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“I shall…proceed…and continue to rock the mic.” – Black Thought, “Proceed” (1995)

Either Black Thought was a fortune teller, or he already knew back in 1995 that he had something special that would allow him to dominate his rap opponents for years to come. In fact, at the time “Proceed” was released,  The Roots spitter had already been part of his gifted rap band for nearly a decade (his “Illadelph Half-life?”), and he seemed to know in advance that the best was yet to come.

Flash forward to 2012, and you’ll find out that Black Thought was right. He’s still rocking mics and crowds, from Toronto to Tokyo and everywhere in between, recording epic albums, and then getting right back to work on the next one. Hip-Hop has been good to him, too - artifacts from his world travels adorn shelves and tables in his home. Countless photos of music legends grace the walls, but Black Thought is posing in very few of them. Perhaps a voyeur, he comes across as a keen observer who is not full of himself – at least not outside the booth.

AllHipHop.com recently hung out with Black Thought before he took the stage at an intimate show with the legendary singer/xylophonist, Roy Ayers, in New York City. In the back of the house, he has ”blinked himself away” in a corner VIP booth – listening, laughing, and very obviously enjoying doing nothing at all. It was a great time to be a keen observer of the keen observer – check the video clip below for insights about the swell life and times of The Roots’ founder:

Did you miss out on “Black Thought Week?” Be sure to catch up on our week of exclusives with The Roots frontman:

- Black Thought Reflects on MLK’s Dream

- Black Thought Deconstructs the undun Album

- Black Thought: Don’t Ever Call Him “Underrated” Again

- Black Thought Births the New “Sound of Philadelphia” Via The Wurxs