Black Thought to Direct New Hip-Hop Film Aided by Questlove’s Oscar-Winning Touch

Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, pictured, is set to direct a new immersive hip-hop film backed by Questlove and powered by WonderRoom’s 360-degree tech. 

Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter is moving from the mic to the director’s chair for a bold new venture that reimagines how hip-hop stories are told. The Roots co-founder is helming a narrative film designed to fully immerse viewers in the genre’s cultural heartbeat, using 360-degree technology to recreate its most iconic moments.

Backed by Impossible Creative and powered by its WonderRoom platform, the project blends music, performance, history, and technology in a cinematic experience producers say will let audiences “feel the music, stories, and culture of hip-hop come alive around them.”

Joining Trotter behind the scenes is longtime collaborator Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who will serve as a producer. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist is no stranger to powerful storytelling. He directed the Academy Award-winning documentary "Summer of Soul," which unearthed and reframed a forgotten Black cultural milestone, earning universal acclaim. His involvement here suggests the new film won’t just entertain — it will educate and resonate.

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Trotter, a celebrated lyricist and bandleader for The Roots, is also an author, playwright, and actor. He co-wrote and starred in the Off-Broadway production "Black No More" and published the acclaimed memoir "The Upcycled Self." His recent solo music, including "Love Letter," which earned him his 14th Grammy nomination, has only sharpened his focus on narrative craft.

“I’m grateful to Impossible Creative for entrusting me with their technology in bringing my latest project to the world,” Trotter said. “Hip-hop has a rich and beautiful history, and by creating a space where audiences play a role and physically live out its greatest moments, the potential for a better understanding of the genre and its roots increases significantly.”

The film is being produced by Two One Five Entertainment’s Shawn Gee and Josh Williams, along with Impossible Creative co-founders Charles Roy and David Galpern. Jonathan Schwartz of FanX Studios is executive producing. A Spring 2026 grand opening in New York is planned.

For Questlove and Trotter — high school classmates, bandmates, and now partners in their media company Two One Five Entertainment — this is the latest chapter in a creative partnership that has already delivered for outlets like Amazon, Netflix, and Disney. Their efforts continue to center the voices and stories of Black artists across genres and platforms.

R. Kelly’s Lawyer Calls for Trump Intervention After Alleged Prison Overdose

R. Kelly is seen in a 2019 booking photo released by the Chicago Police Department. The singer is currently serving a 30-year sentence for sex trafficking and an additional 20-year sentence for child pornography. His legal team now alleges a government conspiracy to harm him in prison. 

The man who once called himself the “Pied Piper of R&B” is battling for both his health and freedom — amid allegations of a government conspiracy and a last-ditch appeal for presidential mercy.

R. Kelly was hospitalized after collapsing in solitary confinement at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, in what his legal team claims was an intentional overdose of prescription medication administered by prison staff.

The 58-year-old singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was transported by ambulance to Duke University Hospital on June 13 after allegedly experiencing dizziness, fainting, and vision loss. His attorney says doctors discovered blood clots in his lungs and legs and recommended emergency surgery — but federal officers allegedly forced him to return to prison before the treatment could be completed.

Kelly had been placed in solitary confinement on June 10, the same day his legal team filed an emergency motion alleging that prison officials had solicited another inmate to attack him. The new filing claims the overdose occurred just three days later and accuses the Federal Bureau of Prisons of attempting to kill him.

Kelly’s attorney, Beau Brindley, has called on former President Donald Trump to intervene, saying, “President Trump is the only person with the courage to help us.” Brindley says he is seeking either a pardon or commutation on Kelly’s behalf.

Federal prosecutors dismissed the claims as a “fanciful conspiracy,” accusing Kelly of manipulating the courts to paint himself as a victim. “This is the behavior of an abuser and a master manipulator,” prosecutors wrote in their filing, adding that Kelly “has never taken responsibility for his years of sexually abusing children.”

Kelly is currently serving a 30-year sentence following his 2021 conviction in New York for racketeering and sex trafficking. In 2023, he was sentenced to an additional 20 years in Chicago for child pornography and enticement of a minor, with most of that sentence running concurrently.

Once one of the most influential R&B artists of the 1990s and early 2000s, Kelly won three Grammy Awards for “I Believe I Can Fly” and scored multiple chart-topping hits including “Bump N’ Grind” and “Ignition (Remix).”

Clipse Announces Comeback Tour and Album

Photo Credit: Cian Moore

It’s official: Clipse is back. After more than 15 years, one of hip-hop’s most revered duos — brothers Pusha T and No Malice — are reuniting for a nationwide tour in support of their highly anticipated new album, "Let God Sort ’Em Out."

The tour marks a full-circle return for the Virginia Beach MCs who built their legacy on sharp lyricism, coke-rap precision, and a uniquely minimalist sound shaped by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, aka The Neptunes. Fittingly, the "Let God Sort ’Em Out Tour" opens with a homecoming show at The Dome in Virginia Beach on August 10.

Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, with VIP packages and exclusive pre-sale access already available. The album drops July 11 through Roc Nation Distribution and marks their first full-length collaboration since 2009’s "Til the Casket Drops."

Fans can expect a complete Neptunes production on the record, as Pharrell returns to the boards for every track. The rollout also includes visuals and tour merchandise designed by artist KAWS, whose stylized, irreverent aesthetic reflects the duo’s shift into cultural tastemakers as much as lyrical craftsmen.

"Let God Sort ’Em Out" isn’t just a tour or an album title — it’s a statement. It reflects the philosophical divide and eventual reunion that defined Clipse’s arc. In the early 2000s, Pusha T and No Malice (formerly just Malice) became icons for street rap with a conscience. Their 2002 debut, "Lord Willin’," featuring hits like "Grindin’" and "When the Last Time," set the tone. But it was 2006’s "Hell Hath No Fury" — widely considered a modern classic — that solidified their place in hip-hop’s upper echelon.

While Pusha T would go on to have a celebrated solo run (including Grammy nods and the infamous Drake feud), No Malice took a spiritual turn, renouncing the street life in his 2011 memoir "Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind & Naked" and later releasing faith-based solo projects. The brothers’ divergence wasn’t just thematic — it was personal. For years, the idea of a full Clipse reunion seemed unlikely.

The ablum's lead single, “Ace Trumpets,” released May 30. A mid-tempo, synth-driven track produced by Pharrell, it features razor-edged lyrics from both brothers and has already been praised by Pitchfork as their "menacing return to form."
That changed in 2019 when the duo appeared together on Kanye West’s "Jesus Is King." Since then, rumors of a new album have simmered — until now.

With Pharrell at the helm, KAWS handling visuals, and both brothers locked in lyrically, "Let God Sort ’Em Out" is positioned as a rebirth. The album will be available in digital, CD and limited LP editions, with select deluxe vinyl bundles including unreleased demos and tour memorabilia.

The Virginia Beach stop on August 10 promises to be the crown jewel of the tour — a triumphant return to the city that raised them and first sparked their musical ambitions. Additional stops include:

Let God Sort 'Em Out Tour Dates (So Far)

• August 10 — Virginia Beach, VA @ The Dome
• August 14 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
• August 16 — Miami, FL @ The Fillmore
• August 20 — Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
• August 22 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5
• August 24 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
• August 28 — Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
• August 30 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
More dates to be announced soon.

For fans of true lyricism, minimalist bangers, and the cultural evolution of two of hip-hop’s sharpest voices, the Clipse comeback is more than nostalgia — it’s the next chapter.

Visit letgodsortemout.com for full tour and album details.