Veteran MC Common is back with a new revolutionary anthem. The funk-inspired single, “When We Move” features lyricist Black Thought and Nigerian singer Seun Kuti. Kuti is the son of legendary afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. Kuti’s cadence and saxophone riffs add a distinct layer of diasporic-influenced sounds to the track.
While celebrating Black people, Common is intentional about being inclusive by negating any notions of respectability politics. “I’ma just give Black power its flowers/Whether in the projects or the palace,” he raps.
Common and Black Thought previously teamed up on “Say Peace” for his 2020 release of A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 1. The Chicago native recently announced its follow-up, A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2, which is set to be released on September 10th. The album will also include collaborations with Jessica Care Moore, PJ, Marcus King, Isaiah Sharkey, Brittany Howard, and Morgan Parker.
When speaking about the album, Common shared he wanted “to bring joy to people’s hearts, fun to their lives and smiles to their souls.”
Common, Black Thought, and Seun Kuti perform their new collaboration for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (on August 19).
Quotable Lyrics:
We move in silence, we move the loudest
Ancestors in my dreams, they move the wildest
They prayed about us, praised and shouted
Picture this country bein’ brave without us
A slave’s nostalgia move through the woods with vigor
When we got free, the world moved with us
Now they wanna change their bodies, go figure
Used to call us, now they wanna be niggas
We the rivers that move through the jungle, yo
When we move, we make the world wonderful
[via]