To be a considered a rap immortal, it’s required that you’ve had at least one run of excellence. This “run” can be a string of albums or mixtapes where you artistic prowess is at its proverbial peak and unquestionably among the best in the world. For most rap icons, this happens early in their careers. But for a select few like Black Thought, greatness manifested early and has returned with a vengeance before his latest project — Streams of Thought Vol. 3: Cane and Able.
It would be incorrect to say Thought has found the fountain of youth. No — this level of insightful lyricism results from decades of life experience and having the wisdom to place those memories in a communal context. Black Thought takes his lineage beyond that of a Hip-Hop emcee to legendary activists like James Baldwin, Angela Davis, Khallid Muhammad and Amiri Baraka, whose words serve as introductions before his potent verses.
Streams of Thought Vol. 3 is scheduled to drop on July 31.
