Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy and Grammy-winning artist, actor and activist, Common continues to break down barriers with his politically aware rap.

His new album, Let Love, his 12th, is full of lush, moving jazz and soul-tinged odes to life, hip-hop, his mother, his 22-year-old daughter, his hope for a future romantic relationship and to God.

He’s become known for writing conscious rap, but his debut album, Can I Borrow a Dollar, came out in an era when gangsta rap was the genre’s driving force. It depicted a less mature person.

After the album failed to achieve commercial success, he embarked on a journey of personal and spiritual growth. He read the Bible and the Qur’an, listened to jazz and worked on his craft as an MC. Two years later, he came back with a critically acclaimed second album, Resurrection.“I named the album Resurrection because I felt like I was coming back from the dead.”

“My ambition initially was driven by wanting to be seen, wanting to be heard – I wanted to be the dopest. But when I started writing stories about myself people start telling me how my music has affected them, you know then, that it has a higher purpose.”

Tour Dates:

• Tuesday 10th September 2019 @ O2 Shepherd Bush, Shepherd’s Bush Green, London W12 8TT
• Thursday 12th September 2019 @ O2 Ritz Manchester, Whitworth Street, West Manchester M1 5NQ

Tickets available here