Common Recruits Lil Herb, King Louie for 'Nobody's Smiling' Cover Art

Common is putting on for his city with the artwork for his 10th album Nobody’s Smiling. The Chicago rapper spotlights some of Chi-town’s rising rap stars including Lil Herb, King Louie, Dreezy, and Lil Bibby on the multiple covers. Common himself appears on one cover, posing against a black background.

“It means a lot to me,” Dreezy said of her inclusion. “Common was and still is a legend and it just makes me feel like I’m the new face of hip-hop.”

Executive produced by No I.D., Nobody’s Smiling arrives July 22 featuring the Vince Staples-assisted single “Kingdom.”

The concept-driven project was inspired by the tragedies in Chicago. “We came up with this concept Nobody’s Smiling [and it] was really a thought that came about because of all the violence that was going on in Chicago,” said Common of the follow-up to 2011’s The Dreamer/The Believer.

Go behind the scenes of the cover shoot below.