Ahead of tour stop, Common and Pete Rock say ATL influenced joint album

According to rapper Common and producer Pete Rock, their joint album “The Auditorium, Vol. 1,” released earlier this year, was inspired by the musical production of The Dungeon Family and sounds of classic Atlanta recording artists.

The pair, playing Buckhead Theatre Wednesday, pulled together 15 tracks for the LP, and gave production trio Organized Noize credit for the sonic inspiration. Each track, produced by Pete Rock, includes brassy arrangements, record scratches, hard-hitting snare drums and soulful, sometimes-gospel-inspired hooks.

Rock, a deejay and formerly half of the legendary East Coast rap duo Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, calls Organized Noize producer Rico Wade, who molded the careers of OutKast and Goodie Mob, and died in April, his role model.

Rock remembers frequenting Phoenix Dance Club, 112, Magic City and other popular Atlanta nightclubs in the early 1990s while touring. He said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he wanted to hear songs and artists native Atlantans were listening to.

“Rico had a movement going on in ATL,” Rock said. “They were big inspirations to us New York cats. He put a sparkplug in my system.”

On “The Auditorium,” Common delivers, in his trademark baritone, what fans have come to expect from the first rapper to earn “EGOT” status: witty lyrics full of insights on spirituality, growing up in Chicago, manhood and his artistic evolution.

The emcee considers Andre 3000 and CeeLo Green creative muses. “They have been North Stars, and [are] on that Mount Rushmore of artists that make me want to rhyme,” Common said.

Credit: NYT

Common, now 52, first came to Atlanta when he was 12 years old, visiting for a family reunion. He said he made regular trips with college classmates who were Atlanta natives while attending Florida A&M University.

He remembered being blown away by Atlanta’s wealth of prominent Black professionals holding high positions across disciplines. “It was this city that was thriving, and it wasn’t just the hustlers in the dope game,” the rapper said.

The idea for the album came when Common performed at Hip Hop 50 Live, an eight-hour concert at Yankee Stadium celebrating hip-hop culture’s 50th anniversary. While offstage, he stood in the crowd and listened to the audience sing along as rappers like T.I., Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and Sugar Hill Gang moved the crowd.

“It was a reminder that helped me understand that hip-hop will always be alive, the love for it will always exist, and people are still open to that spirit and energy,” Common said.

Soon after the show, Common visited Rock’s home in Mount Vernon, New York, to talk about working together. Previously they’d only collaborated on a diss record Common recorded in 1996 aimed at Ice Cube, and again on “Verbal Murder 2,” featuring rappers N.O.R.E. and the late Big Pun, on Rock’s 1998 debut solo album “Soul Survivor.”

Producing notable hip-hop songs like Run D.M.C.’s “Down with the King” and Nas’ “The World is Yours,” Rock said he created over 150 beats for “The Auditorium, Vol. 1.”

“I like to play samples from records first, to get a vibe going. Common was feeling every beat that I played after that, started picking [beats] right away, and our connection began,” Rock said.

Rock also shared that he made beats using parts of Andre 3000′s woodwind album “New Blue Sun,” but those songs didn’t make the album’s final cut. Still he praises the ATLien’s effort.

“His album is very influential. The type of music 3k made is the kind of music that I dig for,” Rock said.

Common said the chemistry and mutual respect he and Rock share helped their recording process. “It made our friendship grow because we got to enjoy music with each other. You don’t have to be around people all of the time to know that everything is good,” he said.

Credit: Nathan Posner for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Common says he and Rock hope “The Auditorium, Vol. 1″ will encourage artists to continue to challenge each other creatively and have fun with making records.

“We wanted the music to bring joy and uplift. It feels like a spirit is in the air for classic hip-hop and people are appreciating it,” Common said.

8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11. Buckhead Theatre. 3110 Roswell Road, Atlanta. 404-843-2825. The BuckheadTheatre.com

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