I've been listening to the Roots and Black Thought since 94. Most emcees don't have the longevity or even have the talent/skill set to rap fresh and new like Black Thought. This dude is definitely genuine and has some crazy abilities. It's ashame what rap has evolved into these days and what makes the radio and mainstream. The Roots and Black Thought are probably the most provocative, innovative and yet under rated hip-hop group/musicians of our time.
This comment has aged well. Eleven years later and Thought is STILL growing, evolving, and outshining every other emcee in the game. It's not even close at this point. He's currently the greatest rapper alive.
"Websters and Cambridges, everyday the Chambers switch" DAMN! (Websters, Cambridge and Chambers are all dictionaries and he's talking about the vastness of his vocabulary)
This dude is phenomenal ...I mean WTF! No rapper living can touch this dude. Wow! He is most definitely the KING OF HIP HOP all hands down! His rhymes are always substantially rich, and never off... Jay was smart to have him play behind him on MTV bc he would make him look like a amateur. No disrespect.
You ever watch girls jump double dutch? They sit there rocking back and forth trying to sync with the rhythm of the two ropes, and then when they get it synced perfectly, they jump in and it looks effortless. It looks like they could just keep going for ever. They find their flow.. Before about 1:07 in the video, Thoughts feet were shaking a lot while he was rapping. I do the same thing. When I am sitting still, I tend to shake my feet! Annoys the hell out of my wife...anyway, right about at 1:07 his feet stop moving! That is about the point when he just falls into the cut and starts blacking out lyrically. His upper body starts rocking like he's autistic or something, but his feet remain motionless for the rest of the song. I think that's the point where he started surfing that beat like a wave...That's when he is at his BEST!!!
Come on man, I've been saying this since 1994: Thought is easilly the hardest lyricist, most under appreciated, yet most accomplished evva. Deal with that!
He said it himself in the Mos Def, Eminem cypher: "Under rated / under appreciated / The one/ Them under achievers had underestimated" If you haven't seen that Cypher, you need to TH-cam it dude. He was, as usual, spazzing out on the mic!
***** you're offended? regardless, they're getting paid without having to do the constant touring (that is exhausting), they get more exposure, their steady fallon paycheck means that they don't need to worry about record sales, and they have some consistency in their life for their fam. black thought, alone, has 5 kids. i mean...they've been in the game for forever. they deserve this break. they're much more hailed now as they ever were. go listen to "the champs" podcast were they interview quest and on a seperate show interview tariq. get their insight on it because they're happy as fuck to have this oppertunity. and i'm happy for them but even if i didn't like the move, being offended is just weird. so, i ask again...how is it offensive to you? do you know them personally and they made a promise to you that they would never play on a talk show? did the jimmy fallon show kill your mother? lol...what a strange thing to say.
channel gliza Correct, the guys list sooo many positives for this move they made. They were thinking of giving it up b/c they were getting older, they were in a rough/boring routine & families were growing and needing them home...b/c Jimmy came to them w/ this proposal, they are able to still do music as The Roots, why would anybody prefer them to be done over doing this show? And Jimmy is a musician as well and knows & loves hip hop / rap and all kinds of music. He loves & respects The Roots, as evident by the fact that he went after them on the road to convince them and insisted & fought w/ NBC execs. to get them. Also he plays/interacts w/ them so much and uses their versatility in the show both by including them in musical & comedic bits and by having them play w/ most of the musical guests and by making Questlove the musical director once they moved to the Tonight Show and by providing them w/ a recording studio back stage!!!...how much & the way Jimmy integrates them into the show, compares to no other talk show house band EVER. They also said that this gig helped them to become better musicians b/c they never used to rehearse and now they have to b/c they play all sorts of music. And having more free time & the recording studio right there, they have more time to work on their music and having the guaranteed paycheck means they no longer depend on music labels and they can be as creative & experimental as they want w/ their music...they won a Grammy while working here. They were paid at Late Night enough to cover the money they were making by doing ~200 shows/year, imagine how much they are getting now at the TS and they still have time to do some concerts, DJ, produce etc. and they get to be w/ their families every day. Due to the exposure they get paid more for gigs and have the luxury to choose where they want to play, some of the guys got sponsorship deals and more help for their charities & other stuff they are doing, they got a lot of new fans... Through the show they met new ppl & musicians, made new connections, got to propose new artists as musical guests and got to play w/ their idols!!!...they get so excited & happy that it makes me happy too...I don't understand how & why would anybody feel offended o.O
I had dreams like Akira Kurosawa, and realized my meteoric rise to power. They say I drive 220 miles per hour, Sixteen bars: 220 thousand dollars [???] About it, reliant hypnotic, The game full of too many funny clowns and cowards 💯
like will smith said, "Talent you have naturally. skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft." THIS IS SKILL at it s finest
Who else can seat bank in the chair and rip like this?? Veteran. Hip Hop is second nature to this man...He owns the room when he opens his mouth...amazing.
@FirstBornDynasty Some of the truest words I ever read about The Roots. They are so consistent that they become just a part of the scene somehow. So many albums, songs, shows and no disappointments. Black Thought where's his crown even when he walks in other King's castle and they can say nothing to him...#1 MC ever and still putting out fire. Saw him rip with the Clipse like nothing, which it is to him, so easy.
I've been listening to the Roots and Black Thought since 94. Most emcees don't have the longevity or even have the talent/skill set to rap fresh and new like Black Thought. This dude is definitely genuine and has some crazy abilities. It's ashame what rap has evolved into these days and what makes the radio and mainstream. The Roots and Black Thought are probably the most provocative, innovative and yet under rated hip-hop group/musicians of our time.
Me too...."DO YOU WANT MORE?" was a classic....but "ILLADELPH HALFLIFE" was my shit.... 💯💯💯
This comment has aged well. Eleven years later and Thought is STILL growing, evolving, and outshining every other emcee in the game. It's not even close at this point. He's currently the greatest rapper alive.
word
Seriously...."wicked grin like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad". If you had any doubts, this dude has super bars... GOAT.
"Websters and Cambridges, everyday the Chambers switch" DAMN!
(Websters, Cambridge and Chambers are all dictionaries and he's talking about the vastness of his vocabulary)
The realest
This dude is phenomenal ...I mean WTF! No rapper living can touch this dude. Wow! He is most definitely the KING OF HIP HOP all hands down! His rhymes are always substantially rich, and never off... Jay was smart to have him play behind him on MTV bc he would make him look like a amateur. No disrespect.
here in 2024 #godrhymes
The scariest part is, his second verse is even better than his first one. Tariq is the GOAT, man. I swear
Is there a video of his second part? Or just the audio clip?
Just audio clip.
You ever watch girls jump double dutch? They sit there rocking back and forth trying to sync with the rhythm of the two ropes, and then when they get it synced perfectly, they jump in and it looks effortless. It looks like they could just keep going for ever. They find their flow.. Before about 1:07 in the video, Thoughts feet were shaking a lot while he was rapping. I do the same thing. When I am sitting still, I tend to shake my feet! Annoys the hell out of my wife...anyway, right about at 1:07 his feet stop moving! That is about the point when he just falls into the cut and starts blacking out lyrically. His upper body starts rocking like he's autistic or something, but his feet remain motionless for the rest of the song. I think that's the point where he started surfing that beat like a wave...That's when he is at his BEST!!!
link ❤
Come on man, I've been saying this since 1994: Thought is easilly the hardest lyricist, most under appreciated, yet most accomplished evva. Deal with that!
facts
He said it himself in the Mos Def, Eminem cypher: "Under rated / under appreciated / The one/ Them under achievers had underestimated" If you haven't seen that Cypher, you need to TH-cam it dude. He was, as usual, spazzing out on the mic!
Black Thought is one of the most gifted rappers in the game.
As someone who has literally every Roots album, I'm amazed @ how amazed I STILL AM by what Black Thought can do on the mic.
This man said, "wicked grin like Mahmoud Ahmedjinidad..." who thinks of shit like this??!
This is how you freestyle. LEARN people. Best to EVER do it.
Glad hes gettin his shine on fallon. One of the best to ever do it
***** you're offended? regardless, they're getting paid without having to do the constant touring (that is exhausting), they get more exposure, their steady fallon paycheck means that they don't need to worry about record sales, and they have some consistency in their life for their fam. black thought, alone, has 5 kids. i mean...they've been in the game for forever. they deserve this break. they're much more hailed now as they ever were. go listen to "the champs" podcast were they interview quest and on a seperate show interview tariq. get their insight on it because they're happy as fuck to have this oppertunity. and i'm happy for them but even if i didn't like the move, being offended is just weird. so, i ask again...how is it offensive to you? do you know them personally and they made a promise to you that they would never play on a talk show? did the jimmy fallon show kill your mother? lol...what a strange thing to say.
channel gliza Correct, the guys list sooo many positives for this move they made. They were thinking of giving it up b/c they were getting older, they were in a rough/boring routine & families were growing and needing them home...b/c Jimmy came to them w/ this proposal, they are able to still do music as The Roots, why would anybody prefer them to be done over doing this show?
And Jimmy is a musician as well and knows & loves hip hop / rap and all kinds of music. He loves & respects The Roots, as evident by the fact that he went after them on the road to convince them and insisted & fought w/ NBC execs. to get them. Also he plays/interacts w/ them so much and uses their versatility in the show both by including them in musical & comedic bits and by having them play w/ most of the musical guests and by making Questlove the musical director once they moved to the Tonight Show and by providing them w/ a recording studio back stage!!!...how much & the way Jimmy integrates them into the show, compares to no other talk show house band EVER.
They also said that this gig helped them to become better musicians b/c they never used to rehearse and now they have to b/c they play all sorts of music. And having more free time & the recording studio right there, they have more time to work on their music and having the guaranteed paycheck means they no longer depend on music labels and they can be as creative & experimental as they want w/ their music...they won a Grammy while working here.
They were paid at Late Night enough to cover the money they were making by doing ~200 shows/year, imagine how much they are getting now at the TS and they still have time to do some concerts, DJ, produce etc. and they get to be w/ their families every day. Due to the exposure they get paid more for gigs and have the luxury to choose where they want to play, some of the guys got sponsorship deals and more help for their charities & other stuff they are doing, they got a lot of new fans...
Through the show they met new ppl & musicians, made new connections, got to propose new artists as musical guests and got to play w/ their idols!!!...they get so excited & happy that it makes me happy too...I don't understand how & why would anybody feel offended o.O
Voicu Violeta very well said.
officialbigstat indeed
1988Steez Nah they not side kicks they are look at as Musicians str8 up
I had dreams like Akira Kurosawa, and realized my meteoric rise to power. They say I drive 220 miles per hour, Sixteen bars: 220 thousand dollars [???] About it, reliant hypnotic, The game full of too many funny clowns and cowards 💯
I leave with heads in my take away from dinner bag. Wicked grin like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Wow I could never really catch that part. Wow!
Thank you.
black thought, best rapper ever
This brother Black Thought was underrated by the rap industry by design
Best emcee/rapper alive...
"Before my time starts to wind down like a Mayan, I'll show em' how I got the grind down like a science..."
What is that soulful-ass cut Brotha Quest is looping son.....Daaaaaaammmmnnnn!
The whole set is phenomenal
"embalmed in my words in the Valley of the Kings" ... he makes me want to go read a book.
One of the Greatest of all time...
i listen to this like it is a single...
I love how questlove is just like...he does this all the time.....
REKSTA LO yo facts...quest is like I don't know y everyone is surprise
That ladies and gentleman, is what you call Going AWF!!!!! Respect the culture
like will smith said, "Talent you have naturally. skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft."
THIS IS SKILL at it s finest
You know he snapping went into his Stevie wonder bop
I feel like I can run through a brick wall everytime I hear this.
Top 3 MCs: 1. Black Thought 2. Black Thought 3. Black Thought
Wrong! The top 3 MC's are:
1. Black Thought
2. Bad Lieutenant
3. Riq Gees
WildfireWiffler44 lol good one dude
...............and Dylan
Owe hot shit this is on fire !!!
YO!!! What is wit this dude Thought?!?! Black was ill back in the day but now and for a long time...PHENOMENAL!!!!!
He's a BEAST. Matter fact, THE beast.
this dude should collab wit that I.C.S. crew I been hearing about.
I know right!!!! Them dudes FIYAH!!! They bout to open they own studio too. :)
oh word?
You ready ta battle him Jef?
this prob the best freeing i ever seen.. blak'dout.. crazy
Black Thought shared my thoughts..............Illest at his best..........
Q-Tip in the cut.
Black Thought & Beanie Siegel 2 of Phillys illest #PERIOD
What about Will Smith
PEACE from West Philly
📀👋🏽🎚📀
It's the ease that does it.
That was incredible.
so meny great lines... the extended part is just as good... great lyricist!
Who else can seat bank in the chair and rip like this?? Veteran. Hip Hop is second nature to this man...He owns the room when he opens his mouth...amazing.
My favorite black thought freestyle
Wickest grind like Mahmoud Ahmadinejah
THAT BEAT THOUGH!!!🙆🏿♂️ WHAT IS THAT YO???🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥J-DILLA YO!!!
Da Goat
#TalentedMrTrotterSquad
Beast!!!!!
Definitely my FAVORITE emcee🎤🎙🎤!!!
str8spittin FACTS 😩💯
BLACK THOUGHT!!! Beast!!!! This is the best I've heard on a toca freestyle. This and iron Solomon has to be the best ones!
The man has an infinite amount of bars!
Straight nuclear, cataclysmic, hellfire flow coming from Black Thought. Amazing stuff!!!
My nigga soo underrated
Cohen Davis exactly!
Has always been and still my all time favorite emcee.
Non stop flow! One of my fav mcs, one of the best to ever spot a rhyme! Top 5!
My favorite mc him and pharoahe monch
one of the best rappers to ever do it.
top 5 fo sure
black thought is the best mcs ever....to me.
YIKES!!!
Never have you ever heard his calibur of rapper the level exceed the average by 50 points if it's a game that's a blow out
When he gets in the zone hehe it's over
"Yo.......... What the FUCK!"
-Tony Touch
Dammm he killed that !!! Real Freestyles right there !!!! Relentless
GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!!! Hands down no one come close
SICKEST FREESTYLE I EVER HEARD ON TH-cam!!!!!!
Girls love me like X and O because they man pop early like Plexico🤔🤯
The Greatest
Is that Otis played backwards! WTF that is sick.
THE MOST UNDERRATED EMCEE....BEST EVER, DONT CARE WHO'S ON YOUR LIST
Black Thought is a freaking beast at the mic.
Goodness Gracious!!! Thought is bananas!!!
he really be freestyling off the top of the dome!!!
He so slept on
Name someone else who can do this please! I would love to listen
Now THAT is wot u call RIPPIN a MIC 2 SHREDS Blessers...
too raw man
@FirstBornDynasty Some of the truest words I ever read about The Roots. They are so consistent that they become just a part of the scene somehow. So many albums, songs, shows and no disappointments. Black Thought where's his crown even when he walks in other King's castle and they can say nothing to him...#1 MC ever and still putting out fire. Saw him rip with the Clipse like nothing, which it is to him, so easy.
he's a machine.
What is that instrumental his just killing...somebodys got to know...holler???
The Goat
Greatest emcee of all time right here. But can anyone tellme what beat that is in the background?? Thanks
Jaylib "Exclusive"
Good looks!
🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Like a jazz musician...Improv at it's best!
LOL Quest Love tryin' to get loose! Black Thought is a cool brother!
"Well i am hypnotic, The game is filled with too many clowns and cowards" line after line Black Thought!
rather have a fish bone lodged in their esophagus...are you kidding me.....BK is top 5 ever!!!
"I bang like a hammer do ..."
Top 1
The TRUEST MC OUT
rawest freestyle ive ever heard
DAMMMMMNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE G.O.A.T.
"they say my drive 220 miles per hour 16 bar 220,000 dollars" Yeah one of the last real ones. Emcee
One of the best ever off the Freestyle... Tariq all day!
I heard it live that night! Where is Quest Love and Q tip ?
TOP 10 EMCEE!!! Black THOUGHT is a BEAST!! He even threw in the Dominican Slang TRINITARIO!!!
100 of todays "top MCs" entire careers rolled together into one couldnt fuck with Thought on the mic for one session.
It is a documentable fact.
That was freestyle, if you heard most of that shit in a song let me know, shiiiit!
damn, my face scrunched up mad times to this
I remember when Big Pun was asked who his favorite rapper was of course he said Black Thought
Chris King I do remember that. Then came super lyrical
Omg this shit is sick..true lyricist
Holly F...!!!!!!
Off the top damn!
a box is something you will never catch me in....
Very Underated
DAYUM!!!!!!!
Wow!!! 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
south philly's finest!(pause) EFFORTLESS GREATNESS!!!