More Common & Pete Rock already after the surprise attack of Wise Up only a few weeks ago? Yup – here, already, is Dreamin’ and you know that means an album is on the way, right? Dreamin’ is more summery and, er, dreamy than it’s predecessor but once again a huge celebration of hip-hop culture – notably of the 90s golden era but also representing for the civil rights luminaries who paved the way as well. This is all done through the narrative device of Common having a dream in which he meets everyone from J Dilla, Kool G Rap and DJ Polo, to Sheila E, Muhammed Ali, Biggie, Prodigy, MLK, Malcolm X and a host of others. The beat turns on a chilled piano tinkle and a female vocal hook throughout. The album drops 12 July and with a title like The Auditorium Vol. 1 seems to suggest there’ll be plenty more material to come.
(Out now on Loma Vista Recordings / Concord)
