Common is about the most consistent rapper around. With only 1 sub par album to his name, this guy always brings the heat. His last album is considered a classic by many and armed with even more Kanye West beats, Common seemed poised to break even more into the mainstream, the acting and commercials didn't hurt either. Now, he has his very first number 1 album, but does it live up to the hype? Does Common continue to dominate a genre with another great album?
Start the Show- Kanye starts the album off right with a great slow, haunting beat and Kanye also provides the hook with distorted vocals. The first verse is a nice re-introduction to Common, but it is the second verse where he really lets loose dissing a few unnamed emcees with this great blast "With twelve monkeys on stage it's hard to see who's a gorilla/ You was better as a drug dealer." This definitely perks up the ears of anyone who thinks Common only raps about love and is soft, because he is out to prove he is not! 4.5/5
The People- This song is a straight up anthem. Kanye laced Common with a dope, hard beat, but finds the melody in it at the same time. This beat sound like DJ Premier and Kanye co-produced so when Common says "I found the new Primo" he is not lying or even trying to diss Primo. That line set the Internet ablaze, but they should listen to the rest of this dope track with lines like "Visions realize, music affected lives A gift from the skies, to be recognize I'm keeping my eyes on the people, that's the prize" Common is trying to save the souls of every hip-hop lover. 5/5.
Drivin me wild- I had no idea who this Lilly Allen girl was until very recently but singing the hook on this song may have been her calling because she blends perfectly with the interesting sounding beat. In fact, her voice becomes part of the beat, if my ears are working correctly. The song tells the story of a relationship doomed to fail because the two people in it are only interested in shallow things like money, clothes and looking good. This is a typical Common track as he tries to tell us that love is about something deeper by pointing out how stupid material things are. 4/5
I want you- Will I Am is on fire right now as far as production goes. While he is laughable in terms of rapping, due to his awful Black Eyed Peas group, he has the ear of hip-hop with his beats and here he does not disappoint. His vocals on the hook are bland though, so they kind of nix each other. This is probably the most average track on the album. It is a love song that adds nothing to Common's previous work about love. 2.5/5
South side- Kanye and Common trade Couplets and set this beat ON FIRE! Kanye breathes some sort of life into Common and feeds the hunger with his usual cocky, witty one-liners and Common rises to the occasion. This is the most energetic track on the album and even though the hook could be annoying they find a way to make it work, mostly because it matches the energy. Each couplet brings even more heat than the one before crescendo with :Your career is a typo, mine was written like a haiku/I write to 'Do the Right Thing' like Spike do/ Do crime fixed is crucial and trauma is psycho. 5/5
The Game- D.J Premier and Common on the same track again? OH NO! It is like they never left on this classic song. Primo laces his usual brand of slick cuts and and scratches over the break beat and Common spits like a young cat new to the game. Common is getting his Jay-z on with the type of cocky self assured raps that make you realize that while Common comes across as a soft spoken guy, he is not afraid to bitch slap you if you need it.
U, Black maybe- Common is known as one of the more introspective emcees, which is why he is labeled as a conscious rapper. He has always strived to lift the spirits of his black brothers and sisters and this is his uplifting anthem. The beat fits perfectly with the song, not being too busy so we can really listen to what Common is saying. His flow and voice are perfect here. This song is about what it is to be black, or to keep it real. The second verse tells the story of a black baller who get shot and is that what it means to be black? IT kind of points out how ridiculous it is for black people to think once someone gets money that they should stay real, or stay street. 5/5
So far to go- Deangelo stops by to get his sexy singing on this smooth grown and sexy track. This is the song that will get your girlfriend to leave you for Common. The beat is nice but not outstanding and Common brings his usual flavor to the love drama. Common has always appeared more interested in making love to a girl's soul than her body but he is proves he wants the body as well as the soul. Nothing particularly special but it doesn't get boring either. 3.5/5
Break your heart- Kanye gives Common a bit of a funky beat that transforms itself from verse to hook and it continues the nice chemistry West and Common share. The song is about a girl he met a few different times and how he is trying to holler at her, but she doesn't seem to want it because she does not want the rapper to break her heart. At heart this song is about a man's inability to commit, even when he knows it is what he wants. 4/5
Misunderstood- Kanye samples one of the great soul songs "don't let me be misunderstood" here and it works amazingly well. The song is about the trials a young urban youth goes through. It doesn't sound groundbreaking, but the beat is so haunting and Common has so much passion for the subject and his intelligent lyrics and rhyme patterns keep this song above the standard fare. There is something terrific about this track, even if I cannot quite put my finger on it. 5/5
Forever begins- Another great melding of Kanye's production and Common's rhymes. The album ends on a pretty optimistic note even if the lyrics here are often cautious and the hook is pretty incredible. Common's earnest nature comes through in full effect here and when you are done listening to this final song on the album you feel like words really could change the world or at least be a catalyst for it.5/5
Common makes me want to write and to say things that other people can get behind. He is constantly trying to help others through music and it is refreshing to hear an album like this. He is intelligent throughout, passionate beyond belief and always willing to try something else. It is not a perfect album, but the perfect songs make it a nearly perfect venture. By the time Common lets his dad get his spoken word on, you are ready to sign up to fight the power and ready to go hug your neighbor, just because you think that is what Common wants us to do.
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