Tariq and ?uest met in the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts, and formed a drummer/MC duo performing on the streets of Philly and at talent shows. Thought would subsequently spend some time as one of two MCs in the group The Square Roots: the other one was Malik B.
A name change (to simply The Roots) and an album release (Organix) Black Thought and Malik struck a balance, with Malik bringing more personal raps and Thought oriented more towards a more political style infused with battle raps.
After Malik B. left the group due to drug issues, Thought continued drifting toward the political, and was featured on several other records like Common's One Day it'll All Make Sense, Linkin Park's Reanimation and more recently its frontman Mike Shinoda's The Rising Tied, as well as Damian Marley's Welcome to Jamrock and The Coup's Pick a Bigger Weapon.
Black Thought was in the process of recording a solo album, but the project was shelved when it was realized the effort would not assist the group in their release from their contract with MCA Records. Some of the songs he had recorded were eventually released as tracks on The Roots' album Phrenology. He is working on a collaborative project with producer Danger Mouse (which, according to XXL magazine, is tentatively being called Dangerous Thoughts), as well as a Gangsta Grillz mixtape with DJ Drama. He is still a core member of The Roots. He has also been a member of two production teams, Grand Negaz and The Grand Wizzards.
The Roots latest album Game Theory shows a more introspective side of Black Thought and is the "darkest" Roots album to date.
Hardware
Black Thought Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chorus
Pull out the hardware
Let's do it right (right.)
Aiyyo, do it right y'all
Here we go, check it out
The temperature alone shatter weatherproof window
We move at adrenaline rush tempo
And leave y'all rappers screamin' about
Who stepped on toes and cut ya throat
So what, you can't fuck wit though
You know it's me and that poetry to add injury to insult
When Thought begin
The what and the when
The why and the when
A be explained
Music ease the pain
Seize the brain
The flow's like sex in the rain
Hit 'em like they hit the projects wit the crane
Hit 'em like they hit the black man wit the blame
Hit the people like I'm bustin a gauge wit good aim
Tell 'em bang this, dangerous masterpiece
It's not a game to heat, pulsate through each vein
Stimulate the ghetto, that's the reason 'Riq came
It feel so surreal it's hard to keep sane
Unplug me, seems like it's raw, get ugly
I come to operate, just shine the spotlight on me
Just make a little noise if the crowd love me
The way I do it make these other rappers sound funny
Do it right y'all
Yo, do it right y'all
Yo it's like wassup, everybody wanna get nice
But everything come at a price
It's like everybody got they own vice, mine weed and the mic
And women that I need in my life
Some strung out on religion and believing in christ
Next man need the money, stay pullin a heist
While this other wanna fiend, stay huffin the pipe
While this next wanna fiend, stay fuckin ya wife
Try to give the youth advice, and guiding light
Young boys in the street getting high tonight
Young brothers upstate hype, tryin to fight
Real bitter cause they niggas ain't fly my kite
What I do is for them chain cigarette smoke heads wit bad nerves
Old men in the barbershop using bad words
For people in the darkness, unseen and heard, for HIP-HOP
Don't get the meanin slurred
My flow disturbed
Presence is the most preferred
I descend upon Japan in a (?glowing bird?)
Talk hustle, about 4 million served
Still swerve, directing y'all, life spills, word jus.
Do it right y'all
Yo, do it right y'all
Aiyyo, when the fifth come thru it's like amazing grace
Slow motion like you in some shit that may have been laced
Standoff at the door when I step in the place
It's like the law comin' try and pepper spray in your face
If you a weak nigga stay in ya place
My name 'Riq, when I speak
Thoughts travel at alarming rates
Come on, stomp wit The Roots
I step into the vocal booth
Armed to the tooth
Cause the people want truth
We all want clothing and food, and wanna root
So I stand up say what I say in front of you
Comin thru, feelin something new, chill for a few
I know you probably wanna keep it real for ya crew
So pull out the hardware, do what you tryin to do
So I can grab the mic, and do what I'm dyin to do
The turntableist, Krush on the 1 and 2
And it ain't no need to tell you my name, you know 'Riq jus.
The lyrics to Black Thought's song Hardware are all about doing everything right, with the chorus repeating the line "Pull out the hardware, let's do it right." The song speaks to the intensity with which Black Thought approaches his music, describing his flow as being "like sex in the rain" and his presence as preferred over all others. The lyrics also address the struggles of young people and adults alike, from addiction to violence to religion, and the importance of the truth in all these situations. Black Thought describes himself as coming to "operate," and his words hit hard, with his music stimulating the ghetto and pulsating through the veins of those who hear it.
Overall, the song Hardware is a powerful statement on Black Thought's approach to music, his intensity and passion shining through in every line. His lyrics speak to the struggles faced by so many in society today, and the need for truth and compassion in order to overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
Pull out the hardware
Let's get serious and give it our all
Let's do it right (right.)
Let's do it correctly and with precision
Shout out the Krush intro
Our entry into this song is intense and powerful
The temperature alone shatter weatherproof window
Our energy is so high that it can break even strong barriers
We move at adrenaline rush tempo
We're performing with a lot of excitement and energy
And leave y'all rappers screamin' about
Our music is so impactful that other rappers are intimidated by us
Who stepped on toes and cut ya throat
They're angry at us for being better than them
So what, you can't fuck wit though
They can't compete and they know it
You know it's me and that poetry to add injury to insult
My poetry is so intense that it causes harm to other rappers
When Thought begin
When I start rhyming
The what and the when
The details and timing
The why and the when
The reason and timing
A be explained
I'll give you the explanation
Music ease the pain
Listening to music can help you feel better
Seize the brain
Grab hold of your mind and focus
The flow's like sex in the rain
The rhythm is sensual and pleasing
Hit 'em like they hit the projects wit the crane
We'll make a big impact on the music industry
Hit 'em like they hit the black man wit the blame
Some people unfairly blame black people for society's problems
Hit the people like I'm bustin a gauge wit good aim
We'll reach people effectively with our music
Tell 'em bang this, dangerous masterpiece
Our music is powerful and impactful
It's not a game to heat, pulsate through each vein
Our music is serious and emotional
Stimulate the ghetto, that's the reason 'Riq came
We're making music to empower underprivileged communities
It feel so surreal it's hard to keep sane
It's hard to believe that we've made it this far
Unplug me, seems like it's raw, get ugly
Our music can get intense and gritty
I come to operate, just shine the spotlight on me
We're here to give a great performance and show off our skills
Just make a little noise if the crowd love me
If the audience likes our music, show some appreciation
The way I do it make these other rappers sound funny
We're way better than other rappers and it shows in our music
Everybody wanna get nice
Everyone wants to be successful
But everything come at a price
Success requires hard work and sacrifice
It's like everybody got they own vice, mine weed and the mic
Everyone has their own habits, and mine is smoking weed and rapping
Some strung out on religion and believing in christ
Some people are addicted to religion and believing in Jesus
Next man need the money, stay pullin a heist
Some people resort to crime to make money
While this other wanna fiend, stay huffin the pipe
Some people are addicted to drugs
While this next wanna fiend, stay fuckin ya wife
Some people cheat on their partners
Try to give the youth advice, and guiding light
We're trying to help young people make good choices
Young boys in the street getting high tonight
Some young people are using drugs
Young brothers upstate hype, tryin to fight
Some young men are in prison and fighting to survive
Real bitter cause they niggas ain't fly my kite
Some people are angry and frustrated because they're not successful
What I do is for them chain cigarette smoke heads wit bad nerves
Our music is for people who are stressed and have bad habits
Old men in the barbershop using bad words
Some older men have bad language and are negative
For people in the darkness, unseen and heard, for HIP-HOP
We're making music for people who feel neglected or ignored
Don't get the meanin slurred
Don't misunderstand what we're trying to say
My flow disturbed
My style is unconventional
Presence is the most preferred
Our energy and charisma are what people like about us
I descend upon Japan in a (?glowing bird?)
I'm really successful and famous
Talk hustle, about 4 million served
We've made a lot of money through our music
Still swerve, directing y'all, life spills, word jus.
We're still going strong and making great music
When the fifth come thru it's like amazing grace
When we perform, it's like a beautiful and powerful experience
Slow motion like you in some shit that may have been laced
Our music can be intense and feel like a hallucination
Standoff at the door when I step in the place
People are intimidated by us and don't know how to respond
It's like the law comin' try and pepper spray in your face
We're so intense that it can be overwhelming
If you a weak nigga stay in ya place
If you're not strong enough, don't compete with us
My name 'Riq, when I speak
I'm Black Thought and when I rhyme, people listen
Thoughts travel at alarming rates
My ideas and rhymes are quickly understood by the audience
Come on, stomp wit The Roots
Join us and feel the energy of our music
I step into the vocal booth
I'm about to start rapping
Armed to the tooth
I'm fully prepared and ready to go
Cause the people want truth
The audience is hungry for realness and honesty in our music
We all want clothing and food, and wanna root
We're all human and want basic necessities and support
So I stand up say what I say in front of you
I'm not afraid to speak my mind and share my views
Comin thru, feelin something new, chill for a few
Our music is fresh and unique
I know you probably wanna keep it real for ya crew
You want to be authentic for your friends
So pull out the hardware, do what you tryin to do
Get ready and do your best
So I can grab the mic, and do what I'm dyin to do
I'm ready to perform and show off my skills
The turntableist, Krush on the 1 and 2
The DJ is expertly scratching on the turntable
And it ain't no need to tell you my name, you know 'Riq jus.
I'm Black Thought and I don't need to introduce myself because everyone knows me
Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aliah.A MB
Do it right y’all 🔥🎧🔥 when da fifth comes thru it’s like amazin’ grace ✊🏽
Deen Syed
Aiyyo, do it right y'all
Here we go, check it out
Subzero, cold from the Krush intro
The temperature alone shatter weatherproof
window
We move at adrenaline rush tempo
And leave y'all rappers screamin' about
Who stepped on toes and cut ya throat
So what, you can't fuck wit though
You know it's me and that poetry to add injury
to insult
When Thought begin
The what and the when
The why and the when
A be explained
Music ease the pain
Seize the brain
The flow's like sex in the rain
Hit 'em like they hit the projects wit the crane
Hit 'em like they hit the black man wit the
blame
Hit the people like I'm bustin a gauge wit good
aim
Tell 'em bang this, dangerous masterpiece
It's not a game to heat, pulsate through each
vein
Stimulate the ghetto, that's the reason Riq
came
It feel so surreal it's hard to keep sane
Unplug me, seems like it's raw, get ugly
I come to operate, just shine the spotlight on
me
Just make a little noise if the crowd love me
The way I do it make these other rappers
sound funny
Aliah.A MB
When da fifth comes thru it’s like amazin’ grace 🔥🎧🔥✊🏽
Lee Elliott
This is a crazy record.
3WAYS
just found it today in a crate
Balam Acab
dope bro !
KurotoShiro
思い出の曲を巡回中≡┏( ᐛ )┛
超かっけーから!!
Sherrieff Hammond
BLACK THOUGHT SON!!!!
couchpoet1
Well, shit....🔳🔲🟥🟦