W ithin minutes of arriving at the studio for their Musicians on Musicians shoot, Redman and Black Thought are exchanging daps and catching up like old friends — because they are. The two voluble MCs, who took parallel paths to fame in the Nineties, laugh and swap stories in the dressing room while the cameras are getting positioned a few feet away. When it’s time for the filmed conversation to start, they simply walk over to the set and keep talking — about how they’ve inspired each other to step up their lyrical techniques; about close friends gone too soon; about how much they’ve enjoyed their recent collaborations at Roots Picnic events in L.A. and Phila­delphia. Redman, 55, is feeling creatively energized after the 2024 release of Muddy Waters Too, a sequel to his classic 19

See Full Page