The Roots MC joins forces with producer Sean C on a brooding third installment of his Streams of Thought series.
Approaching two years since the release of his last solo project, Black Thought has finally delivered the long-teased third edition of his Streams of Thought series.
Produced entirely by Sean C (with the lone exception of the project’s lead single, “Good Morning,”) the new installment, dubbed Cane and Abel, features appearances from rap royalty and rising stars alike, including Killer Mike, Pusha T, Swizz Beatz, ScHoolboy Q, The Last Artful, Dodgr, and more.
In a recent interview with Okayplayer, Sean C charted the album’s creation, noting the loose call-to-arms single, “Thought vs. Everybody,” was the first track they worked on together, intending to forge a whole album from the moment they decided to work together, following the rapper’s now-classic Funk Flex Freestyle. The producer also explained how he intended to pull out some of veteran MC’s most personal lyricism to date. “I wanted to kind of have a lot more of ‘Riq’s personal information on the songs, where we could learn a lot more about him on records, Sean C says in the interview. The producer added, “He’s a lyrical beast; he can spit with the best of them. So, that was a challenge for me. I had the responsibility of holding it down, and working with one of the best rappers of all time. He pushed me and I wanted to push him, as well.”
Previous volumes of the Streams of Thought series, both released in 2018, have paired Black Thought with 9th Wonder and Salaam Remi, respectively. On Thought’s latest outing, Sean C inherits the torch and takes off running from the get.
You can hear Black Thought’s new album, Streams of Thought Vol. 3: Cane and Abel, below.