Common does not mince words in his new video for "Black America Again," which is the title track off his upcoming album.
Enlisting the assistance of an all-star cast, Common details the ever-growing oppression of the black community and how the answers to these issues should be addressed with visceral lyricism. Those supporting musicians include Motown legend Stevie Wonder, Esperanza Spalding, J Rock, Patrick Warren, Chuck D, MC Lyte, and producers Robert Glasper & Karriem Riggins.
The song also samples a James Brown album, Say It Live And Loud: Live In Dallas 08.26.68. That spoken word section has been incorrectly attributed to Stevie Wonder on some websites, but you can hear the original source audio on the Introduction To "Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud" - in which the Godfather of Soul details a solution to the dehumanization of Black Americans. Stevie Wonder sings the final refrain, "We are rewriting the black American story."
The video can be summed up in one word: intense. The raw footage of the Alton Sterling murder quickly shows that the video isn't an attempt at a PSA, but rather an eye-opening representation of what's happening around the country. Portrait shots and close-ups of Black Americans with somber expressions, sometimes tearing, offer a sense of realism of the current injustices. Black-and-white images interrupt the stream of faces, representing the progress made but also how much further the community has to go.
Black America Again, Common's eleventh studio album, has yet to be given a release date.
Check out Common's Zumic artist page for more music, news, and tour dates.
Source: Common's YouTube
