As a hip-hop fan and avid listener of The Roots, I was very excited to read The Upcycled Self by Tariq Trotter. While I had sifted through stories about the group from Questlove's books, I looked forward to reading personal accounts from Tariq Trotter. The Upcycled Self did not disappoint!

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know more about Trotter through the stories he told. I felt as though I was walking down the streets with him as his beautiful words painted pictures of Philadelphia. It was a treat getting to learn more about him through his descriptions of his loved ones and those he was most influenced by. And I appreciated the vulnerability he possessed when sharing early stories about "the fire," his mother, and parts of himself I'd never heard him speak candidly about before.

The Upcycled Self was a treat for me as I know it will be for fans and others as well. The only thing I wished for was that the book was longer. I found myself wanting to know more about this brilliant man I've grown to adore through verse and style over the years.

Many thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the eARC!

Authenticity at its finest‼️ I’m really becoming a major fan of memoirs. It’s something about seeing a person be so vulnerable and allow readers into their personal lives that I find to be quite captivating. Trotter’s story pushes the narrative that it’s hard surviving in an environment designed to destroy you. When faced with adversity you’ll either sink or swim.

“Everyone’s life is defined by a constant state of change, but what does it mean when those changes all come with cortisol-spiking traumas, death, and loss?

The Upcycled Self is broken down into four parts that provide a detailed explanation of what made Trotter the man he is today. Recounting stories that shaped him Trotter discussed the setbacks he experienced, his relationship with his mother, trauma, love, loss, and music.

“OUR LIVES ARE A RESPONSE to the call of our childhoods. Somewhere in the middle echoes of the past, we find our truest selves.”

Overall, I enjoyed this memoir and definitely recommend. It’s fast-paced, very well-written, has a seamless flow with engaging storytelling. It was so easy to connect and sympathize with his personal experiences. The encounters with his mother is where his vulnerability was most evident. “Losing my mother was my greatest motivation, but it was only one of many losses.”

Black Thought does not disappoint in his new memoir The Upcycled Self, but I can’t write honestly about the book without saying why I was so invested in reading it in the first place.

I claim the Bronx as home because everything missing within it and everything there that was intended to destroy me became what I used to write, to draw, to absorb hip hop culture. But I was born in Philly and raised in its too quiet working class suburbs. My mom’s family was rooted there by way of the South.

So I claim Philly as a creative inspiration too, since I spent the first six years of my life there. Those were pretty tough years for a little girl: I grew up in the shadow of family trauma, had a stint in foster care, and with my mom, relocated to New York City in the midst of the crack era to start over.

Years after I decided I would be a writer in my adopted hometown of the Bronx as an adult, as a college student, in the 90s, I met my first backpack rappers — suburban kids who knew the lexicon of the street by way of MTV and stars in their orbit but could tell me nothing about MC Lyte or EPMD or Boogie Down Productions. Bless their hearts; they did, however, play the beautiful sounds of The Roots on the college radio station, and that was how I heard hip hop and live music together for the first time. That was when I kind of fell in love with Questlove and Black Thought’s artistry.

After that, I listened to just about everything The Roots released. When I left college and became a reporter, I moved every six months to a new city. In Sept 2001, I arrived in Seattle just as the world would change forever. By day, I worked in one of the last two-newspaper towns left in America, writing about 9/11 and a recently discovered serial killer. At night, I let myself be immersed in a Roots fan site where music lovers argued with one another about music and the best rappers alive. Then I was really hooked.

You may not need to know all this to understand why I loved The Upcycled Self so much, but I think it’s relevant. The crystalline clarity, empathy and confidence of Black Thought in a song like Water, the way his voice flows like liquid on You Got Me, or even just to hear the raw ability that seems polished and sophisticated anytime he freestyles is something that inspires me and has for a long time. That clarity carries over on the page in a stunning parallel that is refreshing to read.

It’s not just that Tariq Trotter (Mr. Trotter? Feels weird, but respectful) is talented in many ways, it’s that he is a Black man, and Black men in this country are hunted from the time they are born until the day they die. Mr. Trotter is a man who is hunted who is from where I was born and survived the brutal murder of his mother, multiple trials of her killer and also, multiple trials of his own. But he still made music, made art, forged his way. And therefore, I feel affirmed and empowered by his story to do the same — to allow what could have stopped me before I began to forge me, to shape the beauty of the words and stories I offer the world.

I can’t tell you how many books I try to read all the time; I stopped keeping track because what I’m after is quality over quantity. But I can tell you that few memoirs move me as a creative like this one. Black creatives offer this world a reinvention of ourselves and our stories, the selves that have been stolen from us and stories that have been shaped by others about who we really are and how what we offer to the world is the spine of global culture.

Part of what I loved most was Mr. Trotter’s clarity about where the paths of his life converged and where they split. I loved his honesty about how some dreams he pursued didn’t come to fruition, but he found another way — or the universe found another way for him. There is such valuable writing in The Upcycled Self about how the effects of a house fire when he was a child permanently changed how he views life and permanence, the way street life impinged on his life even as he tried to steer clear and focus on creating art.

Like I said earlier, I’m a little biased, but I enjoyed The Upcycled Self a great deal. I hope you will, too.

This incredible memoir from Black Thought was beautifully written. Each sentence had the feel of a lyrical rhyme. I devoured each chapter largely because of the beautiful style.

What affected me so much about this memoir is the gritty portrait he painted of life in Philly. Because there was so much detail, I felt so much more appreciation for his ability to rise to stardom.

You don’t need to be a fan of The Roots to love this book.

The Upcycled Self provides a unique glimpse into the personal life of Tariq Trotter, the lyrical genius better known as Black Thought!
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At 192 pages, this is a really quick read. It’s not as in-depth as other memoirs written by hip-hop artists. But, it still provides a great overall look into Tariq’s life. These stories are very personal, not the typical accounts you find on social media.
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When I first started reading this book I began with the hard copy. It didn’t connect with me so I switched to the audiobook. But midway the audiobook I went back to the hard copy. It was at this time I started to connect with the story.
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What I liked about the audiobook is that there’s multiple narrators. Three to be exact. Tariq reads the majority of the book himself. His conversational delivery is inviting. Allyson Johnson is the voice of Cassandra “Cassie” Salina Trotter, Tariq’s mother. And the final narrator is Rhett Samuel Price, the voice of Earnest Luqmann, Tariq’s eldest surviving relative. When Rhett began reading he caught me off guard. I damn near jumped out of my skin. His voice was very deep, his slow and eerie.
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What I like about The Upcycled Self is that it gave me a look into who Tariq Trotter really is. This book is not about Black Thought the musician. It’s about Tariq Trotter the young boy who wasn’t able to forgive himself for burning down his house at the tender age of six.
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This book is also about Tariq’s friends and family. What I found interesting is that he continuously refers to his step brother as his “half-brother”. He’s very intentional in letting the reader know, that Kevin is not his full brother. I sensed some tension with their relationship.
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Tarik writes a lot about his Grandmother Minnie and his Mother Cassie. He loved them both deeply. Some of his stories were sad. But, because he moved on from each account so quickly, the gravity of what he shared never actually settled in.
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I am glad I read this memoir. However, I must admit, the way the story was written didn’t appeal to me. And for that reason, I give this one 3 1/2 stars..

The Upcycled Self boldly and vulnerably delves into the life and times of rapper, actor, and founding Roots member, Tariq Trotter aka Black Thought.

This book taught me a lot about not only Black Thought and his family, but also his journey as a troubled, yet, talented teen, his upbringing in Philadelphia, and how he processed childhood trauma… Sidenote: I was also surprised to learn that the block where he grew up as a young child in Philly’s Mt Airy section is literally 3 blocks away from the block that I grew up on… Small world.

The only downside was the fact that I already knew much of the story of how The Roots came together, as those stories have been told by Questlove many times.
Also, I would’ve liked to hear a bit more reflection about where Black Thought is in his life/career today.

Overall, it’s a solid, introspective read.

I was interested in this as a big hip hop fan and wasn't disappointed. I always like reading about people's childhoods and how they ended up where they were and thought he did a good job of sharing stories and connecting them to the present. I kind of got the vibe he wanted the book to be inspirational which made some of it was a little heavy handed.

I wanted to know more about the "upcycling"! Maybe in a future work.

"The Upcycled Self" by Tariq Trotter, known as Black Thought, is a compelling journey through the life of a platinum-selling, Grammy-winning artist from South Philly.

The book not only offers a riveting portrait of the artist's youth but also serves as a courageous model for introspection and self-examination at a time when we need it most. Trotter masterfully weaves together vignettes, painting the stories of the four pivotal relationships that shaped his life: with his community, friends, art, and family. These relationships highlight the complex web of influences that define us.

Trotter explores universal questions about our formative years that we all grapple with:

How do we gain clarity about our own early experiences?

How can we use those experiences to understand our present selves?

How do we find forgiveness for those who both loved and hurt us?

How can we rekindle and honor the dreams of our youth?

Trotter also sheds light on the impact of the crack epidemic on families in urban communities, a sobering backdrop to his own journey. His writing serves as a tribute to South Philly, his late mother, and the community that raised him, adding a deeply personal dimension to this memoir. "The Upcycled Self" is a beautifully bluesy coming-of-age tale, underscored by the redemptive power of transformation, encapsulating a remarkable artist's evolution while paying homage to his roots and the indomitable spirit of his community.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read!

The Upcycled Self was a great introduction to the life of Black Thought, aka Tariq Trotter, of the band The Roots. Fans of the band already know that Trotter has a sharp wit, and his memoir is no exception. He is a fantastic storyteller and delivers an engaging look into his background.

The short length of The Upcycled Self is the main reason why I only gave it 4 stars. The tender way Trotter recalls his background is touching and informative of who he is, but it just scratches the surface. Instead of simply finding out how these experiences influenced him in retrospect, I yearned for a bit more insight into how they actually emotionally affected him at the time. Even so, I thought it was a fantastic read and would suggest it to every one of his fans.

Thank you PRH and NetGalley for blessing my shelves and imagination.

Listen, whatever Black Thought gives attention to elevates to untouchable status. I have been following his career from the early days and relish the moment I met him at a mall in New Orleans wayyyy back (2000) when during the Essence Music Festival.

This memoir was an eye-opening experience because we rarely hear about Trotter in social media. He has overcome some life-changing obstacles that could have left anyone broken. But he made an effort to overcome and push through.

This ended way to soon and I have so many questions left unanswered. This on audiobook read by the author would be fiya!!!!

Tariq Trotter's story and words of wisdom hit me hard and it felt good. Being a fan of The Roots, I knew I would enjoy this book but I did not expect to be so moved by his story. Seldom do we hear from Black Thought, and this is one of those "good things come to those who wait" moments. I consumed this book and simply could not put it down. I learned so much about Tariq in every chapter. His is a story mixed with happy and sad moments, ups and downs, but there's love and constant evolution, growth. I highly recommend this book and I will definitely read it again. I'll be gifting this title to the men in my life this holiday season. The perfect gift for a hip hop lover, Roots fan and memoir reader.

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House for my ARC! I was very intrigued by this book before even opening it. Its title and cover caught my eye. I know Black Thought a little bit and I was excited to dive deeper into his life story. I was unaware of all the tragedy that surrounded him during his childhood and adolescence.

I thoroughly enjoyed the prose. It is well-written, yet casual. Poetic and powerful. The vivid descriptions that Tariq pens makes you feel as if you are truly in 1970s Philly. It transports you as the reader. It is deep and thus bigger than just being some musician in a popular music group. It is about artistry to an extent—yes, but also about triumph and releasing your past pain in order to become who we want to be. I recommend to any one, even if you aren’t familiar with Black Thought/The Roots.

Review to be posted on my Goodreads account.