The Upcycled Self

A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are

By: Tariq Trotter

Narrated by: Tariq Trotter, Rhett Samuel Price, Allyson Johnson

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “One of hip-hop’s greatest MCs, unpacking his harrowing, remarkable journey in his own words, with enough insights for two lifetimes.”—Lin-Manuel Miranda, award-winning songwriter, producer, director, and creator of In the Heights and Hamilton

From one of our generation’s most powerful artists and incisive storytellers comes a brilliantly crafted work about the art—and war—of becoming who we are.

A ROLLING STONE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

upcycle verb
up·cy·cle ˈəp-ˌsī-kəl
: to recycle (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item
: to create an object of greater value from (a discarded object of lesser value)

Today Tariq Trotter—better known as Black Thought—is the platinum-selling, Grammy-winning co-founder of The Roots and one of the most exhilaratingly skillful and profound rappers our culture has ever produced. But his story begins with a tragedy: as a child, Trotter burned down his family’s home. The years that follow are the story of a life snatched from the flames, forged in fire.

In The Upcycled Self, Trotter doesn’t only narrate a riveting and moving portrait of the artist as a young man, he gives readers a courageous model of what it means to live an examined life. In vivid vignettes, he tells the dramatic stories of the four powerful relationships that shaped him—with community, friends, art, and family—each a complex weave of love, discovery, trauma, and loss.

And beyond offering the compellingly poetic account of one artist’s creative and emotional origins, Trotter explores the vital questions we all have to confront about our formative years: How can we see the story of our own young lives clearly? How do we use that story to understand who we’ve become? How do we forgive the people who loved and hurt us? How do we rediscover and honor our first dreams? And, finally, what do we take forward, what do we pass on, what do we leave behind? This is the beautifully bluesy story of a boy genius’s coming-of-age that illuminates the redemptive power of the upcycle.

Critic reviews

Praise for Tariq Black Thought Trotter and The Upcycled Self

“One of hip-hop’s greatest MCs, unpacking his harrowing, remarkable journey in his own words, with enough insights for two lifetimes.”—Lin-Manuel Miranda, award-winning songwriter, producer, director, and creator of In the Heights and Hamilton

“The lyricist renowned for rapid-fire intellectual freestyle gets a chance to slow down the self-reflection. . . . He’s out to reconstruct his ‘communally built self,’ honoring the many family members who strove to nurture a young man with artistic promise, while their own lives often fall prey to the destructive forces that besiege[d] South Philadelphia in the 1980s and ’90s. . . . The memoir is a deeply moving testimony of a young man who ‘upcycles’ himself by fusing the scattered scraps of family love and wisdom into a life-affirming philosophy.”—The Washington Post

“Tariq Trotter, a founder of the music collective The Roots . . . could be hip-hop’s Dostoyevsky. Like the Russian novelist, Mr. Trotter (also known as Black Thought) has refined literary fire from the soulful furnace of pain and suffering.”—Barry Michael Cooper, The New York Times

“No one has ever been markedly better at rapping than Black Thought, and precious few musicians on earth have perfected their instrument to the extent that he has.”—Jack Hamilton, Slate

“The densely arrayed metaphors, the calibrated poise, and casual displays of erudition . . . Black Thought, née Tariq Trotter, is one of the greats in the pantheon of hip-hop.”—Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker

“A striking portrait of perseverance and creativity . . . Trotter powerfully gives due to the process of self-reinvention that has defined his life: ‘What if we . . . undid the stitches of ourselves that no longer served us, forgave them, and wove new legacies of old scraps?’ Candid, visceral, and written with the hard-won wisdom of hindsight, this leaves a mark.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An eloquently insightful autobiography from an iconic rapper and wordsmith . . . 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. . . . The author’s vulnerability, circumspection, and compassion render this an outstanding read.”—Kirkus Reviews

An excellent origin story

Thank you, Brother Tariq, for being so brave and transparent. I appreciate you taking the time to show us, in part, how you have changed pain into power. I hope in future books you can give us more insight into your process as an MC. I also hope there will be musical interludes and transitions like in 7 Years. Still, a truly worthy beginning as an author. Blessings to you, sir.

powerful

I had no idea, how much my life would resonate with this story. Very insightful and inspirational.

An oral history

This was really interesting to listen to after having listened to both Will Smith's and Jada Pinkett Smith's autobiographies. All three of them are Philly natives who came up in the 1970s & 80s. The disparities between new opportunities for Black folks to enter the middle class and the violent onslaught of crack is a contradictorily devastating part is the Smiths' stories and Tariq Trotter's.

Black thought is an outstanding writer, storyteller, and performer. He stands out as an oral historian of Black Philadelphia in the 1970s & 80s. 10/10

Excellent

Brilliant story telling by an amazingly talented artist. A story of hope, resilience and vulnerability that I could not imagine while seeing Black Thought all these years. He was obviously destined for greatness from birth and protected so his gifts could bless the world.

Great storytelling

As a fan of The Roots since first hearing “Distortion to Static” and being from Delaware, just a hop/skip away from Philly, this book resonates with me in a lot of ways. It hits home with mention of certain people and places. I love hearing more about Tariq and his upbringing in the book. It’s well written and well performed as audio.