Streams of Thought, Vol. 1

Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 is the debut EP by the American rapper and lead emcee of The Roots, Black Thought. It was released on June 1, 2018, by the independent distributor Human Re Sources. Primarily produced by 9th Wonder, with one contribution from Khrysis of The Soul Council, it marks Black Thought's first solo release outside of his work with The Roots. The EP features guest appearances by Rapsody, Styles P, and KIRBY.

Streams of Thought, Vol. 1
EP by
Black Thought
ReleasedJune 1, 2018 (2018-06-01)
GenreHip hop
Length17:15
LabelHuman Re Sources
Producer
Black Thought chronology
...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (with The Roots)
(2014)		 Streams of Thought, Vol. 1
(2018)		 Streams of Thought, Vol. 2
(2018)

Background

Black Thought originally planned to release his debut solo album, Masterpiece Theater, in 2000.[1][2] However, the album was shelved and most of its songs ended up on The Roots' Phrenology album in 2002.[1] Another album, Dangerous Thoughts, with producer Danger Mouse was also shelved.[2] On December 14, 2017, Black Thought performed a ten-minute freestyle on Hot 97, which quickly went viral and created a buzz for a potential solo project.[3][4] The following month, he revealed that he was working on an EP with the producer 9th Wonder.[4] On May 25, 2018, the title of the EP and its release date were revealed.[5] The song "Making a Murderer", featuring Styles P, was previously released in 2016.[6]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
And It Don't StopA−[8]
HipHopDX4.5/5[6]
Pitchfork7.5/10[2]
Rolling Stone[1]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+ ()[9]

Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the EP received an average score of 81, based on four reviews.[7]

Reviewing for HipHopDX in June 2018, Riley Wallace hailed Streams of Thought as "one of the most exciting things to happen to Hip Hop in a long time", also stating, "With 9th's soulful production taking the place of The Roots, and features that complement without under-performing or overtaking, the project delivers a healthy dose of social consciousness, braggadocios fare, and even a little subtle shade."[6] Pitchfork's Brian Josephs called it "a small testament to his sustained excellence", while praising Black Thought's ability to thrill listeners "with internal rhymes and flow swaps that manage to fold years of experience and culture references into crisp narratives."[2] Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone stated, "True to the title, he doesn't offer any choruses, just streams of verses that cover his own lyrical prowess, history and politics, and whatever else comes to mind", also noting the "spare and subtle" production, which "leaves the focus on Black Thought's words."[1] In his Substack-published "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau said the EP "never bogs down" and features "9th Wonder soul samples" that could be mistaken for Questlove's drumming, while citing the first track "Twofifteen" as its most "exciting" point.[8] Fellow critic Tom Hull said it "sounds like half of a pretty good Roots album".[9]

Commercial performance

Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 debuted at number 62 on the Billboard 200, with 9,864 album-equivalent units, which includes 7,978 in pure album sales.[10]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Twofifteen"
9th Wonder3:45
2."9th vs. Thought"
  • Trotter
  • Douthit
9th Wonder2:47
3."Dostoyevsky" (featuring Rapsody)
9th Wonder3:53
4."Making a Murderer" (featuring Styles P)
9th Wonder4:32
5."Thank You" (featuring KIRBY)
Khrysis2:18
Total length:17:15

Charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[11] 62
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12] 33
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13] 7

References
  1. "Black Thought Makes His Solo Debut With 'Streams of Thought Vol. 1'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  2. "Black Thought – Streams of Thought, Vol. 1". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  3. "The Roots' Black Thought on How He Spit Nearly 10-Minute Viral Freestyle". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  4. "Black Thought Is Working On Solo EP With 9th Wonder". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  5. "Black Thought Releases "Streams Of Thought Vol. 1" EP". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  6. "Review: Black Thought Delivers GOAT Level Lyricism On "Streams Of Thought Vol. 1"". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  7. "Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 [EP] by Black Thought". Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  8. Christgau, Robert (September 9, 2020). "Consumer Guide: September, 2020". And It Don't Stop. Substack. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  9. Hull, Tom (September 14, 2020). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  10. "Hip Hop Album Sales: Kanye West's "ye" Tops Billboard 200 With 5th-Biggest Week Of 2018". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  11. "Black Thought Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  12. "Black Thought Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  13. "Black Thought Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
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