I have to admit that I didn’t see this coming. Gucci Mane and Pusha T all on Common’s remix? The revolution won’t be televised my friends. Last week I reviewed Common’s Black America Again, it came out of nowhere yet gave us just what we needed. Filled with black vocalists and production from Karriem Riggins, Common went against the grain and gave us music for the culture. What’s the best way to follow up with this? How about grabbing Atlanta’s favorite rapper, Gucci Mane, and Pusha T? Sounds like an unlikely trio, but Common grabbing these two for the "Black America Again Remix" was genius AND Gucci and Pusha showed up in a big way. 

To refresh your memory, you can listen to the original version of this track above that featured legend Stevie Wonder. Karriem Riggins came through and changed up the beat for us, but still used those hard-hitting drums and a different piano loop to put an accent on the beat. Honestly, I’m a sucker for a piano loop, so I think both beats are amazing. But it’s the lyrical prowess of Gucci Mane and Pusha that caught my attention. We expect conscious bars from Common at this point, 11 albums in, and although I've heard Pusha and Gucci step up, Common strategically set this up and it worked. 

Gucci and Pusha step away from their usual topics and persona to really deliver an important message. Gucci with bars like “They callin’ me a criminal, when i’m a revolution/Woke up in a prison cell and I had a revelation/That my life’s a testimony, I could be an inspiration/From the 6 to the Chi, got so much in common/Gucci Mane and Common, did you see this comin’?” and Pusha with lines like “I confess, I been part of the problem/As of lately, I’m tryin' to solve them” just shows these emcees are self-aware and starting show up lyrically and speak on issues. Enough from me though, check out the track below and make sure you take a listen to Common’s "Black America Again."