Common and Pete Rock have been hyping up their joint project for quite some time, and now fans know exactly when it’s coming.
On Tuesday (June 11), the Chicago MC took to Instagram and shared the cover art for ‘The Auditorium Vol. 1.’ In it, the two Hip Hop veterans can be seen walking outside Brooklyn’s landmark Kings Theatre.
The duo shared that the LP is set to drop across streaming platforms on July 12 and will be available to purchase on CD, vinyl, and cassette. ‘For me, this all started with A Dream,’ the Be rapper wrote. ‘A Dream to let the world know I’ve been here. A dream to be a part of Hip Hop. A Dream to MC at a level where De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, and Ice Cube knew who I was. It’s been a dream of mine to work with the LEGENDARY @realpeterock (on more than just one song). I’ve been Dreamin’ my whole life.’
In conjunction with the announcement, the pair also released a live rendition of a song that will likely be on their forthcoming record, titled ‘Dreamin’,’ on VEVO ctrl. The cut, which uses the same sample as Joey Bada$$’s 2015 song ‘Save the Children,’ features Common rapping: ‘It was all a dream, I was talking to Dr. King/ He told me to dream in ways that the prophets dream/ Like the one he had, when nobody could wake him/ Or Nelson Mandela, when prison couldn’t break him/ Malcom was in the window, he said ‘As-Salaam-Alaikum’/ Told Barack to rock the nation again, he got my nomination.’
The rapper-producer duo dropped the first single from the new album last month. On ‘Wise Up,’ the 52-year-old paints a vivid picture of street life with slick wordplay and esoteric rhymes. ‘Where we’re both trying to get to, it ain’t coincidental/ His is on the streets, mine’s is over instrumentals/ The Lord sent my mental to be more than sentimental/ The ventricles that I vent through are temples of what I’ve been through,’ Common raps. For the hook, the East Coast beatmaker samples a line from MC Shan‘s 1986 classic ‘The Bridge’: ‘Why don’t you wise up? Show all the people in the place [that you are bright].’
Adding to the track’s Golden Age essence, its accompanying video features both artists rocking vintage brands like Walker Wear and Umbro immersed in black-and-white shots of New York City.
Common and Pete Rock’s collaborative effort has been long-awaited and promises to be a treat for fans. Mark your calendars for July 12 and get ready to experience ‘The Auditorium Vol. 1.’
