Black Thought Bio: The Rise of One of Hip Hop’s Most Legendary MCs

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Colin is a content creator based out of New York City. Colin loves rap music because it brings together various things that he enjoys, like art, fashion, and film. He spends his time writing and producing music when he's not working. He's eager to share with you his first hand experiences in the industry.

Black Thought Quick Facts

Full Name	Tarik Luqmaan Trotter
Birth Date	October 3^rd, 1971
Birth Place	Philadelphia, PA
Nick Name	Reek Ruffin, Riq Geez
Nationality	American
Zodiac Sign	Libra
Siblings	Keith Trotter
Children	Five sons and a daughter
Partner/Spouse	Michelle Trotter
Most Successful Albums	Things Fall Apart, Game Theory
Earnings	$350,000 per year
Net Worth	$12 million
Social Media	@blackthought
Awards	2 Grammys, 1 BET Hip Hop Award
Last Updated	8/7/2022

Black Through Birthplace

Black Thought was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 3rd, 1971. He spent most of his childhood in Mount Airy, a middle-class enclave in northeast Philly.

Black Thought Parents

Black Thought was the son of Thomas and Cassandra Trotter, who were both murdered when the rapper was young. His father grew up in the Germantown neighborhood of Philly and was a member of the Nation of Islam. He was affiliated with Mosque 12, the birthplace of the Black Brothers Inc, also known as the Black Mafia. Thomas Trotter was murdered when Black Thought was only a year old, and they discovered his body in an alley in Germantown.

When he was in high school, his mother became addicted to crack cocaine. It was routine for her to go missing for several days, but the family started to get concerned after she was missing for a week. They called around local hospitals and morgues and found that she had been stabbed to death. A 22-year-old who lived a few blocks away was later convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Black Thought Early Life

Black Thought had a tumultuous childhood. One of his earliest memories is of himself almost burning his house down at age six. He was using a lighter to melt army men, but it got too hot, and he flung it into a corner where it ignited a curtain and spread to the rest of the house.

They had to call the Fire Department to put it out, and his older brother Keith was left to wait for them. But Keith got into a fight with one of the Firemen after he accused them of stealing some jewelry and damaging the furniture. The fight got physical, and Keith was arrested for assault, the first in a long series of incarcerations he would go through over the next few years.

Black Thought started using art as an outlet to survive his difficult childhood and took up graffiti. But he was arrested at age 12 for tagging a local basketball court and was sentenced to community service that involved cleaning the streets. Once he got to high school, money was a struggle, so he began selling crack cocaine.

He briefly went to live with family in Detroit but later returned to Philadelphia to attend the Philadelphia High School of the Performing Arts. In high school, he met Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, and the two would form a close musical partnership that lasts to this day. In the early days, they would busk on a local street corner with Questlove playing bucket drums while Black Thought rapped over the beat.

He went on to study journalism at Millersville University, where he met Malik B, another one of the founding members of the Roots. Initially, they went by the name the Square Roots. But as they began acquiring more members and forming an actual hip-hop band, they changed the name to simply, the Roots.

Black Thought Professional Career

Founding the Roots

The Roots dropped their first official project Organix in 1993. They released the project independently and gained enough buzz to land them a deal with DGC Records. They followed up with their major label debut Do You Want More?!!!???! in 1995, which is now considered a classic in the genre of jazz rap. While not my favorite Roots Project, Do You Want More?!!!???! is a great debut and showcases the group’s unique style and presentation.

They released their 3rd album Illadeph Halflife in 1996, which became their first album to peak in the top 40, due in part to the videos for songs like What They Do and Clones playing in heavy rotation on MTV. The album was critically acclaimed and is considered a landmark release in the genre of conscious hip hop.

Things Fall Apart

But the group hit its stride in 1999 with the release of Things Fall Apart. The project was named after a novel by Chinua Achebe and a line in the poem The Second Coming by WB Yeats. Things Fall Apart is an artistic triumph that touched on themes of poverty, racism, classicism, and generational trauma, over a sonic pallet that seamlessly blended jazz, hip hop, soul, and rock and roll. Things Fall Apart is my favorite Roots album, and it’s their most cohesive and fully realized project. By that point, the group was a well-oiled machine that could come together to create a timeless classic that represented hip hop as high art.

Things Fall Apart featured the lead single You Got Me with Erykah Badu, Eve, and Jill Scott, which peaked at 39 on Billboard, and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

After the success of Things Fall Apart, the Roots would continue to release a series of critically acclaimed albums. They returned in 2002 with the album Phrenology, followed by the Tipping Point in 2004. Both albums were well received by critics but didn’t quite reach the critical or commercial heights of Things Fall Apart.

Game Theory

In 2006, they released Game Theory, a highly political album with a darker, grittier sound than their previous releases. Game Theory was both a critical and commercial success that debuted at number 9 on Billboard. It’s my second favorite Roots album after Things Fall Apart. It shows the group experimenting with their sound while remaining true to what made the Roots authentic and unique. It also features contributions from the late J Dilla, the legendary producer whose style inspired much of the production on the album.

Later Work with the Roots

The Roots followed up with Rising Down in 2008, which came out on the 16th anniversary of the LA Riots and featured plenty of political undertones and dark subject matter. They followed up two years later with How I Got Over, which was a bit lighter sonically and reflected the shift in the culture that came with the election of President Obama. How I Got Over is an underrated Roots album, in my opinion, and had a more uplifting sound that borrowed from elements of soul, gospel, and indie rock.

They followed up again in 2011 with their 10th studio album, Undun. While not as commercially successful as some of their previous albums, Undun received near-universal acclaim from critics, who praised its existential subject matter and loose storyline. The album followed the life of a fictional character named Redford Stevens as he suffered through inner city poverty. Undun was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2013 Grammys.

The Roots released their final album …And Then They Shoot Your Cousin, in 2014, which they said was a satirical look at violence in hip hop and America. Like Undun, it was also a loose concept album that followed several characters instead of just one. The project was generally well received by critics but is a bit weaker than some of their previous albums, in my opinion.

Solo Work

While the group remains active, they haven’t released an official album in eight years. Outside of the Roots, Black Thought has also had several successful solo ventures, and he’s starred in several movies, including Bamboozled in 2000 and Brooklyn Babylon in 2001.

He recorded his first solo album in 2001, which was supposed to be titled Masterpiece Theater. But he later scrapped the project after learning that the album would not count toward the Roots label obligation, and many of the songs ended up on Phrenology.

In 2017, he appeared on Hot 97 with Funk Master Flex and did a 10-minute freestyle over a Mobb Deep Instrumental. The freestyle quickly went viral because of Black Thought’s astonishing lyrical ability. This viral moment proved that Black Thought was still one of the most gifted lyricists in the game after being at it for decades.

Following the viral success of this freestyle, he released an EP called Streams of Thought Volume 1, produced mainly by 9th Wonder. A few months later, he released a sequel called Stream of Thoughts Vol 2, produced entirely by Salaam Remi.

Although a bit short, these projects are a great addition to Black Thought’s discography, in my opinion, and showed the rapper in top form over production that well complements his style.

In 2020, Black Thought finally released his debut solo album, Streams of Thought Volume 3: Cane & Able. It featured guest appearances from Killer Mike, Pusha T, Swizz Beats, Portugal the Man, Schoolboy Q and many more. The album was primarily produced by Sean C and received critical acclaim, showing that Black Thought could still deliver a compelling body of work, even as a solo artist.

In 2022, the rapper announced that he was releasing his long-anticipated collaboration with Danger Mouse, Cheat Codes. So far, they’ve released three singles, No Gold Teeth, Aquamarine featuring Michael Kiwanuka, and Because featuring Joey Badass, Russ, and Dylan Cartilage.

Black Thought Video

Black Thought Family

Black Thought has an older brother named Keith Trotter. He is also married to Michelle Trotter, and together they have five sons and one daughter. Michelle has been a model and actress in several movies and TV shows, including Sex and the City, Boomerang, and Big Fat Liar.

His youngest is named Tariq, and he also has a set of twins. His oldest son Ahmir is a musician who plays piano and guitar. Benjamin is the second oldest after Ahmir, and he attended the University of the Arts in Philly. He also has a daughter named Saaliah, who is also passionate about documentaries and film. So, they are a very artistically inclined family.

Black Thought Dating and Relationship History

Black Thought has kept his personal life primarily out of the public eye, and he and Michelle have been happily married since 2010.

Black Thought Net Worth and Career Earnings

Black Thought’s Net Worth is estimated to be around $13 million. He has an extensive music catalog, including 13 albums with the Roots and one solo album. The Roots also became the house band on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon when it premiered in 2014, a position they’ve held for eight years. In 2022, he also revealed that he was becoming a general partner with the firm Impellent Ventures to get into the investing game. He aims to make the VC space less intimidating for artists and people from marginalized communities.

Black Thought Famous Quotes

“Don’t do anything for fear, because fear will never let you do anything” – Black Thought.

“Everything we’ve done has been for the artistry’s sake and for the greater good and paying homage to those who came before us and paving the way for those who come after us” – Black Thought.

“I think the true artist – musician, dancer, writer, actor – a true artist is able to sort of articulate pain and tragedy, in a way that sort of expresses what the listener or the beholder may have been feeling but was less able to communicate.” – Black Thought.

Black Thought Discography

With the Roots

1993 – Organix
1994 – Do You Want More?!!!??!
1996 – Illadelph Halflife
1999 – Things Fall Apart
2002 – Phrenology
2004 – The Tipping Point
2006 – Game Theory
2008 – Rising Down
2010 – How I Got Over
2011 – Undun
2014 – …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin

Solo Artists

2018 – Streams of Thought, Vol 1
2018 – Streams of Thought, Vol 2
2020 – Streams of Thought, Vol 3: Cane and Able
2022 – Cheat Codes

FAQs

Question: Is Black Thought Still in the Roots?

Answer: Yes, Black Thought is still a member of the Roots. Even though they’ve taken a break from releasing albums as a collective, they still perform together frequently as the house band on Jimmy Fallon. Over the past few years, Black Thought has focused more on his solo material and took a break from the band while working on an off-Broadway musical he co-wrote. But he’s still very much a part of the Roots.

Question: When is Black Thoughts Next Album Coming Out?

Answer: In 2022, Black Thought announced that he was preparing to release a collaboration album with legendary producer Danger Mouse called Cheat Codes. The album will have 12 tracks with features from Joey Badass, Conway the Machine, Raekwon, MF Doom, and more.

Question: Where is Black Thought From?

Answer: Black Thought was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. His father was from the Germantown neighborhood but mainly lived in Point Breeze and Mount Airy. He briefly moved to Detroit when he was young to live with family but later returned to Philly for High School.