Pete Rock and Common finally got together to craft an album in 2024... a possible dream collaboration! The Auditorium, Vol. 1 is everything you thought it would be: dope lyrics and crisp production. About the album, Common shared, "Pete Rock is one of The Greatest Creators Hip Hop and Music has ever seen. It has been a dream of mine to work with him on an album. And once we got together and I was around him and all his records and his MPC I felt the spirit of what I always loved in hip hop, in soul music, and why I wanted to be a part of the artform. His beats, his production, his scratches, took me to a place where I could just MC freely. It felt like I was home." Back in 1996, Common got with Pete Rock who produced his classic diss track to Ice Cube, "The Bitch In Yoo." Common was also featured on Pete's Soul Survivor album in '98. Stream the LP below...
In Hip Hop geography, Resurrection, definitely belongs to Chicago. No played out West Coast funk or droning keyboards. No candidates for the next Rump Shaker/Tootsie Roll content theme song.... On first listen it might sound like an East Coast record, but in production and lyrical flow, Common sense fits solidly in the Chicago soul tradition of Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions, Leroy Hutson, and the Chi-Lites. Most of the production was done by the Un-American Caravan's No I.D., who also worked on Common's first album. The music has the feel of an early 70's Curtin Mayfield or Donny Hathaway record. The samples are fresh with catchy piano, keyboard or sax loops up top and strong, looping, basslines underneath to keep the music moving forward. Hip Hop production has moved away from the frantic sound of P.E. and a thousand and one James Brown breakbeats to less hyped samples and live music. But unlike too many of the new Hip-Hop producers, No I.D., maintains the level of energy in the grooves and doesn't let the sound lapse into quiet storm territory. Cont'd
The album is a view of life in urban America today in the same way Curtis Mayfield or Donny Hathaway's songs were a view of the same place in the 60's and 70's. Like many of their songs, Common Sense's rhymes are about daily life, growing up, and even family. Not as just another victim, but as someone with a strong sense of himself. The rhymes are always political, and possibly more powerful for being less direct.... But not everything is serious. There's plenty of more freestyle rhymes, heavy on metaphors.... A lot of MC's start out dope and then lose direction or run out of ideas. But since the first time I saw Common perform at the New Music Seminar in 1989 with a group called "1212" every move has been in the right direction. He's learned a lot since the first album.... The ads for Resurrection say "No gimmicks, no guns, no b*tches, no bullsh*t, just Common Sense." It says a lot about Hip Hop today that [that] description would set the album apart from most other music out there. Just about everyone who cares about Hip Hop and has paid attention for more than a few years knows that something's been lost. On the first single, "I Used to Love H.E.R.," "H.E.R." is Hip Hop and Common Sense expresses better than anybody how much the music meant, and the sense of loss as rap has moved from an art to a commodity.... Common Sense's reality is more than enough entertainment for people into lyrics and beats everywhere and anyone else willing to put down their video gats for long enough to listen. - Caught In The Middle (ZINE, 1994).
On the second installment of his series A Beautiful Revolution, the Chicago rapper sounds comfortable in his skin, kicking characteristically loquacious rhymes, sounding so relaxed he could fall out of his chair. A Beautiful Revolution (Pt. 2) might lack the rumble and hiss of his early music, but Common circa 2021 is making better rap than a middle-aged legend with nothing left to prove has any right to be making. Less interested these days in the boom-bap drums and heavy sampling of his most famous work, Common instead raps over an eclectic set of instrumentals that includes West African rhythms, Delta blues, and R&B. “When We Move” is one of the better rap-Afrobeat amalgamations in recent memory, as Common, Black Thought, and Seun Kuti (son of Fela) fluidly flow over choppy guitars and peppy percussion. The hooks also have a light touch, with singer PJ offering sultry choruses on five songs. Lyrically, Common eschews the news cycle for more eternal topics. On “Set It Free,” he exalts the importance of inner beauty; “Poetry” celebrates great Black thinkers, from Toni Morrison to Public Enemy. As ever, Common remains positive, remains a dreamer: “Imagine” borrows a title and a concept from John Lennon, picturing a world where water runs freely in Flint and Black people aren’t incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses. “Since I was little, I had a big imagination,” he raps in a great voice. Fourteen albums deep, that imagination still has a crucial place in hip-hop. - Bandcamp. Amen, Common does it again - this is a solid LP. Listen below...
Common was born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. in Chicago's South Side on the 13th of March 1972. He is the son of educator Dr. Mahalia Ann Hines and former ABA basketball player turned youth counselor Lonnie Lynn. While a student at Luther High School South in Chicago, Common, with his childhood friends, record producer No I.D., and Corey Crawley formed a rap trio called C.D.R., that opened for acts that included N.W.A and Big Daddy Kane. Common attended Florida A&M University for two years under a scholarship and majored in business administration. After being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source magazine, Common was signed to Relativity Records in December 1991. He debuted in 1992 with the single "Take It EZ", followed by the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, under the stage name Common Sense. With the release of Resurrection in 1994, Common achieved a much larger degree of critical acclaim, which extended beyond Chicago natives. The album sold relatively well and received a strong positive reaction among alternative and underground hip hop fans at the time. Resurrection was Common's last album produced entirely by his long-time production partner, No I.D., who was also the then-mentor of a young Kanye West. This album was also the last album released under the stage name Common Sense because he was sued by an Orange County-based reggae band with the same name and he was forced to shorten his moniker to simply Common. Despite a few stretch marks in his catalog - mainly Universal Mic Control and some might say Electric Circus - Common has released other classics such as One Day It'll All Make Sense, Like Water For Chocolate and Be, as well as consistently solid albums like Finding Forever, The Dreamer/The Believer, Nobody's Smiling, and more; including a recent collaborative album with Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins as August Greene. Whether its acting, battle-rapping, breaking or freestyling, Common has shown time and again that he's rooted in this culture. Below is a playlist to celebrate his born day and the many great records he's released over the years. Check it out...
Common has been inspired to create new music, a project he calls "movement music"... "It is music to uplift, heal, and inspire listeners dealing with racial injustices as well as other social injustices. It's affirmation. It's recognition. It's elevation. It's music to go with a movement. Because the truth is, there is still so much work to do. Regardless of the outcome of the election, we need to make sure things do not return to the status quo. The intention of this first EP is to channel all of our pain and outrage into something productive, inspirational, and good. It’s to help lead a movement into our next phase of the work to be done.” - Common. Hear A Beautiful Revolution Pt.1 below featuring Jessica Care Moore, Black Thought, PJ, Stevie Wonder, Lenny Kravitz, Chuck D and Morgan Parker....
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known by his stage name Common (formerly Common Sense), is a hip hop recording artist, actor, poet and film producer from Chicago, Illinois. Common debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar? and maintained a significant underground following into the late 1990s, after which he gained notable mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians. Over the years, Common has released music under various other labels such as Relativity, Geffen and GOOD Music, among others, and classic albums in Resurrection, One Day It'll All Make Sense, Like Water For Chocolate, Be, Finding Forever, and more! In celebration of Common's birthday today, this is a Common "Best Of" mix that features Fat Joe, Q-Tip, Erika Badu, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, No I.D., Ghostface, J Dilla, Guru, Royce 5'9, Brand Nubian, Mary J Blige, The Roots and more. Happy Born Day, Common; a shining example of a classic Hip-Hop artist!
From the mid 90s through the early 2000s, the epicenter of Philly Hip-Hop culture could be found every Monday night at a small second floor nightclub directly off South Street. That club was Fluid, that night was The Remedy, hosted by Cosmo Baker & Rich Medina. Threaded through the evolution of the music at the time, through the rise of independent movement, concurrent with the very beginning of the Neo-Soul scene, The Remedy became the destination for music and culture lovers alike. Everyone from Kid Koala to Madlib, Questlove to DJ Craze, Bobbito to Goldie - would play the most underground and obscure tunes to a hungry and receptive crowd. And it was also not unlikely to have some immense talent jump up into the DJ booth and grab the mic, whether it was local talent from the Philly Neo Soul movement, or Slum Village, or Pharoahe Monch, or Bahamadia, or Kurupt. On this particular night in 1998, it was DJ Jazzy Jeff on the ones and twos, and we brought up Philly’s own Black Thought to bless the mic, followed by Common who ripped it to pieces. The freestyle session continued with Dice Raw, Scratch, Maylay Sparks and Rehani… everyone in the pocket. Also you can hear Black Thought kick a bunch of the rhymes he’d later on go and use on the masterpiece album by The Roots “Things Fall Apart”. Listen to this classic '98 cipher below...
This weekend marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of Common‘s classic sophomore LP Resurrection. The follow-up to his 1992 debut, Can I Borrow a Dollar?, the album is produced almost entirely by No I.D., with contributions from Ynot. With a heavy reliance on jazz, samples on the LP come from the likes of George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, and the the Modern Jazz Quartet among others. The album spawned two popular singles, the timeless ode to hip-hop’s ever-changing nature, “I Used to Love H.E.R,” and the Ahmad Jamal–sampling title track, “Resurrection.” In celebration of the album’s landmark anniversary, Wax Poetics teamed up with WhoSampled to present this exclusive mixtape of album tracks, alt versions, interview snippets, and of course sample material used in the making of the album. Once again, mixed by the extremely talented Chris Read. Check it out below! Track list.
Music has been the genesis of Common’s creative life. Let Love is the culmination of a journey. Common spent 2018 and 2019 immersed in self-care and, ultimately, catharsis. In the process, he underwent a transformation as he examined God, faith, fatherhood, community, and love. He unites with prominent forces from different eras of the culture to deliver a timeless dedication to hip-hop. As such, the record details his past and present and shines a light on a bold and bright future. Listen to Common's Let Love below and be reminded that Common is still one the most well-rounded artists. A little more features on this one than I'd really need, but most do add to the LP.
"In early 2016, musicians Common, Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins found themselves in the studio, crafting the soulful backdrop of Common's 11th album, the politically charged Black America Again ... As the trio created, they began to notice something different taking shape-something rooted in the warm R&B sounds of yesteryear but still very much in the present. It was soul music with a modern bounce, a jazz-rap hybrid in the spirit of A Tribe Called Quest. It fully encapsulated the black experience: the serenity and pain through which we channel gorgeous art, the beauty and struggle of simply trying to exist. Equally peaceful and profound, the music they captured laid the foundation for August Greene, the newly formed supergroup of Common, Glasper and Riggins. The artists come to this project having reached great respective milestones over the years ... August Greene speaks to those pushing through the dark for brighter days. It's a masterpiece from which virtue can shine." - via Marcus J. Moore (read the full, exclusive album review at Amazon). Dig in...
"When I create music, I wanna affect people's lives," explains Rashid Lynn, better known as Common (and formerly known as Common Sense). For the past eight years, Common, 28, has been feeding his audience soul food for thought. Any avid followers of the rap phenom will remember his poignant commentary on hip-hop's frequent evolution, "I Used to Love H.E.R.," and the scathing dis record "The Bitch In You." Throughout his first three albums, Can I Borrow A Dollar?, Resurrection, and One Day It'll All Make Sense, Common's messages of enlightenment and armor-piercing freestyles have been borderline brilliant -- touching on heartfelt subjects that range from his own experiences with abortion to the need for black liberation. But while flashier artists have bubbled up with platinum sales and crossover credentials, Common -- who has worked with Lauryn Hill, D'Angelo, Q-Tip, and Mos Def -- has been spreading his word throughout the underground. And that's just fine with him. "For whatever reasons, the masses don't always grab onto the most profound things," explains the Chi-towner turned New Yorker. "I've been making good music, but everything has its time." And with the release of what is arguably his best album, the galvanizing MCA release Like Water For Chocolate, Common's time is now. - Vibe Magazine (5/00). Listen below...
With "A Common Wonder," Amerigo Gazaway brings to life an imagined studio session between Chicago's crowned prince of Hip-Hop, Common, and Motown legend, Steve Wonder. A return to the Soul meets Hip-Hop formula of his Marvin Gaye + Mos Def pairing “Yasiin Gaye,” Gazaway connects the dots between Hip-Hop and the genre’s predecessor with a musical history lesson told through the intersecting themes of Common and Stevie’s respective catalogues. As Gazaway puts it: “Stevie Wonder’s early use of synthesizers, drum machines, and samplers, in a lot of ways, paved the way for hip-hop and sampling. Part of my motivation for this project was to highlight those contributions.” Picking up where Common and Stevie’s 2016 “Black America Again,” single left off, Amerigo brings his imagined recording session to life with a slew of uncovered resources (including multitrack instrument stems, interview audio, and documentary soundbites.) Re-orchestrating deconstructed samples, the producer interweaves Common’s vivid wordplay and Wonder’s passionate vocals for a project that blurs the line between a “mashup” and a modern day duets album. Dig in...
Common's 4th studio album, 'Like Water For Chocolate,' was released 17 years ago today via MCA Records. With heavy influence from Questlove of The Roots and production from J Dilla, DJ Premier, and Karriem Riggins + features from Slum Village, D'Angelo, Bilal, Cee-Lo, MC Lyte, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott & more, this album was Common breaking through. Tracks like 'The Light' and 'The 6th Sense' were the big singles + 'Dooinit' had a push & the remix with Macy Gray for 'Geto Heaven', but for album cuts, the Dilla-produced 'Nag Champa (Afrodisiac for the World)' was the one! In the Billboard article (Feb, 2000) above, my OG, DJ Eclipse, was interviewed about the album at Fat Beats and he said, 'Common's albums seem to mature every time out. He provides a good balance between mainstream and the underground.' That about sums it up and was definitely accomplished on 'Like Water for Chocolate.' Common's catalog isn't without a couple missteps, but this was not one of them. Did anyone receive any of the eight digital postcards that were supposedly sent out for the album? If so, tell me about them in the comments, I'm curious if it happened. Revisit the LP below...
This is Beats & Remakes Pt.2, organized and curated by Lars ‘Kongchain' Hartmann and presented by NineToFive Records. Part 2 features fourteen unique and exclusive tracks reflecting the vibe and sounds coming from Common’s 1994 classic album, Resurrection. A nice jazz and soul-infused mix of instrumentals by Ol’ Burger Beats, Maad Phonic, Homage, Drips Zacheer and lots more, who all paid tribute to this classic album originally produced by No I.D. Adding from the official Bandcamp page, "One of many people's favorite album, and also a release that got a lot of people into listening to hip-hop. This time, we're remaking the classic - Resurrection from Common." Listen to it below...
At the helm of Cocaine 80s is super-producer No I.D., along with Common, James Fauntleroy, Kevin Randolph, Steve Wyreman, Rob Kinelski, Makeba Riddick, Jhene Aiko & more. They joined forces in 2011 and have since released four projects, the most recent of which being “The Flower of Life” in 2013. The group, with No I.D. on the production, uses their different individual styles to create an alternative hybrid style of Hip-Hop & RNB. On their 2012 EP, "Express OG," Nas was featured on the song "Chain Glow," and in return Cocaine 80s was included on Nas' "Life Is Good" album - also in 2012 - on the song "Where's The Love." With a total of 4 releases (28 tracks), so far everything has been released for FREE. Seems too good to be true, I'm with you, but creators are gonna create, and sometimes "FREE" cuts through a lot of the red tape. I haven't heard news of more new music, but in the words of HeadQcourterz, I'm keeping my "Head up, eyes and ears open!" (Rest In Peace).
The Pursuit EP (Download HERE) | Ghost Lady EP (Download HERE).
Express OG (Download HERE) | The Flower Of Life EP (Download HERE).
In the annals of hip-hop history, few performances capture the essence of an era like De La Soul's 1996 set at New York City's Tramps nightclub. Recorded on May 16, 1996, this electrifying show was immortalized in the live album Live at Tramps, NYC, 1996, released in 2004. The performance at Tramps showcased De La Soul's dynamic stage presence and their ability to connect with the audience. The trio—Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo—delivered a setlist that spanned their influential career, blending thought-provoking lyrics with infectious energy. The night was further elevated by guest appearances from some of hip-hop's finest! Before achieving solo fame, Mos Def joined De La Soul for a rendition of "Big Brother Beat," offering a glimpse into his burgeoning talent. Common lent his lyrical prowess to tracks like "The Bitch in Yoo" and "The Bizness," adding depth to the performance. Fellow Native Tongues members, the Jungle Brothers, also reunited with De La Soul for a spirited performance of their classic collaboration, "Buddy." For those eager to witness this iconic concert, the full performance is now available below thanks to a recent video link update...
In 2011, in advance of Common's release of "The Dreamer, The Believer," DJ Soul and OkayPlayer joined forces to release this quality mix. It features a variety of rarities, remixes and lots of classic cuts from Common's back catalog. At some point, fans are going to have to give this Chicago MC his flowers, because he's had an incredible career: in and out of music. Yes, he's had a miss or two, but he comes back stronger every time. He's an album-based artist with deep roots in all the elements in the culture of Hip-Hop. I've seen him at the biggest award shows and right home at Fat Beats, you gotta support that. Enjoy this mix of Common joints, mixed by DJ Soul: download/stream below...
"Not heard much of Common Sense? Apart from having the same name as a brand of breakfast cereal that is supposed to do you good, this Chicago rapper gets on where Ahmad left things in his exaltations of true values. This isn't a hip-hop working of that old Tory back-to-basics bollocks, but a call from the shadows to let the blunts and beer bandwagon career by, and choose an older vehicle. The opening title of this, Common's second album, will introduce the first-timer to a real talent. Vocally, Common Sense treads common ground with the likes of CL Smooth and Souls of Mischief's Tajai; a freestyle flavor cantering along easily punctuated by the odd burst of pace. The single, " I Used to Love H.E.R.," highlights the individual nature of Common's lyrics. The rap takes a woman as an analogy for hip-hop, a woman that Common looked-up to when he was a kid, but now sees adulterated by pastimes...."She's just not the same with all these goofs doing her..." Cont'd...
"Throughout the lyrical subjects waver from the norm. Could you ever imagine a straight-up hip-hop track called 'Communism'? Common's done it and it works, while the beats of deejays No ID and YNOT keep everything in check, tight and phat, as if making sure Common doesn't stray too far off the hip-hop highway. There really is so much on this album that even an English lecturer would applaud - the plethora of metaphors, similes and allegories employed in particular. It just goes to show a little bit of Common Sense can go a long way." - Hip-Hop Connection, October 1994.
"With fellow Chi-Towner Kanye West behind the boards, Common returns with his sixth and perhaps best efort to date, Be. Like a train ride through the 'hood, the concise, 11-track opus steamrolls through the images, stories, and emotions of urban folks getting by any way they know how. Overflowing with passion, honesty, and optimism, Be gets to the root of human experience - all the while staying beautifully soulful and funky. The lucid block imagery and stripped-down beat of Be's first single, "The Corner," sets the raw, back-to-basics tone for the rest of the album. Pounding drums and a sparse bass riff open up space for Common to fire away photographic descriptions... Common's egalitarian vision comes through even harder on "Testify," a narrative about a girlfriend going through the tribulations of her boyfriend's trial, and "It's Your World," a tale about a college dropout who becomes a prostitute... Common's details of heroines standing by their hustlin' men while associating with "thieves and baseheads," capture the utter despair of being backed in a corner." Check out the visuals to the Kanye West-produced track, "The Corner," cont'd below...
"But for all of Be's poignant moments, the largely '70s-laced production keeps the album triumphant and head-nodding throughout. Jay Dee drops wicked drums and a chopped Marvin Gaye vocal sample on the warm and fuzz "Love Is." Kanye stretches a trumpet note over a twisting wah-wah guitar and record-scratching on the battle song "Chi City," prompting Common to shoot off venomous punch lines.... If anything, Be gets docked for Common's recycling of topics and lyrical tricks. Some will argue that lines like "I stand for the blue collar" are self-righteous. Still, he more than makes up for these banalities with his evolution from a 40-toting street poet to an earthy soulchild to a dynamic artist. Yes, Common Sense is back and better than ever. Grab a plate, and feed your mind, body, and soul." - Vibe Magazine, June 2005. Check the full review down below...
"With songs like "I Used to Love H.E.R.," Common obviously wants to help guide Hip-Hop to another level. "I'd just like to see Hip-Hop come back to the creativity. I just want the soul back. I want it to progress, but for us to keep some elements that were there back in the days. Like when you heard Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, BDP and Super lover C, it was a feeling that you had that just hit you. It was Hip-hop expression for our people." From Common's feature in the Unsigned Hype section of The Source in '91, to linking with No I.D., and discussing his sophomore (classic) album, 'Resurrection,' this is a solid interview with Common in Rap Pages from February, 1995. Whether he meant 'Hip-Hop in its Essence is Real' or 'Hearing Every Rhyme,' Common's 'I Used to Love H.E.R.' will remain one of Hip-Hop's greatest tracks and metaphors. And, just as it was '95, “We’ve wasted too much oxygen on the never-ending Hip-Hop debate over who’s real and who’s not — “real.” Stop it.
