Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter talks about ‘The Upcycled Self’ in Writing Black

As one of the vital prolific and improvisational MCs to ever touch a microphone, Tariq Trotter, commonly known to hip-hop aficionados (and fans of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”) as Black Thought, has many stories to inform. There is a story about how he co-founded the now legendary, multi-Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group The Roots along with his friend and “brother” Ahmir Thompson. Or the story of how he first found his voice as an artist. There is even a poignant and catalytic case of the arson of his childhood home.

All of those stories helped shape the person and artist that so many know; However, they’re only a fraction of the teachings he teaches in his first book, the New York Times bestseller,Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are.” If the title seems like a guide, that’s intentional; in the strategy of becoming Black Thought, Trotter received an in depth, often extremely painful education.

“You know, after telling my story for so long – or some variation or version of my story – I had no place left to go but uncharted territory, and that’s what I was avoiding,” Trotter tells Grio’s Maiysha Kai in this week’s episode of the Writing Black podcast. “I had managed to build a career on dodging, but yeah, at that stage in the game… it was the only place I could go, and I thought, why not now?” he continues, adding, “I think going into this process I didn’t really realize how cathartic the experience would be, but it was.”

Featured Stories

Part of that catharsis was returning to his relationship along with his mother, Cassandra, who tragically died when Trotter was still an adolescent, leaving him an orphan. “The Upcycled Self” is in some ways a tribute to Cassandra, reconciling her legacy in the general public eye. As Trotter explains, sharing these and other revelations publicly was, paradoxically, a challenge for a person who had spent most of his life on the world stage.

“I am always a cautious, secretive and (a) introverted person. And I have just been recalculated based on the pieces of myself that I have shared with the listener; to my fans, to the audience over the years – and not in a selfish way,” he says. “I think I’ve been generous in other ways, but I’ve always held on to the one thing I’ve clung to the most: my personal story. You know what I mean? Like the story behind all of this, I always knew there would be a body of work through which I could tell this story. It was just a few years ago that I realized this would be my first book.”

Part memoir, part inspirational guide,Processed Self” is an invite to do exactly that—to enhance our understanding not only of Trotter, but of ourselves. Learn more about Trotter’s process, poetry, and purpose on this week’s episode of theGrio’s podcast, “Writing Black,” available on the Grio Black Podcast Network or wherever you get your podcasts.

Maiysha Kai is theGrio’s lifestyle editor covering all things black and exquisite. Her work is predicated on twenty years of experience in fashion and entertainment, great books and the glow of black culture. She can also be the editor and creator of the series and the host of “Writing in black‘