The Roots’ Black Thought to Star in and Write Music for New Play

The Roots’ lead MC Black Thought will contribute music and lyrics to a stage adaptation of George S. Schuyler’s 1931 novel Black No More, as Rolling Stone points out. According to RS, Black Thought will also star in the musical version of Schuyler’s Harlem Renaissance-era book. Black No More is slated to premiere at Pershing Square Signature Center in October 2020 during the New Group’s 2020 to 2021 theatrical season.

Though Black Thought’s role has not yet been revealed, director Scott Elliott is onboard alongside choreographer Bill T. Jones and screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave), who will adapt Schuyler’s novel for the stage. Black Thought’s co-stars include Jennifer Damiano, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tamika Lawrence, and Theo Stockman.

In a statement about the play to RS, the New Group wrote:

It’s June 1928 in New York City, and Howard University graduate Dr. Junius Crookman promotes a mysterious machine that promises to remove the burden of race from any person of color by turning them white— Crookman’s plan to “solve the American race problem.” Black No More is an examination of race, identity and the very nature of love.

Black Thought’s last solo release was 2018’s Streams of Thought, Vol. 1. He has a lengthy resumé as an actor, having starred in several episodes of The Deuce, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and more.

Revisit “Questlove On Why Music Festivals Matter and How to Do Them Right” over on the Pitch.