Black Thoughts delivers a new freestyle to celebrate Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary.
Hip-Hop turned 50 years old in 2023, and Black Thought celebrates the occasion with a new love letter to the rap game in collaboration with BET. “This is a Love Letter to Hip-Hop for me because hip-hop is the love of my life,” he said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “No matter what medium that it is that you’re working in, if you’re painting a picture, if you’re writing a book, if you’re writing a song, those works of art that resonate the most are when you actually pour your true self into it.”
“Extraordinary ethos / Takeoff from the Migos / to become entire ecosystems / It’s wild / to think about how long people have listened,” he raps. “Now, 50 years down the line / we could spark this / my eternal beloved / hip-hop is where our hearts live.”
The 50th anniversary was also celebrated at this year’s Grammy Awards, where Black Thought joined icons like Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, LL Cool J, Rakim, Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Ice-T, Qyeen Latifa, Busta Rhymes and more for a memorable tribute.
Black Thought recently unveiled a fresh freestyle, coinciding with the announcement of his upcoming collaborative album with El Michels Affair, titled “Glorious Game.” The project is slated to release on April 14 and marks the follow-up to his 2022 joint album “Cheat Codes” with Danger Mouse. “Cheat Codes” reached No. 43 on the Billboard 200 and featured guest appearances from renowned artists such as A$AP Rocky, Raekwon, Joey Bada$$, Conway The Machine, and the late MF DOOM, among others.
Watch his new freestyle below.
