Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
EP by | ||||
Released | June 1, 2018 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 17:15 | |||
Label | Human Re Sources | |||
Producer | ||||
Black Thought chronology | ||||
|
Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 is the debut EP by American emcee Black Thought. It was released on June 1, 2018, by the independent distributor Human Re Sources. Primarily produced by 9th Wonder, with one contribution from Khrysis of The Soul Council, it marks Black Thought's first solo release, having previously released 11 albums with his band The Roots. The EP features guest appearances by Rapsody, Styles P, and KIRBY.
Black Thought originally planned to release his debut solo album, Masterpiece Theater, in 2000. [1] [2] However, the album was shelved and most of its songs ended up on The Roots' Phrenology album in 2002. [1] Another album, Dangerous Thoughts, with producer Danger Mouse was also shelved. [2] On December 14, 2017, Black Thought performed a ten-minute freestyle on Hot 97, which quickly went viral and created a buzz for a potential solo project. [3] [4] The following month, he revealed that he was working on an EP with the producer 9th Wonder. [4] On May 25, 2018, the title of the EP and its release date were revealed. [5] The song "Making a Murderer", featuring Styles P, was previously released in 2016. [6]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 81/100 [7] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
And It Don't Stop | A− [8] |
HipHopDX | 4.5/5 [6] |
Pitchfork | 7.5/10 [2] |
Rolling Stone | [1] |
Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( ) [9] |
Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the EP received an average score of 81, based on four reviews. [7]
Reviewing for HipHopDX in June 2018, Riley Wallace hailed Streams of Thought as "one of the most exciting things to happen to Hip Hop in a long time", also stating, "With 9th's soulful production taking the place of The Roots, and features that complement without under-performing or overtaking, the project delivers a healthy dose of social consciousness, braggadocios fare, and even a little subtle shade." [6] Pitchfork 's Brian Josephs called it "a small testament to his sustained excellence", while praising Black Thought's ability to thrill listeners "with internal rhymes and flow swaps that manage to fold years of experience and culture references into crisp narratives." [2] Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone stated, "True to the title, he doesn't offer any choruses, just streams of verses that cover his own lyrical prowess, history and politics, and whatever else comes to mind", also noting the "spare and subtle" production, which "leaves the focus on Black Thought's words." [1] In his Substack-published "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau said the EP "never bogs down" and features "9th Wonder soul samples" that could be mistaken for Questlove's drumming, while citing the first track "Twofifteen" as its most "exciting" point. [8] Fellow critic Tom Hull said it "sounds like half of a pretty good Roots album". [9]
Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 debuted at number 62 on the Billboard 200, with 9,864 album-equivalent units, which includes 7,978 in pure album sales. [10]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Twofifteen" | 9th Wonder | 3:45 | |
2. | "9th vs. Thought" |
| 9th Wonder | 2:47 |
3. | "Dostoyevsky" (featuring Rapsody) |
| 9th Wonder | 3:53 |
4. | "Making a Murderer" (featuring Styles P) |
| 9th Wonder | 4:32 |
5. | "Thank You" (featuring KIRBY) |
| Khrysis | 2:18 |
Total length: | 17:15 |
Chart (2018) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 [11] | 62 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [12] | 33 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [13] | 7 |
The Chronic is the debut studio album by the American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place in June 1992 at Death Row Studios in Los Angeles and at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.
The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, 2003, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs, although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2006. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, The Neptunes, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others. The album also features a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams.
Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, singer, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove. Regarded as "one of the most skilled, incisive, and prolific rappers of his time", he is widely lauded for his live performance skills, continuous multisyllabic rhyme schemes, complex lyricism, double entendres, and politically aware lyrics. With the Roots, he is a singer and rapper on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, frequently playing games with Fallon and his guests.
Nappy Roots is an American alternative Southern rap group. The group met in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1995 while attending Western Kentucky University. They are best known for their hit singles "Po' Folks", "Awnaw", "Roun' The Globe" and "Good Day". They were the best selling hip hop group of 2002. The group consists of Milledgeville, Georgia native Fish Scales and Kentucky natives Skinny DeVille, B. Stille and Ron Clutch.
Illadelph Halflife is the third studio album by American hip hop band the Roots, released September 24, 1996 on DGC and Geffen Records. It features a tougher and broader sound than their previous album, Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995). The album also contains integration of programmed drums and guest contributions by R&B musicians such as Amel Larrieux and D'Angelo, as well as jazz musicians such as David Murray, Steve Coleman, Cassandra Wilson, Graham Haynes. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. In 2006, the album was selected as one of Hip Hop Connection's 100 Best Rap Albums from 1995 to 2005. The master tapes for the album were destroyed in a fire at the Universal Studios back lot in 2008.
The County Hound EP is the debut extended play (EP) by American rapper Cashis. It was released on May 22, 2007, by Shady Records and Interscope Records. The EP was released to promote his planned album, Loose Cannon, and to bring attention to him as an artist. Eminem produced or co-produced the whole album except for a single song, which he also serves as the executive producer. It sold 6,700 copies its first week of release and debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 106.
The Renaissance is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Q-Tip, released November 4, 2008, on Universal Motown Records. The follow-up to his solo debut album, Amplified (1999), it was recorded after Q-Tip's Kamaal the Abstract (2009) was initially shelved in 2002 by his former label Arista Records and his proposed effort Open was shelved by Universal Motown, both deemed commercially inadequate by the labels. The Renaissance was produced primarily by Q-Tip and features guest contributions by D'Angelo, Norah Jones, Amanda Diva, and Raphael Saadiq.
Gregory Skyler Taylor, known professionally as Skyzoo, is an American Songwriter and rapper. He has released a number of notable solo and collaborative albums, including Cloud 9: The 3 Day High with 9th Wonder in 2006, The Salvation in 2009, A Dream Deferred in 2012, Music For My Friends in 2015, and his most recent solo album All the Brilliant Things. Skyzoo has also released a plethora of non-commercial mixtapes including Corner Store Classic and The Great Debater throughout his career, and has worked with artists such as Jill Scott, Wale, Lloyd Banks, Tyrese, Dr. Dre, Raheem Devaughn, Black Thought, Jadakiss, Talib Kweli, Spike Lee, John Legend, and others. Skyzoo has headlined or co-headlined often-yearly tours throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, Africa, Australia, and Asia, and he owns and operates the independent record label First Generation Rich.
How I Got Over is the ninth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots. It was released on June 22, 2010, by Def Jam Recordings.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2011.
Fear of God II: Let Us Pray is the major record label debut and extended play by American rapper Pusha T, released on November 8, 2011, under G.O.O.D. Music. The EP was his first project with Kanye West's GOOD Music label, since the announcement of his signing in September 2010. Pusha T claims his inspiration for Fear of God is that a vast majority of the people who he came in the music business with are in prison: "I came in the game with super producers. We made hit records. I never thought that it gets deeper. But not for nothing, 2009 I lost eight of my friends to incarceration. Everybody that I came in to the rap game with, and when I realized that those components weren't there anymore, the 'Fear of God' really came over me. It's full of the dichotomy of 'right and wrong' and 'good and evil'. A lot of it deals with greed. A lot of it deals with instant gratification. Personally... life without instant gratification... I don't know what it is."
Marlanna Evans, better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. After signing with music producer 9th Wonder's music label It's a Wonderful World Music Group, she released a series of mixtapes and collaborated with Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. Soon afterwards Rapsody released her debut album The Idea of Beautiful (2012). She would attain further prominence when she was featured on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, on the track "Complexion ".
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2012.
Overly Dedicated is the fourth solo mixtape by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released on September 14, 2010, via Top Dawg Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Dash Snow, Jhené Aiko, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Ash Riser, Dom Kennedy and Murs, among others. The album's production was handled by several TDE in-house producers, including King Blue, Sounwave, Tae Beast and Willie B; other producers such as Tommy Black, Jairus "J-Mo" Mozee, and Wyldfyer, also contributed production. The mixtape had sold a total of 12,000 copies as of October 2012.
...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is the eleventh studio album by American hip hop band The Roots. The album was released on May 19, 2014, by Def Jam Recordings.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2018.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2020.
City on Lock is the second studio album by American hip hop duo City Girls. The album leaked in its entirety on June 19, 2020, whereafter it was released on June 20 by Quality Control Music, Motown Records and Capitol Records. It serves as the follow-up to their 2018 debut studio album Girl Code and features guest appearances from Yo Gotti, Doja Cat, Lil Durk and Lil Baby. The album's first single, "Jobs", was released hours before the album release alongside a music video. The album's second single, "Pussy Talk" featuring Doja Cat, was released on July 6, 2020, alongside a music video.
Streams of Thought, Vol. 2 is the second extended play by American emcee Black Thought. It was released on November 26, 2018, by independent distributors Human Re Sources and Passyunk Productions. Produced entirely by Salaam Remi, the EP is the sequel to Streams of Thought, Vol. 1, released five months earlier.
Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able is the debut studio album by American emcee Black Thought. It was released on October 16, 2020, by Passyunk Productions and Republic Records. Primarily produced by Sean C, the album is the sequel to his second EP, Streams of Thought, Vol. 2, released in 2018. It features guest appearances by Pusha T, Swizz Beatz, Killer Mike, Portugal. The Man, The Last Artful, Dodgr and Schoolboy Q, among others.