In the last month, Black Thought published his memoir, The Upcycled Self. Appearing on the New York Times’ “Best Sellers” list, the autobiography reveals aspects of Tariq Trotter’s personal life, including suffering the losses of his father and mother, respectively. The Grammy Award-winning (and currently nominated) Roots MC examines his life, and how the husband and father has worked to create healthy spaces and opportunities for others.

To promote the text, Trotter guested on Questlove Supreme, alongside his band-mate Questlove, his longtime collaborator Phonte, as well as Laiya St. Clair, “Unpaid” Bill Sherman, and “Suga” Steve. The hour-plus conversation covers the book, aspects of Black Thought’s daily life, and reports that he continues to record new solo material with past collaborator Madlib.

However, towards the end of the interview, Questlove asks his best friend about 5 MCs that fans may be surprised to learn he is a fan of. The Roots’ drummer rewords to suggest “under-championed, non-obvious” answers that defy Big Daddy Kane as an answer—an artist that Black Thought has admired and emulated at times. Quest also shares that over their 30-plus years together, Black Thought’s musical tastes have led him to gain newfound appreciation for Hip-Hop artists including M.C. Hammer, Nice & Smooth, 8Ball & MJG, and Pastor Troy.

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