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BLACK THOUGHT & EL MICHELS AFFAIR’S ‘GLORIOUS GAME’ IS A CINEMATIC MARVEL

3 min read

Tariq Trotter, better known as Black Thought, follows up his critically acclaimed album Cheat Codes—a runner-up for the DX Best Hip Hop Album Of 2022—with Glorious Game, a collaborative LP with El Michels Affair, led by one of his favorite producers, Leon Michels. Thought, a neatly organized 31-minute piece that plays out as a stage-worthy one-person show, stays endearingly personal the entire time while taking us through the sights, sounds, smells, and sensibilities imprinted growing up in the Point Breeze area of South Philadelphia.

The illustrative wordplay, for the most part, stays firmly entrenched in one pocket, bathed in a 70s soul-inspired aesthetic, chopped and re-sampled to peak performance. Michels and company, on the other hand, offer a warm backdrop to the wordplay. The opening track of the album, “Grateful,” with its ominous tone and extended Shabba Ranks sample, nearly sounds like the musical equivalent of a barking dog. Here, Thought describes the problems that exist in his community after dark and the humility it gives him to have overcome them. He raps, “Any sip you pour me is a toast to the warriors Who bit the dust before me. We was raised by wolves, grizzly bears, and panthers, yo, it’s wild, yo, I’m surprised we ain’t grown no antlers.”

This project’s focus appears to be on trauma in general, not just Thoughts. Thought raps: “A significant amount of trauma will change you, to keep gettin’ in and out of drama will drain you.” “Hollow Way,” which concentrates on inner-city violence, offers an insightful perspective. “For what it’s come to, I ain’t gon’ say that I blame you,” he then shouts. There is no management to complain to when you’re upset.

In “I’m Still Somehow,” where he alludes to the significant losses he’s had and the intense feelings that come with quitting a vice, he is at his most open and perceptive. He raps somberly, “Nothin’ to board these ghosts off, best get ready for a tear to fall, I say a prayer for a miracle, around the later song, “Alter Ego,” which also features Branstory, he talks about losing his motivation around the age of 35 (which would put him around 2007, about the time The Root’s ninth LP, Rising Down, was being made). He assures the audience, “If you’re listenin’, there’s a way to make it to that other side when you’re driftin’, and you need somethin’ upliftin’ in your lives,” before noting that his sobriety has greatly influenced his course of action.

Even while it may sound heavy, Thought’s superb delivery of his words, the sequencing, and the production’s deep, almost cozy tone (apart from a few cuts) make it a tremendously delightful listen. The masterpiece of the effort, though, is “The Weather.” According to Michels in an interview with Bandcamp, “Don’t Cry” by J Dilla served as inspiration for the song. In the song, our protagonist describes a summer day in South Philly from the past in such granular detail that you can almost smell the Pine-Sol his grandmother used to clean her marble steps.

Black Thought has never attempted to be anything other than the finest version of himself as an MC, rejecting any fad or fashion. Thought’s consistency is so tangible that it’s easy to forget that he is 51 years old and still producing some of the best bar-for-bar Hip Hop of today. We frequently over-praise older MCs for still being able to make decent music at their age. Any aspiring MC should strive to be this inspired at this stage of their career.

For devoted followers or even those who are less familiar with the Philadelphia native, Glorious Game is a fantastic listen because it is easily ingestible and engaging. It’s awesome that he took the time to offer heads something a bit more personal before releasing his upcoming Streams of Thought Vol. 4, which is expected to be packed with appearances from artists like Rick Ross, JID, Redman, Fabolous, Big K.R.I.T., and more.

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