i.am, the late J Dilla and Devo Springsteen, while Bilal and Dwele sing background vocals on a couple of tracks as well.
"I want to leave a mark on this earth," the Chicago rapper tells Billboard.
com. "By making music and saying what I have to say in my music is one of the ways I will exist forever."
The first single is the West-produced "The People," which Common describes as a "declaration type of song.
" Another of West's productions is a song called "Black Maybe."
On the flirty "So Far To Go" featuring a rare guest turn from D'Angelo, Common rhymes, "We make good music, and baby you are the vocals." The Nina Simone-sampling "Misunderstood" is a song Common describes as a "story of people talking to God.
" "He stood on the corner like the rest of them, but didn't know the corner ain't have the best for him," he raps.
Another standout track is the Lily Allen-assisted "Driving Me Wild," which Common describes as a song about obsessions. "Driving herself crazy like the astronaut lady," he chants, "Love is not a mystery, it's everything.
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