Common freestyles over Toto’s ‘Africa’ at the Aspen Ideas Festival : NPR

The Aspen Music School students arrived early at the Zen Garden, a peaceful plot on the campus of the Aspen Ideas Festival. They had never performed with a rapper before, so there was a nervous excitement in the air. The revered rapper, actor and activist Common arrived soon after. He, too, was excited to try something new.

“We’re gonna loop,” Common said before getting started. “This is hip-hop. Y’all cool with loopin’?” After some experimentation, they settled on two repeated measures from Toto’s 1982 soft-rock hit “Africa” while Common’s percussionist Mark Colenburg laid down a beat that supported the syncopated string parts. Common ascended a rock in the middle of the garden and freestyled a take that sounded pretty good, to everyone’s delight. Then everyone reset, played the tune one more time, and that second take is what you’ll see in this Field Recording.

Watch how Common, a master of his craft, and these young talented students, imagine in the moment something spontaneous, yet memorable. This impromptu performance is a fun reminder that music needn’t be rehearsed or refined to strike a chord.

This was recorded on June 28, 2024 on the campus of the Aspen Ideas Festival.

SET LIST 

MUSICIANS 

• Common: vocals
• Valerie Xu-Friedman: violin
• Amelia Posner-Hess: violin
• Owne Xayboury: viola
• Jooahn Yoo: cello
• Mark Colenburg: djembe

NPR TEAM

• Director: Mito Habe-Evans
• Editor: Nikki Birch
• Videographers: Tsering Bista, Mito Habe-Evans
• Audio Engineer: Josh Newell
• Post-Production Coordinator: Tsering Bista
• Supervising Editor: Becky Lettenberger
• Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
• VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

ASPEN IDEAS TEAM 

• Senior Producer: Ava Hartmann 
• Videographers: Ryan Lohr, Will Sardinsky
• Audio Engineer: Michael Milota
• Audio Services Director: Matt Windholz
• Festival Director: Graham Veysey

SPECIAL THANKS