Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought, reflects on his difficult childhood in Philly, his decades-long friendship with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and 50 years of hip-hop. Trotter's new memoir is The Upcycled Self. Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews Rob Reiner's new HBO documentary about Albert Brooks. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
On the Ted radio hour, linguist Ann Curzan says she gets a lot of complaints about people using the pronoun they to refer to one person.
I sometimes get into arguments with people where they will say to me, but it can't be singular.
And I will say, but it is.
The history behind words causing a lot of debate.
That's on the Ted radio hour from NPR.
This is FRESH AIR.
I'm Tanya Moseley.
Tariq Trotter's life as he remembers it starts with a fire.
He was six years old, deep in play with his army men, those popular plastic figurines from the seventies, when he decided to flick a lighter to add drama to the war scene.
When the tip of the lighter got too hot for Tariq's little fingers, he reactively tossed it, the curtains and carpet erupting in flames before engulfing the entire house.
In Trotter's new book, the Upcycled, a memoir on the art of becoming who we are, the Grammy award winning rapper and co founder of the hip hop group the Roots examines the shame of that moment as well as other harrowing events growing up in Philadelphia, intertwined with joyful moments like discovering music and meeting his fellow bandmate Amir Questlove Thompson, known by his stage name Black thought.
Trotter is the lead emcee of the Roots, which he and Thompson founded after meeting his teens in high school.
Here's one of their first hits from the album things fall apart, you got me, featuring Erica Badu.
If you were worried about where I've been a who I saw, what club I went to with my homies baby don't worry you know that you got me if you were worried about where I know who I saw.
Somebody told me that this planet was we used to live in the same building on the same floor and never met before until I'm overseas on tour and peep this ethiopian queen from Philly taking classes abroad.
She's studying film in photo flash focus record says she working on a flick and cut my clique through the score.
She says she loved my show in Paris at Alicia Momma and that I stepped off the stage and took a piece of her heart.
We knew from the start that things fall apart, intense and shatter.
She like it just don't matter when I get home, get out of do letter, phone, whatever let's link let's get together this what you think, not think the thought went home and forgot time passed, we back in Philly now she up in my spot telling me the things I'm telling of is making her hot started building with her constantly round the clock.
Now she in my world like hip hop and keep telling.