Last October, Common released the first installment of his A Beautiful Revolution series and now he’s ready for the sequel. A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2 is slated for release on September 10 and it will feature artists like Black Thought, PJ, Brittany Howard and more.
The first single “Imagine” is out now and definitely sets the tone for what to expect.
Here’s what Common had to say about the upcoming album and the inspiration behind the second part:
“A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2 was created with hope and inspiration in mind. The spirit of the album was meant to emulate what a greater day would sound and feel like. We were in the midst of some tough political and socially challenging times. There was still hurt, anger and pain lingering, so I was thinking, ‘what is the next step in this revolution?’ I thought about what being still in these times had brought me and that was a peace beyond understanding, a greater love for self, a closer connection with God, and more appreciation for my family, friends and the simple things in life.
I wanted to write about that and create music that embodied that. What does a new day, a brighter day feel like being told through an emcee and some gifted musicians? How could this music be an example of the beautiful aspects of revolution that include joy, self-love, compassion, dreams, peace and good times? As a piece of art, I believe we took it to different places musically only to come back to the original intention. To bring joy to people’s hearts, fun to their lives and smiles to their souls.”
Check out the tracklist below and keep and eye out for “When We Move” to premiere on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Friday. Black Thought and The Roots will be there to perform the record as well.
1. Intro (Push Out The Noise) (featuring Jessica Care Moore)
2. A Beautiful Chicago Kid (featuring PJ)
3. When We Move (featuring Black Thought and Seun Kuti)
4. Set It Free (featuring PJ)
5. Majesty (Where We Gonna Take It) (featuring PJ)
6. Poetry (featuring Marcus King and Isaiah Sharkey)
7. Saving Grace (featuring Brittany Howard)
8. Star of The Gang (featuring PJ)
9. Imagine (featuring PJ)
10. Get It Right
11. OUTRO (Exclamation Point) (featuring Morgan Parker)
Pre-Order the album HERE.