Spleen Shot: Great Lyricists: Part 2

Black Thought

Black Thought (real name, Tariq Trotter) is enigmatic front man of hip hop collective The Roots. As front man of such a highly regarded group, one would think that Black Thought would have more of a public profile. This is one thing that makes him great; even in such a privileged position, he has never sought the limelight, instead preferring Roots' drummer - and former schoolmate - ?uestlove to act as spokesman for the band, allowing audiences to ingest the lyrics first, and ask redundant questions about success and celebrity later.

He often talks in microcosm about a particular character or event, and like all good lyricists manages to make the tale resonate to the point where a listener from any background can relate. He is equally at home discussing global issues such as the environment, politics and the economy and his level of social awareness means that much of his output sounds advisory and cautionary, as though he is trying to get through to the listener, situating them at a 'fork in the road' of life.

"My purpose is to entertain, to educate...to make art that moves people." (ihiphop, 2010)

Black Thought is a traditionalist too and some of his finest lyrics are rooted in the B-Boy rhymes of hip hop's inception and the wordplay, similes and metaphors of battle rap. One of my favourite Roots tracks, The Web (The Tipping Point, Geffen / Interscope 2005) is a simple, three and a half minute homage to a time when rhyming was for the joy of words and a nonchalant, tongue in cheek expression of self. Lines like "MCs never showed loyalty yet / Kool Herc ain't never get a royalty cheque" exhibit a knowledge of hip hop history and a disdain for the modern music industry, and sit perfectly alongside unbelievably confident and clever metaphors like "black master of any trade under the sun / talk sharp like a razor blade under the tongue". This juxtaposition is a feature of Black Thoughts' writing and something I appreciate greatly in all lyricists; the ability to be humorous or heart breaking; grave or flippant.

Unlike many MCs - although one could argue that the best ones share this characteristic - Black Thought has a firm grasp of musicianship and is admirably aware of the stylistic nuances of the MCs that influenced him; their difference in approach, and how this translates lyrically. He interestingly and tellingly sees himself as an instrument; a true reflection of a collaborator and band member as opposed to an ego-driven rapper.

"G Rap, if he was an instrument, he'd be like a drum, whereas Rakim was like brass, he was more melodic. I'd compare Rakim to a saxophone. But from Rakim I got the melodic influence and just repetition in my patterns. I got more of the subtleties...you can always hear me breathing during my verses, but that breathing becomes part of the music. If you're rappin' in perfect rhythm with the track, then you're gonna breathin' in perfect rhythm, too. And that's part of the percussion." (The Daily Beast, 2009)

Trotter studied visual art in his home city of Philadelphia. He describes his use of words as being derived from a control over, and an understanding of, colour and how it alters mood and influences emotion; indeed, his MC moniker stems from the fact that black contains all the colours of the palette, as opposed to it being a militant political statement; this is often misread by the mainstream media and an unfair criticism of Black Thought is that he takes himself - and music - too seriously.

Trotter has recently began to extend his influence; working on side projects with Philadelphia based Money Makin' Jam Boys and a collaboration with workaholic producer Dangermouse, called Dangerous Thoughts.