Common, Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins’ supergroup August Greene released their remix of “Optimistic” featuring Kirk Franklin, BJ The Chicago Kid, and Kierra Sheard. The Sounds of Blackness cover originally appeared on August Greene’s self-titled Amazon Original album.

Earlier this week the group performed “No Apologies” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, you can watch that performance here: https://youtu.be/LMFRkSgUT_k

In 2017, Common, Glasper, and Riggins collectively won the Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics on the strength of their song “Letter To The Free,” which was recorded for 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.