Tuesday, July 31, 2007

A little common sense...

Ok y’all.
I tried to hold back from talking about this, but I can’t help it.
I just gotta tell you.
You GOTTA get your hands on the new Common CD released today, “Finding Forever.” In a word or two: It’s FIYAH!

OK, here’s a quick de-briefing for those who have no idea who in the world I’m talking about.
Common is only one of the best lyricists in hip hop. (Hip hop heads, correct me on this if I’m wrong.) Mainstream audiences may know him best for his last album “Be,” which was produced by Kanye West. However, this Chi-town rapper has been in the game for more than a decade and is one of the most respected out there in the hip hop world. "Finding Forever" is his seventh album to date.
I like him because he’s always speaking truth and talking about things that really matter. Real life issues. Not rims, chicks and other silliness. And he's able to brilliantly intertwine these conscious rhymes with a soulful blend of old school, jazz and hip hop music, thanks to innovative producers like the late J.Dilla and Kanye and the crooning vocals of folks like Bilal and John Legend.
And of course he’s sexy as all get out! But I digress…

Clearly, I’m a big Common fan and I’ve been practically counting down the days to this CD release ever since I saw him in concert at Essence Fest.
In fact, it’s taking everything for me to restrain myself from posting the gazillion pictures I took of him during that concert. (And the pics actually came out great ... A lot better than my Superdome pics!)
Instead, I’ll just tell all you Common fans to get your hands on this CD asap, so you can tell me what you think about it. Now just 42 days till Kanye's "Graduation"...

10 comments:

Joel Anderson said...

Donecia, for once, you're right.

This latest Common release takes me back to the days - mine, in college - of his best works, like "Resurrection" and "Like Water for Chocolate."

The song with the Nina Simone sample, "Misunderstood," is pretty much a classic.

You know, when I hear people denigrate hip-hop - and it's usually people who don't know Snoop Dogg from Snoopy - I wonder what they hear when they listen to artists like Common.

Or, to paraphrase Wesley Snipes' character in the movie "White Men Can't Jump," maybe they're hearing the music. But they're not listening.

Donecia Pea said...

Ladies and gentleman, please record this moment in time and say that you were there to witness it: Joel and I actually AGREE on something!!!!

Joel, that was beautifully written man, simply beautiful. No, I'm for real! Ok, maybe 'beautiful' is slightly overstating, but that's real talk Joel.

Seriously, I doubt hip hop haters out there have actually taken time to listen to artists like Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def and 'nem.

Otherwise, these artists would be at the top of the charts or household names, instead of folks like "Snoopy" and 50 Cent...

I'm just sayin...

Janelle Rucker said...

I knew you couldn't resist Donecia. lol.

I'm still listening to it and it's growing on me more and more. I guess I was looking for a sequel to "Be" and this isn't it. But this album definitely has tracks to make it stand out on it's own.

I agree with Joel. It's more like his older stuff. But different, classic, better or worse than, it's Common which means we'll love it either way.

And I'm with you...I'm waiting for Kanye and I don't have a clue what to expect from his new one...

Greg Pearson said...

Common is a musical genius. But I'd be remiss if I didnt mention those Gap ads. So long street cred. See ya later integrity. Dont get me wrong. I've got no problem with anyone tryin' to get "theirs". But Common has always been known for his depth, and those Gap ads will stick with me for a bit longer, as bad as they were. I was happy to see him getting some well deserved attention, and yet disappointed at the same time. Nonetheless, I will eventually end up with a copy of his new album in my iPod rotation (mind you, I said a COPY). In my younger days I was more concerned with lyrics. These days I'm just happy to hear a nice lyrical flow accompanied by some nice beats, regardless of the message. Even my Pops has been seen bobbing his head up and down to a Common song...believe me, that's a true accomplishment for ANY hip hop artist. Still, every time I see him these days, I think about those Gap commercials. I suppose the promise of gaining new fans outweighs the possibility of losing a few purists. But whats' next? Mos Def pandering Old Navy cargo pants?

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