Tariq Trotter, also known as Black Thought, is a co-founder of the critically acclaimed group The Roots, as well as a solo artist, actor, writer, activist, producer, and creator. He is widely regarded as one of the most prolific, prescient, and powerful voices in hip-hop.
Throughout his career, Black Thought has won numerous awards, including three GRAMMY Awards and three NAACP Image Awards. He has also had a successful solo music career, releasing the Streams of Thought series, which has generated millions of streams and received critical acclaim from publications such as Pitchfork and The Guardian.
In addition to his music career, Black Thought has also made a name for himself in the world of theater, composing and starring in the Off-Broadway production Black No More, which earned a nomination for "Best Musical" at the 2022 Lucile Lortell Awards.
As an actor, Black Thought has appeared in a number of films and television shows, including HBO's The Deuce and Lin-Manuel Miranda's feature directorial debut, Tick, Tick... Boom!.
Black Thought has also been involved in various production projects, including the multiplatinum GRAMMY Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hamilton, which he co-produced. He has also launched a production company, Two One Five Entertainment, with his fellow Roots co-founder Questlove, and has executive produced a number of projects, including the AMC documentary series Hip-Hop: The Songs That Shook America and the feature documentary Descendant.
Descendant, which tells the story of the historic discovery of the last known slave ship to arrive in America, received widespread critical acclaim and earned a number of awards and nominations, including the award for "Best Historical Documentary" at the 2022 Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
Black Thought's creative output has been praised for its lyricism, politics, and incisiveness, and he continues to be a leading figure in the world of hip-hop and beyond.
