Black Thought And El Michaels Affair Release New Single And Video, “Glorious Game”

Black Thought and El Michels Affair have released their new single “Glorious Game,” the title track from their forthcoming collaborative album.

The track finds the Brooklyn-based band providing a quaint, yet thumping groove for the Philly-bred lyricist to attack with a stream of consciousness flow, layering witty one-liners and heady couplets that keeps listeners on their toes.

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“Okay, I’m too Black for y’all to erase/Shoot too straight for y’all to replace,” the bearded veteran rhymes in his opening bars, conveying the prideful defiance towards the system and detractors that’s been an overarching theme throughout his career. Declaring himself “the one man army, Ason,” Thought’s sly nod to late rap legend Ol’ Dirty Bastard is also consistent with his devotion to uplifting his musical and cultural contemporaries.

“Glorious Game,” which dropped Monday (March 6), arrives roughly a month shy of the release of Black Thought and El Michels Affair’s collaborative album of the same name, which is due to drop April 14 via Big Crown Records. The rapper announced the new track to his followers via his Instagram page, shouting out the production team behind the record and sharing where fans could listen to it.

“Ice cold video for the title track off ‘Glorious Game’ out now,” the 51-year-old wrote. “Featuring the incomparable @singkirbysing and co-produced with @00brainstory00.Animated by @gurgen_aloian. Produced by @gurgen_aloian & @checkscashedart. Link in bio.”

After spending decades shrouded in mystery, Black Thought’s public profile is as big as it’s ever been, as he’s spent the past few years releasing a succession of joint projects with various producers, including Sean C, Salaam Remi, and 9th Wonder. In August 2022, he and Danger Mouse dropped their critically-acclaimed joint effort Cheat Codes, which peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard 200 and was hailed as one of the best albums of the year.

In January 2023, Black Thought and El Michels Affair released their debut single “Grateful,” which was also accompanied by a music video.

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