Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Abel
In the third installment of Black Thought\'s *Streams of Thought* series, the Roots\' frontman links with producer Sean C for a fiery display of the sharp lyricism that consistently keeps the rapper in conversations about the greats. He\'s joined by a star-studded cast that includes Killer Mike and Pusha T (the charged “Good Morning”) and ScHoolboy Q (the sinister “Steak Um”) and pleasantly surprising cameos from indie rockers Portugal. The Man alongside Portland rapper and singer The Last Artful, Dodgr. *Streams of Thought, Vol. 3* strikes a balance between disparate sounds and modes with ease—whether in political screeds or in personal confessions, soul, hip-hop, and tinges of rock congeal for a collection that feels at once immediate and requiring repeated listening. Black Thought takes aim at systems and institutions as well as mentalities that keep those who look like him in a perpetual state of war and survival, and true to the reputation he\'s earned, no one gets out unscathed.
On the third volume in his solo series, Black Thought once again demonstrates the power of his dense, winding freestyles and stretches into new, more vulnerable territory.
Two years after Black Thought discharged the first two Streams of Thought volumes, the principal Roots MC returned with the lengthier if still compact Streams of Thought, Vol.
Black Thought - Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Abel review: The new grit.