THE UPCYCLED SELF

Renowned hip-hop artist Trotter, aka Black Thought, describes how his most important relationships affected his art and his life.

At the age of 6, Trotter accidentally burned down his family’s home. While his family quickly forgave him, understanding that he was just a child, “that experience of total loss became the basis of all that I am.” He continues, “When I was six, there were parts of me, subconscious maybe, that marked my fiery mistake as the beginning of the unraveling of my family. I internalized a simple narrative: it was my fault.” By the time Trotter was 16, his experiences as a young graffiti artist, a student at Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, and a witness to the destructive force of the crack epidemic unfolding in his beloved neighborhood in South Philadelphia, made him realize that his community’s struggles—and, in particular, his mother’s murder—were caused by circumstances that began long before his birth. Although he fondly describes his loving relationship with his grandmother, who had high hopes for Trotter and his half-brother, “her only grandkids,” Trotter’s family life was far from stable. Long before he dealt with his mother’s crack addiction and subsequent death, the author also endured his father’s murder. Throughout these extremely difficult times, Trotter credits his access to art and his strong sense of community with his ability to eventually heal. Beyond his family story, the author traces the origin of his musical group The Roots, focusing particularly on his decadeslong friendship with Ahmir Thompson, aka Questlove. The book’s lyricism, clarity, and tone beautifully reflect Trotter’s facility with words, which he has demonstrated for years in the studio and on stage. Although the storyline sometimes meanders, overall, the author’s vulnerability, circumspection, and compassion render this an outstanding read.

An eloquently insightful autobiography from an iconic rapper and wordsmith.