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Common and Pete Rock on How Their Grammy-Nominated ‘The Auditorium Vol. 1’ Is a ‘Love Letter to Hip-Hop’


Common and Pete Rock discuss their Grammy-nominated collaborative album 'The Auditorium Vol. 1' and how it's a 'love letter to hip-hop.'

Common and Rock have stood tall in the hip-hop community since they debuted in the 1990s, the former as an intellect whose raps interrogated heady subjects like romance and faith, and the latter as an architect of New York City’s gritty-meets-soulful sound. They set to work on the album casually, with Rock eliciting feedback on the Aretha Franklin- and Curtis Mayfield-sampling songs that would make the final cut. Across a lush backbone of polished beats with a rich soul, Common pontificates about the concept of destiny (“So Many People”) and pays homage to the tapestry of influences that they both share (“Dreamin’”).

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