Two years after Black Thought discharged the first two Streams of Thought volumes, the principal Roots MC returned with the lengthier if still compact Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able. (Its release was delayed three months in response to the death of fellow founding Roots member Malik B.) Whereas 9th Wonder and Salaam Remi respectively produced the preceding volumes, Sean C -- the highly accomplished and greatly underappreciated producer also known as Sean Cane -- is the main collaborator this time, mobilizing Grind Music associates LV, Sal Dali, and Marvino Beats for co-production on four tracks. Back in 2011, Sean C and LV teamed with Thought on the aptly titled Undun track "Stomp." The duo reconnect with Thought on the inversely dense "Good Morning," serving up rat-a-tat drums and warning sirens without drowning out the aggressions of the headliner, Pusha T, Killer Mike, and hype man Swizz Beatz. Thought illustrates Philly grimness and touches on white supremacy in his leading verse, delivering each line with the impact and precision of a balanced uppercut to the chin. True to form, it's in that mode where Thought is most effective here, especially when he displays some restraint with rhymes requiring decryption. In "State Prison," they're perfectly spaced amid the hip-hop military drums and doom chorus, filled with dazzling wit when the lines end with "Khufu," "cuckoo," and "uhuru," later provoking astonishment with the proclamation "I'm the honorable Pensée Noir, my nom de guerre/I'm the czar, the Peking-to-Paris is my kinda car." The cold-blooded relentlessness peaks on "Thought vs Everybody." Backed by little more than a loop of tense drums and piano, he claims his throne at the start with each following rhyme a boot in the face to each challenger. Portugal. The Man and the Last Artful, Dodgr crowd the space somewhat with tandem featured appearances on three tracks, but only "Nature of the Beast" sounds like it belongs on another project. Thought hopefully hasn't retired his soul-singing alter ego Reek Ruffin, debuted on Streams of Thought, Vol. 2 highlight "Conception" and last heard on Remi's soundtrack for Grass Is Greener.
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