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Common Says He Wishes Kanye West Produced A Third Album For Him

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Before he received his break as a rapper, Kanye West made a name for himself in the early 2000s as a producer, crafting tracks for Jay-Z that included “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” “Takeover,: and “’03 Bonnie And Clyde” as well as other records by Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Beanie Siegel, and more. Kanye broke through as a rapper with his 2004 debut, College Dropout, and since then he hasn’t looked back. Despite this, he continued to produce for rappers like Common who recruited Kanye to heavily produce his 2005 and 2007 albums Be and Finding Forever.

During a recent interview with Andrew Barber for an episode of the Coda Collection’s “Story to Tell,” Common expressed his desire to work with Kanye for another album. “If there’s anything that I sometimes wish is I wished I would have did a third one with Kanye,” he said. “I will say that. It’s very rare that I’d be like, ‘Man, I should’ve did this or wish I did this.’ Because everything happens in this divine time. But I would’ve loved to have done a third album with ’Ye just … And maybe that’ll happen at some other point.”

During the interview, Common also revealed that he intended to work with Kanye for his 2008 album Universal Mind Control. Unfortunately, Kanye was unavailable to collaborate on the project because he was on tour at the time. In addition to that, Common also wanted to change his sound at the time which led to him working with The Neptunes for the 2008 effort.

You can listen to Common speak about a third album produced by Kanye in the video above.

Common Lays Out An Optimistic Vision Of The Future In His Carefree ‘Imagine’ Video

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After a year and a half of lockdown, Common is ready to reenter the world with a new perspective. Following up on the release of his 2020 album A Beautiful Revolution Pt 1, Common looks forward to a brighter future with his inspiring “Imagine” video featuring LA-based singer PJ.

Directed by Emmanuel Afolabi, the visual was filmed as LA began to lift lockdown restrictions across the city. It sees Common hitting the streets in his community, meeting with fans and preaching the importance of connecting to one another.

About the track, Common said he wrote the song during a difficult time, so he wrote the song to serve as inspiration for making it through:

“I wrote ‘Imagine’ at a time when we were all going through a lot. But something kept telling me to focus on the good and the things I wanted to see in the world. For me, music is one of the things that gives me hope and happiness throughout these times, whether I am creating it or listening to it. So I wanted ‘Imagine’ to create that feeling of how you can play a song and feel inspired. How a song can make you move and also move your spirit. Essentially, I want us all to feel like days are getting better and that great times are ours for the taking. And the first step in feeling that way is imagining it.”

Listen to Common’s “Imagine” above.

Cordae And Common’s ‘What’s Life’ Seeks Answers To Society’s Current Qualms

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While the two rappers might be a couple of rap generations removed from each other, a collaboration between Cordae and Common makes a lot of sense. Both are patient lyricists who present strong storytelling abilities while also laying off impressive bars with ease. Both rappers make a cross-generational connection for their new song, “What’s Life.” The effort watches the duo sift for answers to society’s current qualms while contemplating what their everyday lives might look like without aspects they deem as important.

Cordae and Common’s collaboration can be found on the newly-released Liberated / Music For The Movement Vol. 3 EP which arrives with five songs and other contributions from Lucky Daye, Chloe Bailey, Yara Shahidi, and saxophonist Kamasi Washington. On the individual side of things, Cordae recently shared his Just Until EP before gracing faces with videos for “Wassup,” “Dream In Color,” and “More Life.” Common, on the other hand, is hard at work producing a documentary — named God’s Long Summer after a book written by Charles Marsh — about Civil Rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.

You can listen to “What’s Life” in the video above.

Liberated / Music For The Movement Vol. 3 is out now via Hollywood Records. Get it here.

Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Common’s Bae Tiffany Haddish Becomes The Fastest Woman In The World

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Chicago rapper Common’s bae Tiffany Haddish just landed the biggest role of her career yet. News has broke revealing the Hollywood actress will play legendary athlete Florence Griffith Joyner, also popularly known as the “fastest woman in the world,” in a new film. Tiffany Haddish Lands Florence Griffith Joyner Role Tiff reacted to the massive […]

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Hip-Hop Albums Turning 10 in 2021

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The soundtrack of 2011. Continue reading…

Common’s Bae Tiffany Haddish Deads Nicki Minaj Comparisons

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Hollywood actress Tiffany Haddish is causing quite the stir for the self-proclaimed Queen of Rap fanbase. The popular stand-up comedian seemed to disagree during a recent Clubhouse interview when she was described as the “Nicki Minaj of comedy.” Tiffany Haddish Is Compared To Nicki Minaj Haddish didn’t hold back in sharing her honest thoughts on […]

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Common Is Producing A Documentary About Civil Rights Activist Fannie Lou Hamer

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Every American learns about the work of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr in their school’s curriculum. But there are countless Civil Rights activists and revolutionaries left out of the picture. One such organizer is Fannie Lou Hamer, a Mississippi native who was instrumental in rallying support around the Voting Rights Act of 1964. Now, Hamer’s story is set to become a documentary — and Common has signed onto the project.

The biopic is titled God’s Long Summer, named after the book written by Charles Marsh. The film will follow Hamer’s story as an activist and an organizer, as well as touch on the violent setbacks she faced along the way. According to Billboard, the synopsis reads, “she fought against the Southern political establishment, systemic racism and misogyny by exercising her right to vote and fighting for the rights of others. Labeled as plain spoken and unfit to lead the movement, Hamer captivated the nation with her powerful voice, sheer will, and faith in her fight against leaders at the highest levels of state and federal government and within the Civil Rights Movement itself to help secure passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

About his decision to join the film project, Common said: “Fannie Lou Hamer is a revolutionary figure we should all know. Her story and impact is evidence that Black History IS American History. We have all benefited from her work and dedication. I feel blessed to be working with this incredible group of producers to bring this story to the screen.”

Charles McLaurin, a fellow Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee member and close friend of Hamer’s, serves as a story consultant for the film.

“It’s impossible to talk about voting rights in America and not include Mrs. Hamer,” McLaurin said. “Her story will serve as a reminder of our long history of struggle to secure voter rights for all citizens in this country, and, add her powerful voice to the current struggle to pass new voting rights legislation.”

Jay-Z, Lin-Manuel Miranda, And More Will Appear At A Virtual Event For Harry Belafonte’s 94th Birthday

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On March 1 legendary activist, singer, and actor Harry Belafonte will celebrate his 94th birthday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a fundraising event through his organization Gathering For Justice will be held on February 28 to commemorate the big day, featuring a healthy collection of celebrity friends and fans. Among the names on the guest list are Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jay-Z, the latter who will accept the Gatekeeper Of Truth Award.

Belafonte’s event is sponsored by philanthropist and investor Robert F. Smith and his wife, Hope. There will also be performances, video tributes, and testimonials by civil rights and racial justice leaders, artists, athletes, and more. In addition to Jay-Z and Miranda, viewers can also catch appearances from Common, Danny Glover, Alfre Woodard, Chuck D, Bernie and Jane Sanders, Stacey Abrams, Aloe Blacc, Tamika D. Mallory, Rev. Al Sharpton, Tiffany Haddish, Usher, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and more.

Belafonte founded the organization in 2005 after learning of a 5-year-old Black girl who was cuffed and arrested in a Florida classroom for being unruly. Altogether, their goal is to build a movement to end child incarceration while working to irradicate racial inequities.

The virtual event will be held on 2/28 at 7 PM EST. You can read more information about it here.