Respected Chicago emcee Common, known for his conscious approach to the intricacies of rap lyricism, recently joined forces with New York production mogul Pete Rock.
After a period of anticipation, the two are back together with their latest single “Wise Up.” The duo also made sure they brought back the boom bap on the song, complete with stunning visuals in the official music video.
With a steady bap kick pattern followed by a punchy (yet squashed) snare drum and filled with harsh, dusty samples, the song is a sonic journey into the streets. Using a narrative style reminiscent of ’90s hip-hop, Common follows the pair through city streets, capturing moving portraits of everyday people and their lives.
The video (directed by Marleaux Desiré) moves back and forth between monochrome and color, metaphorically superimposing old and new in a nod to the “boom-bap” style that has been revived in recent years. According to the film’s description itself, the idea is to show “the past, present and future happening simultaneously.” In this sense, the much-talked-about Golden Age of Hip-Hop is a subversive concept that demonstrates the evergreen nature of the art of Hip-Hop.
Speaking about the song, Common said, “(“Wise Up”) feels like the spirit of where we come from, boom bap, basement, but it also feels edgy and new. We hope this is the first joint release record, because this record captures a new sound, a new light, but speaks directly to our hip-hop family. Now, if you care about anything in this sentence, please make it a “number one.” joint” phrase—because it hints at a larger project the two are working on. In fact, the end of the film also teases Auditorium Volume. 1, further suggesting that it may actually be more than one album!
You can stream the track here or below:
