About the Author

Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought, is one of the most powerful voices in hip-hop. Winner of three GRAMMY® Awards and three NAACP Image Awards, he has delivered eleven albums with The Roots and leads the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. His albums outside of The Roots include the three volumes of Streams of Thought, Cheat Codes (with Danger Mouse), and Glorious Game (with El Michels Affair). He co-wrote, co-composed, and starred in the Off-Broadway play Black No More and boasts acting credits in The Deuce and Tick, Tick . . . Boom!, among others. With Questlove, Trotter launched the production company Two One Five Entertainment, home to Hip-Hop: The Songs That Shook America, Descendant, and others.