April 11, 2020

Black Thought "Tiny Desk Concert" (NPR, Video)


April 8, 2020 | Abby O'Neill -- While our culture adjusts to the New Normal, artists are revealing the threads of our common humanity as they find new ways to bring their work to virtual communities. In this installment of Tiny Desk (home) Concerts, hip-hop wordsmith Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought of The Roots crew, took the occasion to premiere three new songs. On "Thought Vs. Everybody," Thought calls for unity in response to the conditions of an encroaching dystopia. Next up is "Yellow," a song from his upcoming off-Broadway musical Black No More, an adaption of the 1931 Afrofuturist novel by George S. Schuyler, set during the Harlem Renaissance. The track is co-written with Anthony Tidd. He closes with "Nature of the Beast," a cross-genre collaboration with alternative music sweethearts Portugal. The Man, who pop up on screen from a remote location. "Thought Vs. Everybody" and "Nature of the Beast" are produced by Sean C and will appear on Streams of Thought Vol. 3, which will be released as an EP. The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. It's the same spirit - stripped-down sets, an intimate setting - just a different space. - NPR. Much love to Black Thought holdin' it down for the culture, watch below!