Black Thought is set to continue his streak of releasing collaborative albums, this time with El Michels Affair.
Titled Glorious Game, the newly-announced project will see the Roots MC team up with the Brooklyn-based “cinematic soul” group for 12 new tracks, which are set to be released on April 14 via Big Crown Records.
Friends for around 20 years, Black Thought and El Michels Affair founder Leon Michels recorded the album during the lockdown phase of the pandemic after Thought initially reached out to him for beats.
To go with the announcement, the duo shared the first single “Grateful” on Wednesday (January 11). Listen to it below:
Glorious Game will serve as the follow-up to Black Thought’s joint album with Danger Mouse, Cheat Codes, which was released in August 2022. The project peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard 200 chart, with features coming from Raekwon, Joey Bada$$, Russ, MF DOOM, A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, Conway The Machine and others.
The critically-acclaimed effort was crowned one of the Best Albums of 2022 by HipHopDX and earned Black Thought a nomination for the Biggest Hip Hop Comeback of the year.
During an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe following its release, the Philly native responded to claims that he’s an “underrated” MC.
“I think over the years I’ve definitely felt like, yeah. I mean, people, everyone says that,” he said at the time. “Everyone I meet, ‘You’re so underrated. You’re so underrated.’ Or in interviews, it’s, ‘How do you feel to be so underrated?’ But yeah, I don’t know.”
He added: “The people whose opinions matter to me have always properly rated me, so it’s never really been a huge deal for me.”
Black Thought previously released his Sean C-produced debut solo album Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able in 2020, recruiting the likes of Pusha T, Swizz Beatz, Killer Mike and ScHoolboy Q for features. The LP followed the 9th Wonder-produced Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 and Salaam Remi-scored Streams of Thought, Vol. 2, both of which arrived in 2018.
Check out the tracklist for Glorious Game below.
01. Grateful
02. Glorious Game (f. Kirby)
03. I’m Still Somehow
04. Hollow Way
05. Protocol (f. Son Little)
06. The Weather
07. That Girl
08. I Would Never
09. Alone
10. Miracle
11. Glorious Game (Reprise)
12. Alter Ego (f. Brainstory)
these old dudes rapping sound pathetic. it’s all lies right. and I mean the acting righteous part. all these other dudes claiming to be stand up people when they were anything but that. DMX claiming to be dropping “jewels” clutching on a bible onstage cracked out the whole time and they sold that to us. Now we see it was a lie the whole time. So I could care less what Black Thought has to say in 2023 as far as angry black american rap is concerned. maybe write a book I may check it.
Damn bro u must be really fun at parties lol.. its music bro u either like it or move on simple as that.. no need to get in your feelings about it lol
It’s definitely the old dudes rapping about complex realities and situations that are the problem and not mumble rappers preaching the BENEFITS of guns/wasting money/pharma! lol Seems like you might need to head to a different website, fam.
Have you ever even listened to Black Thought? He don’t rap about drugs or guns or money so what is he lying about. You sound stupid.
it’s the same bs just fancier tap dancing in shinier shoes. same false bravado that adds up to fuck all. also same lame drug metaphors that really do make you wonder what exactly dude be doing in his spare time as well. it’s 2023. I’m officially grown. moving on with my life.
The term “goat” has been dragged and misused, so it really lost its power but… I’ve NEVER heard a bad Black ThoughT verse, like EVER. This man is special, really really special.
God bless Black Thought.
True classic.