Black Thought Says He Invented Mumble Rap

by Daryl Nelson

Black Thought certainly lit up the Internet when he dropped an epic 10-minute freestyle on Funkmaster Flex's show earlier this month.

The freestyle immediately went viral, with some arguing The Roots frontman destroyed what's known as mumble rap in one fell swoop. But according to Thought, that wasn't his plan at all.  Instead of dissing mumble rap, he claimed to have invented it.

“Lots of people are saying that I shut down mumble rap in one 10-minute setting," he told Rolling Stone. "But that wasn't my intention, because mumble rap – if we go back – that's something I invented.  I invented rapping without actually using the words. With songs like 'Don't Say Nuthin' freestyles, like 'New Year's At Jay Dee's,' I essentially invented mumble rap, where you go for many bars without saying any words. And when I did it, it came from a place of being inspired by scatting.”

Do you agree with Thought? If not, who would you say created mumble rap?