Tariq Trotter - The Upcycled Self

In The Upcycled Self, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter — co-founder and frontman of The Roots, and one of the most respected lyricists of his generation — reflects on the moments that have shaped him. This memoir begins with a fire that razed his childhood home, and unfolds into an honest and poetic self-portrait of an artist who continually reinvented himself.

Trotter writes about his youth in Philadelphia, the loss and adversity he overcame, and the creative spark that ultimately grew into one of the most influential groups in hip-hop. It is a story of identity, artistry, and the way we build ourselves from the shards of our past — written with the same sharpness and soul that characterize his music.