Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group, The Roots, as well as an occasional actor.
Biography from TMDB.
- October 3, 1971 (55)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Actor and producer
- 23 on MovieCove · 30 credits in all
What are Tariq Trotter's films like?
Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 10
Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 8
Grounded 9 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 5
Steady 4 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 7
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
- Allyas Bostic Washington in Night Catches Us (2010)
- Mentoras Tom Bogotus in On the Inside (2011)
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet7
- Ambiguous2
- Other1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Tariq Trotter's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Tariq Trotter's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
30 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page; 21 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
I Was Born This Way(2025)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows
James Brown: Say It Loud(2024)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Daughters(2024)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
The League(2023)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Rise Up, Sing Out(2022)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows
Descendant(2022)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
tick, tick... BOOM!(2021)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Waiting for Godot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
40 Years a Prisoner(2020)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Party Monster: Scratching the Surface (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
The Deuce(2017)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Stealing Cars(2015)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Brotherly Love(2015)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Get on Up(2014)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
On the Inside(2011)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Yelling to the Sky(2011)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
White Wash(2011)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Night Catches Us(2010)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Love Rome (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Brooklyn Babylon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Bamboozled(2000)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Pete Rock: Soul Survivor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Men in Black(1997)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
On The Go - Repeat Offender (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Career shape
Star power in the 83rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 25 titles from 1995 to 2026; peak year 2015.
Biggest box office
Night Catches Us (2010)
Highest rated
Daughters (2024)
Most popular right now
Rise Up, Sing Out (2022)
Film career
Peak 2015 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 2000Screen debut· Bamboozled
- 2017Career best· The Deuce
- 2021Career best· tick, tick... BOOM!
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
Awards
2 major awards from 11 major nominations, 2000–2024.
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Rap Performance
- Grammy Award, won · Best Musical Theater Album
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Rap Album
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Rap Album
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Rap Album
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Urban/Alternative Performance
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Rap Album
- Grammy Award, won · Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Rap Album
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Tariq Trotter's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 76th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up12
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 23 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Divisive3
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser10
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the acting 61/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 62. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Tariq Trotter work with?
People who share at least 2 of Tariq Trotter's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Questlove shares the most, 5.
Composers and cinematographers
- Jerry HenryShared titles: I Was Born This Way (2025), James Brown: Say It Loud (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Jerry Henry
- John Jennings BoydShared titles: I Was Born This Way (2025), 40 Years a Prisoner (2020)See all 2 shared titles with John Jennings Boyd
- The RootsShared titles: White Wash (2011), Night Catches Us (2010)See all 2 shared titles with The Roots
Producers
- QuestloveShared titles: I Was Born This Way (2025), James Brown: Say It Loud (2024), Descendant (2022), Rise Up, Sing Out (2022), 40 Years a Prisoner (2020)See all 5 shared titles with Questlove
- Shawn GeeShared titles: I Was Born This Way (2025), James Brown: Say It Loud (2024), Descendant (2022)See all 3 shared titles with Shawn Gee
- Zarah ZohlmanShared titles: Daughters (2024), James Brown: Say It Loud (2024), Descendant (2022)See all 3 shared titles with Zarah Zohlman
Mixed roles
- Kerry WashingtonShared titles: Daughters (2024), Night Catches Us (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Kerry Washington
