According to Common, while writing his memoir, Let Love Have the Last Word, which was released on May 7th, the rapper starting getting all of these musical ideas. According to XXL, who was at the event, Common said:
It’s inspired by the book that I just released. I started this album because my team was like, "With the release of the book, maybe you should do some music" and it kinda really sparked me in a way. This book was something really personal and I was going to places that I never went to in my life. So I was thinking as an artist to be able to do the same thing.
\u201cI talked about being molested because, as a Black man, many men have hidden that. Many people have hidden that. And you carry that weight with you. But at some point, you\u2019ve got to let it go.\u201d
\u201cI hope being open about my childhood trauma can give others the strength to do the same and help them on their healing journeys. We all have experienced pain and suffering. It\u2019s nothing to be ashamed of.\u201d