Our Generation (The Hope of the World)

Album: Wake Up! (2010)
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Songfacts®:

  • This is a track from Wake Up!, a collaborative album between R&B musician John Legend and Hip-Hop band The Roots. Inspired by the 2008 United States presidential election, Legend and The Roots primarily covered 1960s and 1970s soul music songs for the record.
  • This song was originally recorded by Mississippi singer/guitarist Ernie Hines. Though obscure, fans might recognize it from a famous Hip-Hop sample used on "Straighten It Out" by Pete Rock & C.L.Smooth. Roots drummer ?uestlove told MTV News: "People might not know 'Our Generation,' but there's definitely people in their mid-30s that know Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth 'Straighten It Out.' And it will also hit people that knew the original 'Our Generation,' that are now 50 years old."
  • C.L. Smooth is a featured rapper on this track.

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