Common and Pete Rock Connect for “Wise Up”

May 24, 2024 355 86 5

This is one project that we have been waiting on for a while, and it looks like the rollout is finally beginning. Two heroes of the true school are connecting for a heavily anticipated collab project — Common will be handling the lyrical duties and Soul Brother #1, Pete Rock, is going to be handling the boards.

The first single, that just dropped, is “Wise Up” and it’s an upbeat boom-bap offering featuring precise cuts and scratches on the hook and energetic horns and riffs. Basically it’s Pete Rock doing what he does best and Common skating over the track effortlessly with quality bars and entendres.

Common offered the following about the new single in a press release: “‘Wise Up’ represents the coming together of a New York Producer and a Chicago MC doing the hip-hop we love. It feels like the spirit of where we come from, the boom bap, the basement, but it also feels forward and new. We wanted this to be the first joint because this record captures a new sound and is a new light but speaks directly to our hip-hop family.”

When Pete Rock stopped by the Okayplayer offices late last year to shoot “Respect The Architect,” his excitement was palpable when speaking about his union with Common. “We have history since 1990, he’s the homie and a good dude,” he said. “We worked together on [my album] Soul Survivor 1, and for this new project, I really just want the people to hear it. With my love and passion for what I do, combined with what he does, it’s just explosive.”

2024 has been a great year so far for hip-hop music and it seems like the good times aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Check out the video for Common and Pete Rock’s new “Wise Up” single below, and stay tuned for the full project dropping in the not too distant feature.