The two legendary lyricists spoke on the creative process, spirituality, and more.
Black Thought and Redman were the latest subjects to appear on Rolling Stone‘s Musicians on Musicians series, with the Hip-Hop legends being paired together for a discussion revolving around the creative process, their personal lives, and more.
Routinely listed among the greatest rappers’ list of favorite rappers, Black Thought and Redman’s conversation was filled with expressions of mutual respect and admiration.
From insights into pivotal moments in their respective careers, to the tease of a collaboration between the two on The Roots member’s forthcoming album Streams of Thought Vol. 4., the sit-down was filled with captivating soundbites and
VIBE shares 10 fun facts we learned about Black Thought and Redman from Rolling Stone‘s seventh annual Musicians on Musicians series.
Run-DMC Being Redman’s Gateway Into Hip-Hop
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images Many fans may be unaware of Redman‘s skills as a DJ and producer, but the New Jersey native credits DJ Grandmaster Flash as an early influence in those regards, as well as Run-DMC solidifying his passion for Hip-Hop.
“When I first heard The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash, I was like, ‘Wow, what is this?,’” Redman told Black Thought.
“And then it moved on to Run-DMC and when I first seen them. Not just heard them, but when I seen them with the black leather and the no strings in their Adidas and Godfather [hats], I literally thought they were the new God.
“I was like, ‘What is this going on? I’ve got to be a part of this music, this fabric.’ It was something that changed my life. Meaning, I don’t care about the money, I don’t care about the fame, I just want to do this for this rest of my life. For the love of it.”
Redman’s Admiration Of Black Thought’s Skills As A Performer And Lyricist
Image Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SXSW) Despite making his debut prior to Black Thought and The Roots, Redman credits the group with inspiring him to level up as a lyricist, revealing that he used Black Thought’s skills as a measuring stick to his own.
“Y’all was in my CD player, y’all was part of my growth of dopeness and caliber of how I should be spitting, especially you, bro,” Redman said of Black Thought.
“Especially songs like ‘Desperado.’ Those songs resonated across my path and my journey of being an emcee and you held a high bar of what an emcee should be and how they should rap.
“And one thing I admired about you and still admire is you [being] out on stage bodying sh*t without a hype-man or someone to back you up,” Redman marveled.
“I be like, ‘Yo, how did he do it, where did he get the breath? But then again, from emcee to another emcee, it’s how you write your rhymes. You write your bars with your breaths [already inserted].
“You’re not over-stacking it, you’re not overlaying vocals where you would have to have someone come in for this line. the emcee control of the whole rhymes being said without [needing] a hype-man.”
Redman’s Guest Appearance On Black Thought’s ‘Streams Of Thought Vol. 4’ Album
Image Credit: Monica Schipper/Getty Images Black Thought has spent the past several years stepping out as a soloist with his critically-acclaimed Streams of Thought series, with the latest volume in the collection currently in the works.
During his time with Redman, Black Thought announced that the New Jersey bred spitter will make an appearance on the project, which he bills as the best work he’s ever done outside of The Roots.
“In many way, I feel like it’s my opus,” Black Thought gushed. “It’s got the most features, the most elaborate beats, crazy samples, and part of that is the problem, trying to get all this stuff cleared.
“But your verse on that song and on that record is definitely coming out and I think it’s super powerful. I think that verse represents part of your growth. It speaks to your mentorship, your activism, just where you are now based on where you were earlier in your career.”
The Impact College Radio Had On Redman’s Career
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Grassroots movements are nothing new in music, but have shifted in form, with streamers and podcasters now among the chief champions of new and independent artists today.
During the ’80s and ’90s, college radio stations were a major conduit that helped aspiring artists gain traction and build a fanbase, helping expose them to a wider audience and the attention of the record industry.
Redman praised the role in which these platforms helped impact his career. “My main outlet for people hearing my music was college radio stations,” the 55-year-old said.
“College radio [stations] were just as important, if not bigger, than major radio in my era because the major radio stations listened to college radio to see what was hot and then they would play it.”
Black Thought chimed in, comparing and contrasting their era to that of today, which he feels has given listeners “sensory overload” due to the sheer amount of options they have to access music.
“I mean, New York City, Stretch & Bobbito, that dictated what you would later hear on the Hot 97s and the [W]BLS’.” Black Thought said, with Redman seconding that theory.
“They can get their album right there and don’t have to listen to everything,” Redman added. “They can go right to their favorite song [and] keep it repeat on their phone so that limits the thoroughness of you wanting to hear your favorite artists.
Black Thought On The Evolution Of Music Distribution
Image Credit: Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Black Thought and Redman touched on the evolution of Hip-Hop over the decades, particularly the spirit of independence and artists distributing their music directly to the consumer.
“Lets consider the ways in which Hip-Hop has sort of changed since we got into the game, but then the ways that it hasn’t changed,” Black Thought said while addressing the topic.
“One of the ways is how people receive music now. They done cut the middle-man out, it’s direct to sender. We come from the era of you’ve got to partner up with a distributor to get your joints into stores and to get your joints onto radio and all that. I think that’s definitely changed.”
Black Thought On The Roots’ Foundation As Road Warriors
Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival In terms of live performers, The Roots have been among the standard bearers since their emergence, rocking stages across the globe as one of Hip-Hop’s most active touring groups.
Black Thought reveals that their lengthy runs on the road are equally driven by passion and design, as the profits from touring helped sustain the band despite middling commercial success for much of their career.
“In The Roots’ capacity, we’ve always banked on awareness. We would record a record because that would support us being on tour and we would go out and we would tour,” Black Thought expalined.
“So we would do the new songs, but we never put out an album with the intention of, ‘Oh, this is going to go double, triple platinum.’ We just weren’t that sort of act, we weren’t doing those numbers,” he addmitted.
:So I think there’s something in just doing music to sustain your career as a road warrior. You talk about that balance, we definitely struck that balance.”
Jimmy Fallon Recruited The Roots To Be His House Band
Image Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for A+E The Roots being tapped by late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon was a historic move for the band, giving them an unprecedented amount of exposure and broadening their base like never before.
When asked by Redman how the partnership occurred, Black Thought points to Fallon’s love for music and his persistence as the traits that helped seal the deal.
“Jimmy was always a huge music nerd, just into real music. Live music, touring bands who were popular, and he’s a huge, huge Beastie Boys fan. that’s like his top tier,” Black Thought said of Fallon. “And that’s the first band that took The Roots on tour so the Beastie Boys kind of showed us how to be on the road.”
Black Thought recalled the award winning host making impromptu appearances at the band’s live shows in his attempts to recruit them as his show’s in-house band.
“I need a band and would you be interested in doing it?’” Black Thought said of Fallon’s proposal. “We just thought he was bullsh*tting until he kept coming around. We would show up at a gig and he’d be in our dressing room and be like, ‘Hey, what’s up!’
“You know I was serious about the thing we talked about.’ And we just started taking him seriously over time because he was dedicated.
“He showed up a bunch of times, sort of pitching it. And this was around the time we had just got done working [on] Dave Chappelle’s show. Again, it was just timing. It was so much uncertainty at that time so it sounded good to have, sort of like, a day job. The consistency of a quote-unquote nine-to-five, it made sense.”
Black Thought On Ziplining With Jimmy Fallon
Image Credit: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images Black Thought appeared hesitant in accepting Redman‘s offer to take him skydiving, however, the Philadelphia native shared his experiencing of braving the air during an excursion with late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon.
“Me and Jimmy Fallon went to Puerto Rico and we did the zipline,” Black Thought revealed. “At the time, it was the highest, longest zipline [in the world] called ‘The Beast’ or ‘The Monster’ or something. That’s the closest I’ve ever come to skydiving because though you’re connected to the cables, you’re connected laying flat and your arms are kind of behind your back and your legs are out sort of thing.”
The GRAMMY Award winning artist went on to admit being surprised at the enjoyment he felt while participating in the activity “It was an adrenaline rush that I didn’t think I was going to love, but I loved it.”
The Roots’ Former Manager Also Served As Their Life Coach
Image Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for GQ Black Thought‘s rhymes are often filled with poignant reflections and observations on life, evidence of his willingness to delve beneath the surface and within oneself. When speaking on his spirituality and self-development, the 52-year-old praised Rich Nichols, who served as The Roots‘ longtime manager prior to passing away in 2014, with guiding him and his bandmates along that path.
“He came at a time when I really needed that guidance and discipline,” Black Thought said of Nichols. I met Rich maybe two or three years after I lost my mom. I lost my father at a super young age, like one or two [years old], and then my mom passed away when I was in high school. We were already The Roots, me and Quest were already partners when I lost my mom.”
According to Black Thought, Nichols was more than a manager, playing an influential role in his life and maturation as a man. “I think Rich came along and sort of filled a void and I say father figure because he was a man but it was almost like he filled part of what I lost when I lost my mother,” he added.
“What he brought into the picture was that level of awareness and discipline and he was just an OG who was already up on all those things so he really instilled it within us. Within me and Quest and Kamal [Gray]and all of us who were around for the earlier days of The Roots. He changed all of our lives in that way.”
