After announcing the impending release of the third EP in his Streams Of Thought series, Streams Of Thought, Vol. 3: Cain And Abel, Black Thought has released the first single from the project, “Thought Vs. Everybody,” which he debuted during his at-home NPR Tiny Desk Concert in April. The song itself is a breathless reminder of Thought’s chops as he tears through a hook-less, intimidating display of rhyme-stacking, unforgiving battle raps.
Black Thought also recently appeared on a remix of Public Enemy’s seminal protest track “Fight The Power” with Nas and Rapsody during the 2020 BET Awards, as well as on Eminem’s surprise album, Music To Be Murdered By earlier this year. He has a verse on Che Noir and Apollo Brown’s new album, As God Intended, which released today, and recently announced he’s writing a new musical based on the Harlem Renaissance, which he will also star in.
The variety of projects The Roots frontman is involved in is a testament to his versatility, but there’s a reason Freddie Gibbs place him among his top five rappers. While most of his work has been with The Roots, the longstanding band founded by Black Thought and Questlove in the late ’80s, his recent Streams Of Thought EPs have served as strong reminders that he’s one of the best in the biz.
Listen to “Thought Vs. Everybody” above.