(AllHipHop News) Chicago rap star Common has linked up with award-winning pianist Robert Glasper and drummer Karriem Riggins to form a brand new group called August Greene.
The trio realized their chemistry was real, after they collected an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, thanks to their song “Letter to the Free” from Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th.
The longtime friends and musical collaborators felt the time was right to release music from August Greene, which has themes of optimism and black excellence. They have found a sound that does not solely fit into one genre but is truly an invigorating hybrid of R&B, hip-hop, and jazz.
The group, which bills itself as a hybrid of R&B, hip-hop, and jazz, released their first single today (January 18) titled “Optimistic” featuring Brandy.
The track is a remake of The Sounds Of Blackness’ 1991 song of the same name.
“August Greene actually formed before we chose a name before we even knew it was a band,” Common explained. “Karriem, Rob and I go back many years. It was something natural. When I started working with them it was like, ‘man, this feels like home,’ and it felt new and fresh. We love working together. The music takes us all to new places and it just feels like, everything I want to be as a musician is within the group of August Greene.”
August Greene will make their performance debut at Robert Glasper’s sixth annual “GRAMMY Joint” on January 26th at The Highline Ballroom during the 60th Annual Grammy Awards week.
Take a listen to “Optimistic” featuring Brandy:
https://soundcloud.com/amazon-music/optimistic-ft-brandy-august-greene/