Common - "Finding Forever"

[sal]

Chicago's own Common (formerly known as Common Sense) has long been one of the great voices in hip hop. He's a dangerous MC with great delivery and a lot on his mind, and in the age of rapping about guns, drugs, bling, bitches and hoes, Common has always stood out for his thoughtful and intelligent rhymes. I've really been enjoying his new release "Finding Forever". It goes back to basics.....bangin' beats with Common just tearing it up on the mic, rhyming about things that matter. This is a more consistent album than "Be" from a couple years back, which was an album I absolutely loved. Just a couple of throwaway tracks on here...the rest are gems. Its great to know that there are still great MCs out there like Common amidst all the garbage that passes for hip hop these days. It reminds me of listening to guys like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul back in the early 90's when it was all about gangsta rap.

I'd say this is the best mainstream hip hop recording I've heard since the Roots dropped "Game Theory" last year.

Anyone check this out yet?

[Chuck Nessa]

[7/4]

[sal]

Oh boy...

[Chuck Nessa]

Oh boy...

[7/4]

[.:.impossible]

I'll probably hear it one of these days. I read a review of it somewhere. I haven't heard "Electric Circus" yet either, which was produced by Dilla and was apparently a disaster. Oddly enough, I was watching PBS the other night and The Chess Records Story was on. Common was invited in for the revisit of "Electric Mud". Have y'all seen this? It is weird. Weird. Cool to see Pete Cosey though.

p.s. Guess who our tour guide is on the PBS doc... your boy CHUCK D. He CHOSE Common for the "Electric Mud" remake.

Edited August 17, 2007 by .:.impossible

[Tillugg]

Thanks for the heads-up. I will probably get this. I liked Like Water for Chocolate quite a bit, but lost track of him after Electric Circus, which I couldn't bring myself to like.

[sal]

"Electric Circus" is the only Common album that I couldn't get into myself. He really returned to form with "Be".

[John L]

So far, I have drawn a blank with Common. But I will certainly give this one a listen. I want to understand what the fuss is about.

My favorite hip hop album in a long time is Brother Ali: The Undisputed Truth.

[WD45]

Be was a killer album -- can't wait to hear Finding Forever. The single off of that in rotation [People] is a joy to hear.

[Noj]

I may have to check out Common's last two, given the positive reviews here. I've been very much out of the hip hop loop.

I still have Common's first few albums. It's an interesting contrast to hear him on Can I Borrow A Dollar? and Resurrection vs. everything that followed. Those early albums easily have his funniest lyrics, when he wasn't playing the role of the "conscious rapper."

[sal]

I still have Common's first few albums. It's an interesting contrast to hear him on Can I Borrow A Dollar? and Resurrection vs. everything that followed. Those early albums easily have his funniest lyrics, when he wasn't playing the role of the "conscious rapper."

This is true, Jon. "Resurrection" is still my favorite Common album.

[trane_fanatic]

no offense, Sal, but fuck emo & fuck emo hip-hop. people love the idea of Common-- NOT that bright a guy, btw, nor well read in any way that's artistically meaningful-- far more than his mostly wack music deserves but because he's not "threatening" ** ANYONE ** lyrically, they somehow think that's "progressive" (towards or from what edc has no fucking idea.) funny how you (& others, yr just here) assert Common's superiority to some bullshit paradigm that doesn't really exist or is so vague as to be meaningless. meantime, here are ten records from the last year that blow this backpacker bullshit (mildly diverting beats aside) sky motherfucking high:

Nas "Hip Hop Is Dead"

KRS-One & Marley Marl "Hip-Hop Lives"

Prodigy "Return of the Mac"

DJ Muggs & GZA "Grandmasters"

Ghostface Killah "Fishscale"

Wisemen "Wisemen Approaching"

Sean Price "Jesus Price Superstar"

Joell Ortiz "Bodega/The Brick Chronicle"

DJ Jazzy Jeff & various artists "Return of the Magnificent"

Marco Polo & various artists "Port Authrority"

Snowgoons & various artists "German Lugers"

i'm sure i'm forgetting a lot & that's not even getting into the better southern dudes & nerd ©rap if you go that way.

this is a homemade video; tell me goddamn Common has-- or ever will-- come close to R.A. The Rugged Man's verse from 1:34 on.

it's called MUSIC, Sal, which is why this destroys also--

New York Shit

& if you must be conscious, when did Common ever top this?

this is just a start but 50 Cent has made-- & been involved-- in some fine things too, tho' he to vilify by those who didn't get it all then either...

or have you conveniently erased Kool G. Rap (esp. the brilliant noir of Live and Let Die) from memory?

G. Rap was a beast, so was Kane, Lord Finesse, Chill Rob G, James Todd Smith and the Ra. They don't make hip-hop like that anymore, verbs that paint pictures.

Edited August 8, 2007 by trane_fanatic

[Noj]

FWIW, I'd measure a few of Common's verses from his first two albums against any rap...well, ever.

[sal]

Heard "Hip Hop is Dead" from NAS....wasn't impressed at all. Just like every album from "It was Written" til now, Nas can't seem to find a producer to give him enough good beats to produce a consistant record if his life depended on it. I'm not going to listen to a hip hop album if the beats aren't there....sorry. Which is why I didn't enjoy the Sean Price or Ghostface records either. They are great MC's who I've enjoyed greatly in the past and still respect to this day, but unfortunately, they just don't make good music anymore IMO.

I'll give you the DJ Jazzy Jeff and the KRS/Marley Marl discs....those were pretty good, but I don't think they are on par with "Finding Forever".

The GZA/Muggs disc was fantastic, no doubt, but wasn't that 2 or 3 years ago?

Regardless, no need to debate who is better or worse than Common...its all music and subject to opinion. For the record, I never really thought of Common as "progressive"....just a really talented artist with skills on the mic who has always seemed to stand out from the rest. Not alot of acts in hip hop who can claim that, especially nowadays.

P.S. X-Clan....those were the days!

[trane_fanatic]

The beats & lyrics on Ghost's "Fishscale" were top notch, IMO.

[Alexander]

I picked this up last week and it is excellent. I liked Lily Allen's guest vocals particularly. It's at least as good as "Be".

Once again, Clem has to come in and shit all over everbody's good time. God forbid you should enjoy something Clem has dismissed.

I also enjoyed "Hip Hop is Dead" and "Fishscale" (as well as it's follow-up, "More Fish"), but I like Common, too. It's not the IDEA of Common that I like. I like his flow and his delivery. I also very much enjoy Kanye's production (as much as I enjoy Kanye's own albums, he's not as good a rapper as Common).

[.:.impossible]

"Electric Circus" is the only Common album that I couldn't get into myself. He really returned to form with "Be".

I haven't heard any of it, and have hardly read anything about it. What is it that doesn't work? From the Dilla camp, it is a sprawling mess? Something about that really appeals to me. Maybe its floating around somewhere without the vocals. I don't know...

[.:.impossible]

Heard "Hip Hop is Dead" from NAS....wasn't impressed at all.

Agreed. I know this is Clem's favorite hip-hop album. He drops it every chance he gets. I don't feel it. Illmatic I feel. Hip Hop is Dead... I don't know. I think so much of what Nas has done since Illmatic has been below par, finally an album that is just about par and the critics agree... Nas is back! Wishful thinking, but it will never happen again.

This Wajeed & The Bling 47 Crew thing from Detroit too... a friend of mine gave me this advance copy THE WAR LP and told me how hot it was. I listened to it once and thought, ok this sounds ok. That's it. I don't know. I'm going to listen to it again because I keep getting told how great this shit is. I don't know.

The good news is MM.. FOOD is being re-issued!

[sal]

"Electric Circus" is the only Common album that I couldn't get into myself. He really returned to form with "Be".

I haven't heard any of it, and have hardly read anything about it. What is it that doesn't work?

Can't really explain....you should really hear it for yourself. I admire its adventurous spirit, but it comes off sounding like a somewhat, if not completely, unsuccessful experiment to me.

[Guest donald petersen]

g_D if you listen to common you are only one step from listening to a kutmasta kurt produced kool keith album and that is only a step from being back listening to handsome boy modelling school and then that is only a step from the empty void...which might be known as high school? freshman year of college? i dunno.

on further thought the correct answer would be one step from boneroo.

Edited August 9, 2007 by donald petersen

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I picked this up last week and it is excellent. I liked Lily Allen's guest vocals particularly.

just found and listened to "Drive Me Wild" and g_D it would've been nice if Common hadn't shown up.

[Alexander]

Wanna piss a backpacker off: tell 'em (the truth) no black folks like Common (except maybe his moms). doesn't necessarily mean they're right but...

Yeah, yeah. I haven't met a single black person who'd even HEARD of the Roots either, but they're STILL my favorite hip-hop crew. It's not like being black makes you an expert on black musical forms...

[trane_fanatic]

UGK... best rap release so far this year.