One of the most elite M.C.’s in HOP music has been challenged over the years by public perception. Black Thought has been one of the common denominators of The Roots for over thirty years. With multiple classic albums and hits, the question still remained about a solo album form the Philadelphia rapper. The majority who ask these questions are commonly not initial fans of The Roots before their popularity so it SHOULD be a moot point. The rapper in Black Thought accepted the challenge regardless.

Twenty-Five years ago Black Thought was working on a solo album which never came to fruition but did produce a couple of twelve inch singles that ended up on The Roots’ ‘Phrenology’ album. The Roots however have been on an album making hiatus for over a decade and although metaphorically speaking Black Thought “stayed in the gym,” the time was now ripe for presenting a solo offering.

‘Streams Of Thought Vol.1’ serves as a sign that more would be coming. In 2018 music was well past the stage of having to go through a drawn out process to get the art to the masses. Black Thought gathered those “streams of thought,” and got with 9th Wonder for an EP that was an “eargasm,” at least on paper for any true Hip-Hop Head. I personally looked forward to a collaboration between Black Thought and 9th Wonder but there was a bittersweet feel as a “volume” was attached to this EP. Series releases in music tend to cheapen the product, and unless it undeniably works, the project can often be forgotten over time.

Black Thought has no problem lyrically with this EP, and takes the time to exercise his abilities as he and the public await a new Roots album. With an incredible feature from Rapsody on ‘Dostoyevsky,’ and continuing the chemistry started a decade prior with Styles P. on ‘Making a Murderer,’ features remain limited on this five song EP. 9th Wonder also makes a case for contributing to a Roots album with music he provides on ‘Streams Of Thought…,’ as they seem way more instrument heavy and less sample driven.

Will this be enough to satisfy the listeners wanting to simply hear Black Thought rhyme? Will the “volume” be abandoned or more “streams of thought be provided? These questions and more will be revealed in the coming weeks. What did you think of the album?

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