Black Thought

As Co-Founder of The Roots, a critically acclaimed solo artist, actor, writer, producer, and creator, Tariq Trotter—aka Black Thought—has quietly affirmed himself as one of the most prolific, prescient, and powerful voices in hip-hop. He has won three GRAMMY® Awards and three NAACP Image Awards. Not only did he deliver eleven applauded albums with The Roots, but the group also joined The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as the house band and now a beloved mainstay of late-night television for over a decade.

Beyond collaborations with  Eminem, John Legend, J Dilla, Big Pun, Linkin Park, Logic, and Fall Out Boy, he co-produced the multiplatinum GRAMMY® Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hamilton. His presence has seamlessly translated into film and television roles such as HBO’s The Deuce. He also appeared in the feature directorial debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tick, Tick… Boom!—which received two nominations at the 2022 Golden Globe® Awards.

As the third installment in his Streams of Thought series, 2020’s Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able incited unanimous tastemaker applause. The Guardian awarded it “4-out-of-5 stars,” and Pitchfork noted, “Black Thought once again demonstrates the power of his dense, winding freestyle.” Meanwhile, HYPEBEAST crowned him “one of the best lyricists in hip-hop history.” He continued his creative renaissance as the main composer and lyrist of the 2022 Off-Broadway production Black No More. In addition, he made Off-Broadway debut starring in the production, stretching the boundaries of his creativity once more.