It’s no secret that Common is one of entertainment’s busiest men. The multi-hyphenate has had his hands in everything from film and TV to video games and book publishing to political activism. But despite his ever-growing list of projects, Common hasn’t lost his love for music.
On Thursday, the Chicago rapper released his 12th studio album Let Love—his first full-length release since 2016’s Black America Again.
Common announced the project back in May during an event at NYC’s SoHo House. The 47-year-old told the crowd the album was inspired by his best-selling memoir Let Love Have the Last Word, in which he opened up about his relationship struggles—both platonic and romantic.
“The music is not a song based on every chapter on the book,” he explained. “It just allowed me to go to different places and gave me a theme on what I wanted to write about and a guide. Once I get a title, I feel great about creating the music. It sets the tone for whatever the movie I want to create is gonna be.
He continued: “I was able to set and focus for a while and not try to do any movies and do too many extra things besides just focus on music, which has been new for me in a minute. But I felt it was that important to me so I just wanted to put my heart and soul for it.”
You can stream Let Love now on all major platforms. The album spans 11 tracks, and includes features by Swizz Beats, Daniel Caesar, Jill Scott, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Leikeli47.
