Streams of Thought, Vol. 2

Streams of Thought, Vol. 2 (also known as Streams of Thought, Vol. 2: Traxploitation) is the second extended play by American emcee Black Thought. It was released on November 26, 2018, by independent distributors Human Re Sources and Passyunk Productions. Produced entirely by Salaam Remi, the EP is the sequel to Streams of Thought, Vol. 1, released five months earlier.[1]

Streams of Thought, Vol. 2
EP by
ReleasedNovember 26, 2018 (2018-11-26)
GenreHip hop
Length23:28
Label
  • Human Re Sources
  • Passyunk
ProducerSalaam Remi
Black Thought chronology
Streams of Thought, Vol. 1
(2018)
Streams of Thought, Vol. 2
(2018)
Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able
(2020)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
And It Don't StopA[2]
HipHopDX4.5/5[1]
Tom Hull – on the WebA−[3]

Streams of Thought, Vol. 2 was met with positive reviews. Writing for HipHopDX in December 2018, Riley Wallace praised Remi's production, calling it "reminiscent of classic Motown sessions", and concluded, "Though Salaam does little to push Black Thought outside of his comfort zone, it does little to distract from how solid this project is, and the lyrical depth and complexity of all nine tracks."[1] In his Substack-published "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau applauded the rapper for showing "how conscious a romantic lead's conscience can be" and wrote in summary that, "no longer hemmed in by album concepts or fusion-band masquerade, here’s where Tariq Trotter is freed to turn out kick-ass rap mixtapes and show off how much reading he does."[2] Fellow critic Tom Hull, who had deemed the first volume as "half of a pretty good Roots album", said Vol. 2 is the "second half of that Roots album even stronger, with no reason to miss the live band".[3]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Fentanyl"1:57
2."Soundtrack to Confusion"3:11
3."Get Outlined"3:29
4."History Unfolds"1:21
5."How to Hold a Choppa"1:31
6."The New Grit"1:49
7."Long Liveth"2:38
8."Streets" (featuring Tish Hyman)3:15
9."Conception" (featuring Reek Ruffin)4:14
Total length:23:28

Notes

  • Reek Ruffin is Black Thought's alias as a singer.

Charts

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Chart (2018) Peak
position
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[4] 18

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Review: Black Thought Stays Sharp On "Streams Of Thought, Vol. 2: Traxploitation"". HipHopDX. 3 December 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (September 9, 2020). "Consumer Guide: September, 2020". And It Don't Stop. Substack. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Hull, Tom (September 14, 2020). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  4. ^ "Black Thought Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2020.