Black Thought albums

(as a rapper solo from The Roots, often with a different producer)

2022 (with Danger Mouse)

Cheat Codes – 94%

       There is something truly transcendent about this album, something that has taken in years of preparation and work. At least that's how I feel about it, so it was of no surprise when I heard Danger Mouse and Black Thought (lead man from The Roots) have been teasing of teaming up on something for about 10 years now. If only every project could be this well thought out and planned, with a seamless list of guest starts that only elevate and don't distract including Raekwon on the moody piano chords of “The Darkest Part”, the late great final appearance of MF Doom on the abstract “Belize” with the beautiful “away from youuuu” repeated over and over, the great duo Run the Jewels on the futuristic “ Strangers” which makes for one of the years great hard hitting tracks where each mc takes turn delivering their tirade. Above all, there is something absolutely transcendent about “Aquamarine” which uses the producing talent of Sault (a.k.a. Inlfo) and the soulful chorus of Michael Kiwanuka and the amazing thoughtful raps of Black Thought to create the best song of 2022.

Cheat Codes is a true album through and through, opening with the graceful ”Sometimes” and the oddly percussive “Cheat Codes” and ending with the poetic “Violas and Lupitas”. This album has a real flow to it, especially in the middle of the record with the tracks already mentioned but also the retro soul of “Because”, the pondering “Close to Famous” which uses strange little voices to create the atmosphere of great musicians that know they should be more famous then they are. Unfortunately in our world, being great at something sometimes does mean forever floating in obscurity. One could say well, Black Thought and Danger Mouse are already pretty famous! While that is true, good music is not always appreciated, and this finally tuned album from two artists who really know how to craft a record is getting a lot of notice form the critical community- I just hope the rest of the world follows suit. Albums like this of whatever genre are so rare, where everything that they try comes together gracefully and time is taken to expand of each little sound to get the best clarity and rhythm that will stand the test of time.

Best Songs: Aquamarine, Strangers, Belize, Because

2023 (with El Michels Affair)

Glorious Game - 88%

The world owes a huge debt to Black Thought these days, as his multiple projects throughout the last couple years he really has made an impact on our collective musical landscape. The beautiful Cheat Codes he did with Danger Mouse last year was many years in the making, and little less than a year later we have another project that uses live instrumentation just like his band The Roots does to create an atmosphere that is part jazz, part R&B and part hip hop. The smooth feel is present throughout the record, take for example “Glorious Game” that could have come out of the 1990’s R&B scene but somehow sounds timeless. Black Thought makes this all look easy, as do Leon Michels’s touring band who have been active in the scene for over ten years subtly making their presence known by being part of so many great Rap artist’s projects- think of them as the Hip Hop version of The Band.

The album alternates between introspective and catchy with “Protocol” giving his version of soft preaching, and ”Alter Ego” showing off a kind of ethereal voice coming from the heavens stating they will bring us horses to water but we have to learn to drink ourselves. The role of elder statesmen is often underused snd with his status as lead MC on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Black Thought has done just as much as his band mates Questlove has and lately even more so, giving us albums that have old school calm and great quality but still manage to push boundaries- alien vocal sound effects on “I Would Never“ and manic rapid fire wordplay on “Miracle”. The final thoughts on Malik’s state of the world seems to be that we are going to get through this together, despite constant efforts by extremists and negative people to tear each other apart. It a reminder we all need to be able to live in this world.

Best Songs: Alter Ego, Protocol, I Would Never, Miracle