streams.

Instead, they sprint through Black's mind as he unleashes everything he's been thinking.

With 9th Wonder's supreme production, and with more to come in this series, one can only wonder what what more they have in store for us. Maybe next time they'll get QuestLove on a track?

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