Source: Steve Jennings / Getty
Black Thought is known for his Philly Roots, being a frontman for the legendary Roots crew and of course being a mainstay on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon— but there’s more to him.
For one, his beard.
Thought— born Tariq Luqmaan Trotter— waxed poetic about his beard to The Times, because the beard culture in his hometown of Philly is tied to the city’s Muslim population.
“I was raised as a Muslim. I think the beard, and specifically long facial hair, is indicative of a sense of wisdom, strength and royalty, and not just in Islamic. In most of the religious books, when men of faith or kings are described, they are usually described wearing long facial hair. The beard is a reflection of both wisdom and royalty,” he says.
He even shouted out all barbers in Philly, recognizing that when it comes getting your beard trimmed, there’s no one better.
“I also think the barbers from Philly are the best when it comes to the beard game. I made the mistake of going to a barber who was not from Philly, and let’s just say, I would never do that again.”
Elsewhere in the piece Thought touches on his family life —namely his father being killed before he was even a year old— and how his passion for visual arts led to him burning his childhood house down and his 14-year-old brother getting arrested.
Check out the rest of the interview here.
