EP Review | Black Thought – Streams of Thought, Vol. II

This EP was released on November 26th this year. I think this is gonna be incredible. The first Streams of Thought project is one of the best releases of the year. This time Black Thought’s rapping over beats from Salaam Remi, who’s responsible for some of Nas’ best songs. I’m really glad that this project exists. I’m really excited for this shit. I will be absolutely shocked if this ends up being bad. Every song is produced by Salaam Remi.

1. Fentanyl

This song is fucking awesome. The beat from Salaam Remi is great, and Black Thought ripped it to shreds. The entire song is just one verse, and it’s awesome. There are a lot of bars about drugs.

I’m deadly as the Fentanyl that killed Prince and Tom Petty

There’s not really much for me to discuss honestly. I have zero gripes with the song. It’s just a fantastic verse over a really great beat. They kept it short and sweet. It’s just under two minutes long. I think the song is amazing to be honest. It’s dope af.

2. Soundtrack to Confusion

The production on this track is really great. So far the beats on this project sound pretty cinematic. Just like with the previous song, Black Thought is rapping his fucking ass off throughout this track. There are two really good verses. There’s no hook or bridge or anything like that, which is probably for the best. My thoughts on this track are pretty similar to my thoughts on the previous one. There’s not really much to discuss. It’s just really great rapping over a dope beat. I don’t have any problems with this track. It’s dope af.

3. Get Outlined

I really like how all the tracks transition between each other really smoothly so far. This track is fantastic. The beat’s pretty dope, and once again Black Thought murdered this shit. There’s just one long verse, and it’s fucking awesome. He gets bonus points for namedropping an antidepressant that I used to take. I feel the same way about this track as I did about the previous one. The only difference on this song is the instrumental outro, which is cool. Black Thought was flowing like water in a stream. This is another amazing song. This shit is dope af.

4. History Unfolds

I love how chaotic this beat sounds compared to the rest of the production on this project. Black Thought’s aggressive delivery on this track is awesome. This is the shortest song on the entire project, but it’s honestly my favorite track so far. I love Black Thought’s aggressive rapping on this track, and the tense production is fantastic. The song’s under a minute and a half. It’s short and sweet. I live for this shit. It’s dope af.

5. How to Hold a Choppa

Holy fucking shit. This song is so fucking awesome. The way Black Thought is rhyming over this minimal percussion is so fucking cool. I love the way it builds up as the song progresses. This is probably my favorite beat on the whole project so far. I love the horns that come in towards the end of the song. As always, Black Thought rapped his ass off on this track.

Gramps told my father they sold his papa for gold and copper
Even though he was the strongest cropper
Now am I wrong if I teach my son to properly hold a choppa?
And how to bring down a helicopter?

This is another one of the best songs on the project. This shit is dope af.

6. The New Grit

This is another fucking amazing song. I think this entire project is damn near perfect so far. This song probably could’ve been a little longer. There are only about 20 bars from Black Thought. It’s still a really fantastic verse that crushes most other people’s verses though. The beat from Salaam Remi is really dope too. I have no idea how I’m gonna choose my favorite and least favorite songs from this project. Anyway, this is another awesome track. It’s dope af.

7. Long Liveth

Jesus fucking Christ. How the motherfuck am I supposed to choose one favorite song? This project is fucking incredible. I love the beat on this song, and Black Thought shredded it to pieces.

I’m the pinnacle of language, yes, the Dalai Lama
Who the clown talkin’ down to the twenty-one pound?
I gotta send him some rounds to simmer him down
‘Cause you’re not worthy to even touch the hem of the gown
The brim of the crown, motherfucker, remember the sound

He fucking snapped on this shit. The way he raps is just mesmerizing to listen to. This shit is dope af. I have zero gripes with this shit. It’s amazing.

8. Streets featuring Tish Hyman

I absolutely love the percussion on this song. This is one of the best beats on the project so far in my opinion. Black Thought snapped on the first verse. This is the first song on the entire project to actually have a hook. Tish Hyman sounded pretty good singing. The second verse from Black Thought is fucking awesome.

Hijack the elevator to the top floor
I’m takin’ everything that’s left like a southpaw
Crash and burn and learn through osmosis
And watch the word spread like Tuberculosis

Once again, I have no fucking clue how I’m gonna choose my favorite and least favorite songs. This shit is absolutely dope af. I have no problems with it.

9. Conception featuring Reek Ruffin

I’ve actually already heard this song before. It was released as the first single from this project on November 19th. This is honestly one of the best tracks on the entire EP. I love the melodic production, and Reek Ruffin sounds soulful as hell singing the hook. Black Thought spit his ass off on the first verse. The second verse is even better though. His fucking flow is so awesome on that verse. Oh shit. What the fuck… Apparently Reek Ruffin is Black Thought’s alter ego. This motherfucker can sing too. Goddamn. Basically, Black Thought is to Reek Ruffin as J. Cole is to KiLL Edward. Reek Ruffin is definitely a better singer than KiLL Edward though. Anyway, I think this is another amazing song. I have no problems with it at all. It’s dope af.


This EP is fucking incredible. Much like the first Streams of Thought project, this is a damn near perfect EP. It’s one of the best projects I’ve heard all year. It solidifies Black Thought as arguably the greatest rapper of all time in my opinion. Honestly, I think this one is even better than Streams of Thought, Vol. 1. I don’t have a single gripe with this project. Every single song is fantastic. This shit is dope af.

Favorite song: conception
least favorite song: Get outlined

96

Grade: A+

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