Common

It's been almost a month since I wrote anything down in here, mainly because I've been busy and really just haven't had anything worth writing down. But over the last 2 days I listened to and reviewed all 7 albums by one of my favorite rappers, Common. So let's get right into it:

Common - Can I Borrow A Dollar? (1992) 7.5/10
Common's debut album. It's so weird to hear him like this. Its kind of raw and gritty. Makes him sound like he's from the streets. His topics aren't as intellectual as they are these days, at all. He raps really quickly, with sort of a sing-songy style at times. The production is simple, at some times too simple, but overall it fits perfectly. Lyrically I love it, even if it is less "smart" than his most recent two albums. His pop culture references and perfect wordplay make it fun to listen to. It's a good record, and definitely an underrated debut album, but at the same time, there's nothing really special about it, which might be because I'm listening to it 16 years too late.

Common - Resurrection (1994) 9/10
The beginning of the Common everyone knows and loves today. The rapping is more relaxed and steady, the lyrics are much more intellectual, and the wordplay is just as clever as ever, making it a really fun listen. The production is almost all by No ID (as was Can I Borrow A Dollar?) but he steps it up and polishes everything nicely; it sounds really jazzy and I love that. I felt like it dragged just a little bit in the middle, though... that's my only problem. "I Used to Love H.E.R." is one of my favorite rap songs of all time, and it never gets old. Overall, it's a great album, and deserves all the critical acclaim it got.

Common - One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997) 8/10
Another solid album from Common. Not as great as Resurrection, but still really good. Its a little too long, and the rhymes and production arent quite as tight as they were on Resurrection, but overall its still a step in the right direction, as you can tell that Common is evolving as an artist. There's a few good features, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip, Black Thought. The two stand-out songs, to me, were "Retrospective for Life" ft. Lauryn Hill, a really touching description of how Common feels about the impending birth of his first child, and "G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition)" ft. Cee-Lo, which is just an awesome, intellectual, inspiring song.

Common - Like Water For Chocolate (2000) 9/10
This is my favorite Common album. To me, its a lot like Resurrection, but with better production. Dilla and ?uestlove do the majority, with additional help from dj premier. The lyrics are tight again, with just as much soul and meaning and social consciousness as ever. Even though the albums are no longer produced by No ID, they still have a soulful, jazzy feel, which I liked about them. "The Light" is one of my favorite hip hop songs ever, and there are so many other great tracks on here ("The 6th Sense", "A Song For Assata"). I do feel however, like with "Resurrection", that it drags just a little bit and needs something extra to make it pop out at you.

Common - Electric Circus (2002) 8.5/10
This album is underrated. In the same way that people are going to hate on "Universal Mind Control" for being different than what they are used to hearing, people hated on "Electric Circus". The only difference being that "Electric Circus" moves toward a less commercially accepted sound while "UMC" is doing the opposite. Its basically the same production team as before, ?uestlove and Dilla, with 2 tracks from The Neptunes. There are great features by Cee-Lo, Mary J Blige, Pharrell, and even P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval. It feels like such a cool, soulful, eclectic album. Common's not as intellectual, but still enough to not worry people. There are still amazing lyrical songs, including probably his most serious/deepest song ever, "Between Me, You, and Liberation", where he discusses sexual abuse, homophobia, and cancer. The last track, the epic "Heaven Somewhere", features 6 vocalists discussing their thoughts on heaven. The album such a different sound, and I admit that the first time I wasn't totally bought, but after my second listen, I really enjoy it.

Common - Be (2005) 9/10
What an album. While it seems short after just finishing "Electric Circus" (73min vs. 42min), I would rather have an album be a little too short than a little too long. Production is all Kanye except for 2 Dilla tracks, which is great. My only qualm besides the length is that its a little less instrumental than other albums, which had a great jazzy feel with horns and instruments, but I have been saying I want Kanye to go more in that direction for a while now. Lyrics and flow are on point, with some great conscious rhymes as well as some great storytelling. I literally get chills at the end of "Testify". I don't know what else to say. Every song could be a single and be successful, and every song is so well put together and well thought out with almost no fluff or filler. It's great.

Common - Finding Forever (2007) 8.5/10
This gets my award for Common's worst album cover, haha. My first instinct is to say that while its a great album, its nothing new, its like Be...continued. But I have to think about it as a separate entity in some right, so I will. Like I said, its a great album. More great Kanye production (though still not as jazzy as I want), with other production from will.i.am and Dilla. Where this album falls off compared to the others is that I think it's too poppy. While there are still some soulful tracks, it's not as universally soulful as Common's previous work. There is too much name-dropping and too many pop culture references. While the majority of the album is still intellectual and smart, the added fluff upsets me a little bit.
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Just a reminder that Common's 8th studio album is due to be released in November. It's titled "Universal Mind Control" and includes recently released singles "UMC (Universal Mind Control)" and "Announcement".

I think I am going to continue on with this big discography review thing, its kind of interesting. Starting Monday I'll get into the 8 albums from The Roots, then all 6 Atmosphere albums, all 9 from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and who knows where we'll go from there...