So just a few hours after we got some more details on Wake Up!, such as the release date, studio footage has emerged. For this video, The Roots and John Legend perform a cover of "Hard Times," which is originally by Baby Huey and the Babysitters. Musically, this differs a bit from the original track as Legend gets somewhat more grandiose with his vocals. And there are other small differences here and there, such as the fact that Black Thought chimes in for a mini-verse. I actually found that part of the track somewhat surprising, if only because I figured he was spending some time working on his solo project. But hey, personally, I'm happy to know he's on this record.
Wake Up! is due out Sept. 21. You can stream the original version of the track below.
Black Thought might've lended his verse on Hard Times for this live version but on the news section of John Legend's web site, it said that Common and Melanie Fiona are doing Hard Times with John Legend. It also stated that it will be the first single from Wake Up! I'm curious to how the album version will sound because I am a HUGE Common fan.
Camille
They're actually on "Wake Up Everybody," not "Hard Times."