Common is the latest to join the growing number of music artists turned authors with his memoir One Day It’ll All Make Sense, which is named after his third album, slated for release on September 13.

Co-written by Adam Bradley, Common takes the reader into his life from growing up in the South Side of Chicago, to how he wanted to quit rapping when his first album, Can I Borrow A Dollar?, sold only 2,000 copies, to reflecting on his controversial performance at the White House.

The 320-page work is published by Atria Books and has already been described by the likes of renowned civil-rights activist, poet and author Maya Angelou as “a magnificent memoir” and Grammy Award-winning producer Quincy Jones as “a perfect example of his depth as a human being.”

You can pre-order and read Amazon.com’s full description of the book here.

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From the school yards and block parties of the South Bronx to the tops of the Billboard charts, rap has emerged as one of the most influential cultural forces of our time. In The Anthology of Rap, editors Adam Bradley and Andrew DuBois demonstrate that rap is also a wide-reaching and vital poetic tradition born of beats and rhymes.

This pioneering anthology brings together more than three hundred lyrics written over thirty years, from the “old school” to the “golden age” to the present day. Rather than aim for encyclopedic coverage, an impossible task, editors Adam Bradley and Andrew DuBois render through examples the richness and diversity of rap’s poetic tradition. They feature both classic lyrics that helped define the genre, including Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “The Message” and Eric B. & Rakim’s “Microphone Fiend,” as well as lesser-known gems like Blackalicious’s “Alphabet Aerobics” and Jean Grae’s “Hater’s Anthem.”

Both a fan’s guide and a resource for the uninitiated, The Anthology of Rap showcases the inventiveness and vitality of rap’s lyrical art. The volume also features an overview of rap poetics and the forces that shaped each period in rap’s historical development, as well as a foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and afterword by Common. Enter the Anthology to experience the full range of rap’s artistry and discover a rich poetic tradition hiding in plain sight.

For more information click HERE.

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