Karriem Riggins

Built on a spirit they describe as "optimism and black excellence", rapper Common, drummer Karriem Riggins and keyboardist Robert Glasper form the core of hip-hop supergroup August Greene melding politics, history and spirituality into righteous jazzy flows and sunny, neo-soul anthems. Common first established himself as one of the most conscious and articulate voices of his generation in the 1990s and with jazz drummer Riggins as his producer he rose from the Chicago underground rap scene to win Grammy Awards and top the US charts with hit 2007 album 'Finding Forever'.

Having released a string of acclaimed albums for the legendary Blue Note jazz label and toured and recorded with Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z, Glasper, too, was a well-respected veteran of the music industry, and though the trio had worked frequently with each other over the years, it was only in 2016 that they came together to contribute to the soundtrack of the Netflix racial justice documentary '13th'. The collaboration produced the Emmy Award-winning track 'Letter to the Free' which the trio went on to perform at the White House Library before they evolved into August Greene and released single 'Optimistic' featuring R&B singer Brandy in 2018. They made their live debut at New York Highline Ballroom with their self-titled album featuring guest vocals from Samora Pinderhughes, Estelle and Bilal - a jazz/hip-hop crossover that powerfully addressed the past, present and future challenges faced by African-Americans.