Black Thought and Redman discussed their mutual influence and recent collaborations during an extensive Rolling Stone interview.
Black Thought opened up about his decades-long admiration for Redman during a candid Rolling Stone Musicians on Musicians conversation that showcased the deep respect between two Hip-Hop legends.
The Roots frontman and the Newark native spent nearly two hours discussing their parallel journeys through Hip-Hop culture, revealing how they’ve influenced each other’s artistry since the 1990s.
Their conversation, part of Rolling Stone’s seventh annual Musicians on Musicians series, highlighted the professional bond that has strengthened through recent collaborations at Roots Picnic events.
“Me and Malik [B], who, rest in peace, was the other MC earlier on in the Roots — in college, all we used to listen to was your s###!” Black Thought told Redman during their filmed discussion. “I had a suspicion that you were a Roots fan. But when you dropped that line, ‘I love to burn to the roots’ [on LL Cool J’s 1997 song ‘4, 3, 2, 1’], that was it.”
Redman, 55, reciprocated the praise while discussing his creative process during the making of his classic 1996 album Muddy Waters. “I can honestly say, bro, on the Muddy Waters album, when me and [Method Man] did this song called ‘Do What Ya Feel,’ that whole round was inspired from you,” he revealed. “If you listen to it, you’ll hear how I caught your flow a little bit.”
The conversation touched on their recent performance collaborations, including appearances at Roots Picnic events in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
These performances have included Method Man, Common and other Hip-Hop veterans.
The 2024 Roots Picnic featured a particularly notable performance where Black Thought, Common and Freeway joined Method Man and Redman for a remix of LL Cool J’s “4,3,2,1.”
Black Thought also shared that The Roots are nearing completion of their first album since 2014.
Related