Since '92, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, aka Common, has been among the most proactive and thinking man's emcees to ever grace our eras. A b-boy at heart, Chi-Town's finest has been among the top tier of Midwest representatives that have also included Twista, Kanye, Gibbs, Eminem, Royce, Elzhi, Slum Village, and more. However, don't let his conscious, pro-Black rhymes fool you. He's also a battler, and one that isn't afraid to get in the booth and let loose if need be (ask Cube and Drake especially). His knack for Black women love, inspiring the Black community, his urgency of socio-political awareness, and his love of musical artistry is all wrapped into one of the most golden emcees to ever touch a mic (not to mention he's also a LEGIT freestylist that has been known to go off the dome for minutes at a time and not stop). His discography is also reflective of his enormous gifts as a writer and spitter. With that being said, let's break down his discography, from worst to first. Let's go y'all!
15. Can I Borrow A Dollar?
Production: Immenslope (No I.D.), Twilite Tone, The Beatnuts
Guests: Rayshel, others
Common's debut album, Can I Borrow A Dollar, was our first introduction to the rapper formerly known as Common Sense. He clearly was still trying to find his voice and his style throughout the album. It gets uneven and disheveled throughout this effort, with no clear direction. The album can get some credit for having an old school, grassroots, early nineties Midwest flavor about it, especially on cuts like "Two Scoops Of Raisins", "Tricks Up My Sleeve", and the bumping "Soul By The Pound". With the majority of the production handled by No I.D. (at the time known as Immenslope), the production is fairly worth the bump and the trunk rattle with infectious melodies. It can be said he deserved an A for effort, as his lyricism wasn't wack at all, but he clearly was trying to find his voice and what style best suited him. We would see a MUCH improved and more focused path for him in the next album, Resurrection, but this was a rough draft of what would be come a legendary career.
14. Electric Circus
Production: The Soulquarians, J Dilla, The Neptunes, Karreim Riggins
Guests: Erykah Badu, Cee-Lo Green, Pharrell, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Bilal, Vinia Mojica, others
As brother Lonnie Rashid Lynn was now in this deep relationship with the one and only miss Erykah Badu in 2000, many felt that she made a big difference in his style of music. While a lot of this may have been apparent in 2000's breakout classic, Like Water For Chocolate, this may have been even more obvious on the follow-up, 2002's Electric Circus. To say this was a hodgepodge of sounds and eclectic influences is a mild understatement. While LWFC was definitely a soulful affair filled with live instrumentation and clever sampling, this wasn't limited to soulful sounds. In fact, there were elements of country, progressive rock, electro, and blues scattered throughout the album. From the blues harmonics of "I Git A Right Ta" to the grunge pop feel of "Electric Wire Hustler Flower" with the vocals of P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval and the electro happy vibes of "New Wave", the sounds on this album are certainly eclectic and push the merits of what hip-hop is supposed to sound like. The off-kilter, yet intriguing, sounds of the Erykah Badu-collaborative tribute to the late, great icon, Jimi Hendrix, "Jimi Was A Rock Star" feels right in place with an album this artistically and sonically genre-crossing, yet still provides a musical aesthetic that salutes Jimi with sounds that could also fit in comfortably with the period that he was becoming a megastar in. When you mix in the likes of the new wave sound of the Bilal-assisted "Aquarius" and the funk-rock feel of the ambitious "Star 69 (With Love), which features vocals from Bilal and even the late, great icon, himself, Prince on vocals and guitar, you have a smorgasbord of sounds that in some ways come delightfully together, and in other ways sound like a bunch of ingredients to a potentially incredible dish, only for it to turn out some of the ingredients either were too much or not enough for it to be satisfactory. However, when he brings the soul and funk vibes here, he shines, such as on tracks like the absolutely wonderful first single with Mary J. Blige, "Come Close" (the FANTASTIC remix with Pharrell, Erykah, , and Q-Tip should've been a part of this album as well), the juke-joint, Idlewild-feel of the Jill Scott-assisted, "I Am Music", and the dope "Ferris Wheel" with longtime collaborator Vinia Mojica are definitely highlights. He reaches into ethereal lanes with the stunning three-part cut with Cee-Lo Green, "Between me, You, & Liberation", which tackles subjects of homophobia, sexual abuse and the death of a family member to cancer in such transparent and open fashion in one of the most brave moments of his career. The long closer, "Heaven Somewhere" is a wonderful finale with the likes of Bilal, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, and Erykah Badu among others (which also includes another monologue by his father "Pops"). To say Electric Circus is a misfire isn't a fair assessment, as the point of this album is being unconventional in terms of styles and taste. Admittedly, he stated in an interview that he wasn't even listening to hip-hop at the time, and so that reflects min this hodgepodge album. If you're expecting traditional Chicago boom bap with this one, you're in for a disappointment, but those who were into the likes of The Love Below, Indicud, And The Anonymous Nobody, and Because The Internet, this is right up your alley, and that's not a bad thing. Arguably his most polarizing album, Electric Circus is the definition of an ambitious album to push the boundaries of traditional hip-hop and expand past an emcee and be more of an artist in every sense.
13. Universal Mind Control
Production: The Neptunes, Mr. DJ
Guests: Kanye West, Pharrell, Cee-Lo Green, others
While the aforementioned Electric Circus was considered his most artistically polarizing, the follow up to the excellent, Finding Forever, was Universal Mind Control, and it was pretty polarizing as well. Production primarily handled by Pharrell and former Organized Noize producer, Mr. DJ, this definitely had a traditional Common aesthetic in terms of just appreciating hip-hop in all its splendor. That being said, considering this album followed the aforementioned Finding Forever and the timeless modern classic, Be, this was a step down, or three. He sexes things up some with cuts like "Punch Drunk Love" with former collaborator Kanye and "Sex 4 Suga", but the dance floor is the scene for others like the title track and "What A World". He shines brightest on cuts the Biggie-mimicking (or saluting), "Announcement", in which he tries to imitate Biggie's style of flow over one of the better beats on the album, which also strangely resembles one of Biggie's signature cuts, "Dreams". Also, he comes correct on the infectious, "Inhale", which is another dance floor induced cut that is just as feel good as it is lyrical. This effort from Common isn't a BAD album, but it also isn't the standard we had become accustomed to by him at this point in the game. He gets kudos for going the positive route and upbeat side of things to just want people to dance and be carefree, but UMC is an inconsistent album that. although the intention is to be commended, it just misses the mark on greatness.
12. Let Love
Production: Karreim Riggins, J Dilla
Guests: Jill Scott, Samora Penderhughes, BJ The Chicago Kid, Daniel Ceaser, Leon Bridges, Jonathon McReynolds, others
With him being near fifty at the time, Common had evolved into full elder statesman, and felt that he had to start putting out music that reflected his evolving human maturity. he felt what was missing in rap, in general, was the need to be more honest, open, and sincere. Following up the unbelievable, Black America Again, (as well as the awesome collaborative group effort with Grammy Award winning jazz musician, Robert Glaspar, and Karreim Riggins as August Greene for their self titled album) wasn't a small feat. but he attempted to bring as much humanity to this effort as he brought his socio-political and cultural awareness with BAA. In this case, it was Let Love. this album served as the companion piece to his memoir, Let Love Have The Final Say. This was an album fully about that: love. Love in all its most pure, true, and complicated. Produced mainly by frequent collaborator, Detroit's Karreim Riggins (with a couple cuts done by the late, great Dilla as well), this had the environment of a lounge-style album. the type of music one would expect going into a coffee shop or a bookstore. That's not a bad thing per se, in fact, it fit him on this album. With cuts like "Good Morning Love" and "Forever Your Love" are cuts that show the beauty of love from a compassionate standpoint, where cuts like the powerful "Memories Of Home" and the Jill Scott-assisted apology letter to his daughter, "Show Me How To love" explore love in terms of forgiveness in such raw and open ways. He delivers, essentially, a pre-cursor to his legendary cut, "I Used To Love H.E.R." with the Daniel Caeser, Dilla-crafted, "H.E.R. Love" to show his infatuation for hip-hop as a young man, along with the ridiculous, Swizz Beats-assisted, "Hercules" (which is BY FAR the most animated we her from him throughout this album, but is also his most lyrically crazy). He concludes with his love of God on the Gospel-tinged collab with Grammy Award winners Leon Bridges and Gospel singer, Jonathon McReynolds, on "God Is Love". This is absolute grown person rap. Common made Let Love for the more mature in heart and soul. While his previous two efforts were call to arms within our culture and society, this is the reflective coming down of them. Several stated they went to sleep listening to this album, but for others, this was Common at his most pure, while not abandoning who he is on the mic. He just put more emphasis into being a man more than an emcee on this one, and again, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
11. A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2
Production: Karreim Riggins
Guests: PJ, Black Thought, Jessica Care Moore, Seun Kuti, Brittany Howard, others
When Common is in tuned with his ancestral and cultural roots, especially musically, he shines. As such, he delivered a two-part album that's half culturally aware and powerful, half afro-centric and distinctive. the second part of A Beautiful Revolution was the afro-centric half. If you're looking for soulful boom-bap, you won't find it here, however, you will find an album so lush with live instrumentation and afrobeat is spread strategically throughout this album. Acknowledging pain and struggle while aiming to uplift and inspire is a heavy tone within both parts of ABR. From the offset, the spoken word into from highly acclaimed poet, Jessica Care Moore, sets the mood for this album in brilliant fashion. Conjuring up the spirts of late legends such as James Brown or Curtis Mayfield, cuts like "Majesty", the Raphael Saadiq-featured "Get It Right", and the Afrocentric funk vibes of the Black thought/Seun Kuti-assisted "When We Move" are just what you need to get you time warped back to the 60s and 70s with their socio-political themes and culturally strengthened themes. We keep the funk going with the enjoyable "A Beautiful Chicago Kid", the tremendous collab with singer PJ, "Imagine", and the dazzling "Saving Grace", in which there's no way to deny the feelings of hope and positivity over arguably one of the best produced cuts within the two part series (not to mention Brittany Howard did a GREAT job with the vocals here). While there are cuts on here that somewhat underwhelming sonically such as "Poetry" and "Star Of The Gang", the performances of Common are still pretty spot on. While A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2 may not be quite as strong as the first part of the series, that doesn't mean this is a strike out. The Afrocentric healing aura of this album is on full display here and that's to always be admired. As Common often demonstrates, both the message nd the messenger are key to a real "revolution".
10. Nobody's Smiling
Production: No I.D.
Guests: G Herbo, Cocaine 80s, Big Sean, Jhene Aiko, Vince Staples, Elijah Blake, Snoh Alegra, Dreezy
After reuniting with collaborator, No I.D., for The Dreamer/The Believer, they stayed on course with the more somber, Nobody's Smiling. Given the title due to the frequent crime and murders within his home of Chicago, Common is troubled with the body counts that the "Second City" had been amassing. Asserting his developing role as an elder statesman and OG, he tries to contextualize the plight of his proud city throughout the album, while also getting ever personal with his own struggles. One of the more telling cuts on the album is the opening cut, the G Herbo-assisted "The Neighborhood", which take a grim look at Chicago's gang problem and how the city gets depicted as a warzone rathe than a highly valued city, but they convey it in a way that makes it a relatable issue to every hood in the country. Also, the title track is another painful mirror of the climate in today's Chicago, with a very impressive closing verse from renowned poet, Malik Yusef. From there, cuts like the very dope "No Fear", the Dreezy-assisted "Hustle Harder", and the excellent "Speak My Piece" are cuts that slice through you and lets you know there's no sucka shit here. He keeps the empowerment on the great, yet minimalist-sounding collab with Jhene Aiko, "Black Majik", but turns up the tempo with the R&B-feels of the Elijah Blake-crooned "Real". However, it's the closing cut, Rewind That" that has Common at his most personal, reflecting on the death of close friend, the late, great, James "J Dilla" Yancey, and the roller-coaster relationship with friend and collaborator, No I.D. Over perhaps the most soulful, yet moody, cut on the entire project, this was clearly a cut that had him opening up about friendship and how complex love can be amongst friends. Along with other enjoyable cuts like the gospel-influenced, Vince Staples-collaborated "Kingdom" and the Big Sean-assisted, "Diamonds", Nobody's Smiling is not the average, uplifting, b-boy hip-hop aesthetic we had come to know and love about Common. This was very personal and very gripping. We would see this in more fiery nature later with Black America Again, but this was an album that is among his most underrated albums, but should be taken way more seriously.
9. One Day It'll All Make Sense
Production: No I.D., Dug Infinite
Guests: Cee-Lo, Canibus, Ms. Lauryn Hill, De La Soul, Erykah Badu, Black Thought, Chantay Savage, others
Following up such a wonderful album like Resurrection was the hurdle for Common. In a year that dropped arguably more legit classic and landmark albums than any other year other than '88 in hip-hop ever (Illmatic, Ready To Die, The Diary, Stress: The Extinction Agenda, Word...Life, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, etc.), Resurrection was definitely one mentioned as being that damn great. However, he does make a tremendous attempt of garnering just as much acclaim with One Day It'll All Make Sense. While his prior two albums were basically spitting for the sake of spitting and displaying his excellent penmanship, this was more personal. A lot more personal. It was genuinely first time we took a look inside Lonnie Rashid Lynn the man, just as much as we got Common, the emcee. Where we got the emcee was very strong with cuts like "Real Nigga Quotes", "Gettin' Down At The Amphitheater", and the Canibus-assisted "Makin' A Name For Ourselves". We all know when it comes to him in battle mode, Common can hang with many of the best around, both then and now. Similar cuts include "Hungry" and the neck-snapping "Invocation". Where we see Lonnie Rashid is where we get the best results. One exemplary cut is the Lauryn Hill-assisted "Retrospect Of Life", in which he bravely talks about the seemingly true story of a woman and her going through an abortion and the emotional struggles of moving forward in a truly amazing moment within the career of Common. Along with Ms. Hill recreating the wrenching Stevie Wonder classic "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer", this is highly up there within her career as well. We also get the beautiful piano-laced cut with Cee-Lo, "G.O.D. (Gaining's One's Definition)" as we get tremendous, introspective words from two of the games most talented artists within the game ever. Also, on "Reminding me (Of Self)", the funky, yet jazzy, musical talents of No I.D. once again are on full display as Com thinks back to a fallen friend and salutes him. You wouldn't think this was a eulogy based upon how much of a groovy cut this was. Many have argued that this album stands hand in hand with Resurrection and counts as one of his single best album. That can be highly agreed, as this was more well-versed and wasn't just about rapping for the sake of rapping. He had sizzle as well as the steak for it here. With One Day It All Make Sense, we saw the homegrown Chi-town kid become a man and show it in a very honest and open manner.
8. A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 1
Production: Karreim Riggins, Robert Glaspar
Guests: Stevie Wonder, Black thought, Lenny Kravitz, PJ, Jessica Care Moore, Chuck D, Morgan Parker
We previously highlighted the second part of the two part album series, A Beautiful Revolution. Mainly inspired by the events of the Black Lives Matter movement and the landscape-changing deaths of the likes of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, this was an album series that was here to uplift and encourage rather than be angry and cautionary like his two previous outings, Black America Again and his group project with Robert Glaspar and Karreim Riggins, August Greene. Unlike the second part, this one is more along the lines of the soulful boom-bap mixed with live instrumentation we had been know for him to spit over courtesy of Riggins, and the results are tremendous. The aforementioned Jessica care Moore starts off this album with an awesome spoken word performance, and it's then followed by the very enjoyable, "Fallin'" featuring a very nice vocal performance by Greensboro, NC native PJ, who also assists Common on several other cuts on this nine-track offering. He lets loose some in more aggressive manner alongside the legendary Lenny Kravitz on guitar with "A Riot In My Mind" (also featuring an appearance by the one and only Chuck D), but then jumps back into the groove of things with the fun, two-stepping, roller skating rink worthy, "What Do You Say (Move it Baby)" and the repeat button-triggering "Courageous", which features THE icon himself, Stevie Wonder, on harmonica for this cut. With the other cuts of "A Place In This World", "Don't Forget Who You Are", and the Black Thought-assisted, "Say Peace", these are cuts that empower and educate at the same time, while reminding us of our own powers and strengths as a culture and a community. Ending the effort with another exceptional poet, Morgan Parker, A Beautiful Revolution Vol. 1 is exactly what us within the Black community needed during this rightfully angst and anxiety-fueled season at the time. While there was plenty of fiery revolution music at the time, Common wanted to move past the hurt and anger, and help start rebuilding and reclaiming our power, and this incredible album especially helped go towards that direction.
7. The Dreamer/The Believer
Production: No I.D.
Guests: Nas, John Legend, James Fauntleroy, Maya Angelou
After nearly a decade and a half apart, Common reunited with longtime collaborator and producer, No I.D. to bring forth The Dreamer/The Believer in 2011. Following the enjoyable, yet overall underwhelming, effort of Universal Mind Control, Common took it back to the soulful boom-bap arena with No I.D. and boy was this quite the reunion. The album starts off with perhaps the most thumping cut on the album, the neck cramp-provoking, "The Dreamer", which also features some mellow crooning from the highly regarded James Fauntleroy, and from there a magnificent spoken word piece from the late, great Dr. Maya Angelou. Folks, this was a hard one to follow, as those sharp dreams and the sample made this an instant MVP candidate, but then we were blessed with the first single from the album, "Ghetto Dreams". The bumping cut saw Common team up with another all-time emcee and artist, Nas, in what could only be described as a dream team we always wanted, but never knew how much we needed them until this cut happened. Other cuts like "Gold", the second single, "Blue Sky" featuring Roc Nation artist, Makeba Riddick, and "Cloth" are draped in such soul and honesty that helps make this album establish its identity. However, we turned the gas on with the fiery "Sweet", which has been widely speculated to centered directly at Mr. Aubrey Graham, although he never yes or no to those claims. Regardless of who it's about, if anybody at all, we saw battle hungry Common here very similar to other previous aggressive and feisty cuts in his discography like the searing Ice Cube diss of '96, "The Bitch In Yoo". We return to the positivity and hope with other cuts like "Windows" and especially the John Legend-assisted "The Believer", with its gospel undertones and uplifting spirit within it. Much like the singer PJ blessed the majority of the A Beautiful Revolution series, Fauntleroy blessed this album with his assisting vocals throughout, and they only help out further The Dreamer/The Believer to be such a great addition to his discography, and one that many should revisit to understand how this album gets wrongfully overlooked.
6. August Greene
Production: artist
Guests: Samora Penderhughes, Brandy, others
When the announcement came out that Common, Karreim Riggins, and Robert Glaspar were coming together to form a supergroup named August Greene, we immediately pictured music that would be elegant and for the grown folks. Not a single moment here was underwhelming. Much like their heralded NPR Tiny Desk performance (which also contained leaks of Black America Again), this project was so musically rich with jazz and soul elements that this belonged at a lounge or at least an outdoor jazz concert. The theme is the Black experience, socially, spiritually, and culturally. The album starts with the minimalist "Meditation", but from there, we go into fantastic cuts such as "Fly Away", the stunning "Let Go", and "Black Kennedy", which really has Common centering on how legacy is the center of the Black family and how much it reflects within the community. Pride and inspiration bleeds all throughout this album and much like his previous album, Black America Again (this was the e effort that brought the three of them together), this shined a light on our power and limitless capabilities, but without the angst, yet still educating our community. The album hits its peak with the AMAZING remake of Sounds Of Blackness' famed cut, "Optimistic". With Glaspar providing his brand of magical keys and Riggins handling his simply tremendous live snare drum abilities, the crew bring Grammy Award winning modern R&B legend, Brandy, to BLESS this version, and the results were simply immaculate and was beyond worthy of the acclaim given to them by the original song's producers, the legendary Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Not to mention a somewhat understated, yet still impressive, Common verse heads up this magical moment. It can be argued that is every bit on point as the O.G. version, and needed for this generation (playing the part of the choir in this version is James Hall Praise & Worship Choir out of New York) We hear from her again on the almost equally stellar, "The Time", in which Black consciousness is in full display throughout this unbelievable cut. Don't overlook the "Aya Interlude", however, in which Glaspar has his own instrumental cut here, and it's a performance that must be felt as it must be heard. The closer, the long, yet exquisite, "Swisha Suite" features vocals (background and foreground) from Brandy, Estelle, the ever gifted Bilal, and multiple time collaborator, pianist and artist, Samora Penderhughes, is as great of a musical exit as one could imagine with all these superb talents on one cut. Among the most relevant socially conscious hip-hop albums you'll discover in today's hip-hop, August Greene is walking the line of greatness and excellence. In many pieces, it picks up where Black America Again, but in others, it brings its own jazz element thanks to the extraordinary talents of Glapar and Riggins, while Common continues to show why he's so far ahead of many of his contemporaries, and August Greene is in fact a collective music experience that is both beautiful and uplifting.
5. Finding Forever
Production: Kanye West, J Dilla, Devo Springsteen, will.i.am
Guests: Kanye West, will.i.am, Bilal, D'Angelo, Dwele, Lily Allen
To even try and recapture the magic that was 2005's otherworldly amazing, Be, was something that was anything but a small order. However, Common and-then collaborator, Kanye West, certainly tried to do so with the follow-up, Finding Forever. From the offset with his excellent first single, "The People" (featuring an uncredited chorus by underrated R&B singer, Dwele), we knew this would be another unbelievable offering from Common. From there, we got the CRAZY pairing with Common, Kanye, and the almighty DJ premier on "The Game", and this was a fantastic balance between the conscious and the shit-talking for hip-hop's sake. Once we did get Finding Forever, we were damn near as impressed as we were with Be. Although this was mostly a Kanye affair on the boards, he also shared some room with the likes of fellow Chi-town native (and Ye's cousin) Devo Springsteen, Black Eyed Peas' own will.i.am, and another posthumous cut by Dilla, The album starts off with the dope, "Start The Show", and from there, we just excel. Cuts like the enjoyable duet with British singer, Lily Allen, "Driving Me Wild", the Nina Samone-sampled "Misunderstood", and the bumping collab with Kanye, "Southside" are all worthy of repeating constantly. Of course, when he focuses on the female species, he stands out even more. On the will.i.am-assisted, "I Want You", we see him lustfully admiring a young woman that he's grown fond of from just starting off as friends. However, it's the cut "Break My heart" where Common does some of his best storytelling, very similar in fashion to Be's "Testify" only nowhere near as cinematic. Over a WONDERFULLY chopped sample of George Duke's "Someday", he highlights his fault of falling for a woman but ultimately not being able to fully commit to her in arguably the best produced song on the album just by the sampled hook alone. This cut will cause frequent and constant repeat button pressing. By the time we hit the closer, "Forever Begins", we've experienced such a scintillating piece of work, and then we close it with Pops giving his ever-wise monologues over a beautiful piano-laced by Ye that, like most of Pop's monologues, is quite long, but worth every minute of the listen. When you add on the previously released "So Far To Go" with reclusive Grammy Award-winner, D'Angelo (this phenomenal cut was also on Dilla's The Shining posthumous album), Finding Forever was an extremely delightful follow-up to an all-timer in Be. As a stand alone album, this certainly needs to be mentioned among his very best works. Will we ever see another Common/Kanye effort? Only time will tell, but the two they did do together were beyond incredible, and this is certainly a Common prize.
4. Black America Again
Production: Karreim Riggins, Robert Glaspar
Guests: Stevie Wonder, Bilal, Tasha Cobbs, John Legend, Marsha Ambrosius, Syd, PJ, others
The country was in a volatile state in 2016. Racial tensions have reached such a boiling point with the hideous deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014, the mysterious, yet uneven, death of Sandra Bland, and several other atrocities going on across the country regarding the Black community. Not to mention it was a political year, with Hilary Clinton and Trump running for the big office. With both of these issues heavy in the news, Common decided to deliver an album very worthy of the times called, Black America Again. Once we got a taste of this album via the title track with, of all people, THE Stevie Wonder doing the chorus, plus Robert Glaspar providing production and the simply unbelievable keys to this extremely powerful cut, we had a feeling this would be special, and folks, special it absolutely was. Although this track alone is worthy of being the highlight of the album just by its lyrics, theme, and overall production (plus Stevie doing a chorus to a hip-hop track is rare in itself), to believe it could get just a great as this was quite the anticipation. The album starts with the quite dope opener in the Bilal-assisted "Joy & Peace" (Bilal appears on about half of the album, whether foreground or background). From there, we get some absolutely awesome moments. Cuts like the gripping, BJ The Chicago Kid-assisted "Day The Women Took Over", "A Bigger Picture Called Free" with The Internet's darling, Syd, and Bilal providing his ever Prince-esque range on this track, and "Home" all capturing the Black community at its most poignant and essential. We get a glimpse of battle hungry Common on the searing cut, "Pyramids", which has him virtually going ballistic over the drum heavy cut with synths, as he reminds us that, even at his most socio-political, he's still a savage on the mic with his delivery when he wants to be. Once we get to the closers, we are in a range of feels. The inspirational collab with John Legend, "Rain" is a nearly gospel-fueled cut meant to have us searching ourselves for our inner strength, but it's the absolutely beautiful eulogy to Pops, who had just passed a year or so earlier, "Little Chicago Boy" that stir at the chart and tug on its strings. With Grammy Award-winning Gospel artist, Tasha Cobbs Leonard providing her own gorgeous vocals over a moving Frank Dukes sample that will surely make the listener reach for the tissue as this ranks among the best hip-hop tribute cuts ever alongside the likes of Nas' "Dance", "Ed O.G.'s "Love Comes & Goes", and Big K.R.I.T.'s "Yesterday". Plus one final monologue, albeit posthumously, from pops is as touching of a moment as you'll ever hear. The closer came is the simply stunning "Letter To The Free". Once again featuring Bilal, this is one of Common's most powerful cuts and the spirit of it leaps out at you quite quickly. Conjuring the spirits of our fallen ancestors and freedom fighters, Common bring an alarming awareness of where we've come from and how much further we have to go in the climate us as a community is in. Among the most intensely pro-Black albums of our time, Common's Black America Again reminds us of our plight, our beauty, and our instinctive power as a culture and a community. When people mention all-time great socially conscious albums that have the heart to revolutionize and cause change, we think of the seminal It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, or even others like Let's Get Free, Nas' Untitled, or Genocide & Juice. It's vital we include Black America Again in the same conversation, as one could say this is the most important album Lonnie Rashid has ever presented.
3. Resurrection
Production: No I.D., YNot
Guests: No I.D., Twilite Tone
While his debut, Can I Borrow A Dollar, was largely unnoticed and underwhelming, Common attempted to wipe the entire slate clean and return with his '94 offering, Resurrection. With a better direction and definitely better focus, Common delivered what many considered for many years, his complete magnum opus. Shifting to more of a jazzy boom-bap sound more than his prior album, Common sounded more confident and found his voice with this one, as evidenced by the first single, which was the title track. Lyrically, this was way more together, and he even managed to craft a true hip-hop classic with the ode to hip-hop as a woman, "I Used To Love H.E.R.". While these two singles were certainly enough to get you wide open, it only got better from here. The neck-snapping rhythms of the likes of "Watermelon", "In My Own World", and "Thisisme" keep reminding you of just how great his pen game was and that we wished we saw this more on his debut. Other highlights include the somewhat mellow, yet still very lyrical, "Communism", "Nuthin' To Do", and "Sum Shit I Write", in which Common's lyrical wit, yet occasionally personal, rhymes, make him represent himself as an ordinary man with beyond ordinary writing and spitting capabilities. It's a hip-hoppers hip-hop album. Just beats and rhymes, and that's it. No gimmicks, nothing too heavy, just the ability to brag and boast about how great of an emcee he is in such a believable approach and style that you knew this was an emcee to really be on the lookout for. The year of '94, as has been mentioned before, was the year that delivered the likes of Illmatic, Ready To Die, The Diary, and Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik among many others. This sophomore effort of Resurrection fits in the upper echelon of the group and is definitely an all-timer.
2. Like Water For Chocolate
Production: The Soulquarians, J Dilla, DJ Premier, Karreim Riggins
Guests: Bilal, Slum Village, D'Angelo, Jill Scott, Cee-Lo, Black Thought, Vinia Mojica, Roy Hargrove, others
With two of his past three albums being critically acclaimed (one of them being one of the best wall to wall albums of the decade), we were waiting to see what else Common had in store for us. We saw his potential in his debut, we saw him tremendously elevate his pen game, delivery, and over better production with Resurrection, and showed him getting more personal on One Day It'll All Make Sense. Next up was an album that, by many, put him in the consciousness of people than ever with his fourth offering, Like Water For Chocolate. Named after the book and movie of the same title, the album sees Common display a passion for music much like the main character of the novel/movie have a passion for food, especially in the midst of stress. He also moved away from No I.D. and went towards a more live instrumentation soundscape with Quest-Love of The Roots musically overseeing the album. The album was primarily crafted by an ensemble known as The Soulquarians, which consisted of the likes the aforementioned Quest-Love, D'Angelo, keyboardist James Poyser, bassist Pino Palladino, and songwriters Erykah Badu, and Bilal among others. The result was a very fresh-sounding album that would very much resemble a Roots album in many ways sonically. The fiery first single, "The Sixth Sense" was an incredible warning shot, as he got up with the legendary Preemo himself to deliver sharp bars concerning hip-hop culture and Black community issues. Once we got our hold of the album's exquisite second single, "The Light", we knew this was going to be the most special album of his career at the time. Over Dilla's reworking of Bobby Caldwell's delightful "Open Your Eyes", this love letter (presumably about Ms. Badu, whom he was dating around this time) became his biggest hit and officially got his name into many more households with this career defining hit. The rest of the album fits hand in glove with the theme of the album: celebrating a love of music, the Black consciousness, and his undying love for hip-hop. Bringing live instrumentation, soul, a bit of gospel undertones, and jazz, the album is completely full of highlights and standouts. The funky snares of cuts like "Cold Blooded" and the Jill Scott/Bilal "Funky For You" dazzle, while more soulfully-crafted cuts like "Payback Is A Grandmother", "Nag Ciampa", and the Slum Village-assisted "Thelonious" have him gliding elegantly over bass rhythms with mellow yet neck moving percussion. Particular highlights include the highly misogynistic (by design) tale of a pimp trying to get himself together with help by one of his..ahem...ladies on "A Film Called Pimp", which features Bilal on the hook and a strong appearance by the legendary MC Lyte. Also, his remake of the great cut by The Family Stand, "Geto Heaven" is sublime. While the album version has him with D'Angelo on the hook, the "T.S.O.I. remix" with Grammy Award nominee-Macy Gray is just exquisite. Later released as a single, and even an added bonus cut for the album, this, along with "The Light" helped make the album his biggest seller to date, selling nearly platinum units for its day. This marked the beginning of a newfound stardom for Common with Like Water For Chocolate, but this was also musical and lyrical craftsmanship at its finest. A star had officially been born with Common with this album, and he hasn't looked back since.
1. BE
Production: Kanye West, J Dilla
Guests: John Legend, Bilal, Kanye West, John Mayer, The Last Poets
Talk around the campfire just after the mixed reaction of Electric Circus was that Common was linking up with fellow Chicago son, Kanye West, for his next album. Kanye was simply on fire at this time, with his trilogy of The College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation all being among the best albums of the early new century. He was bringing complete and undefeated heat with everyone he was working with. From Jay-Z to Talib Kweli, The Game, and Scarface, Ye was scorching and was absolutely the 'it' guy in hip-hop, especially behind the boards. We got our first taste of this musical partnership during an episode of the legendary Dave Chapelle Show, where they performed the blazing "The Food" for the show. the neck-snapping, piano-laced cut was bananas and instantly sent anticipation into overdrive. The result was Be, and OH GOD!! This album captured the spirit of Resurrection in terms of just being about hip-hop, while mixing in moments of love, passion, and social awareness. Basically classic Common. The first single was the bumpin' collab with Kanye and widely heralded (and highly controversial) spoken word group, the Last Poets, "The Corners", where he describes the cold streets of the Chi and the harsh realities of ghetto life in a way every hood can attest to in some way. We get a little more sultry with the second single, "Go", which features Ye and folk-rock star, Joh Mayer. backed by a layered, mid-tempo groove, Common throws on his sex appeal for the ladies in a classy, yet still adult themed, manner. he promotes his Black community and culture on cuts like "They Say" with Ye and John Legend and the blazing Chi City", but also gets poignant and positive on the Dilla-crafted "Love Is". He just floats his ass off on the MF DOOM-esque, horn-laced "Real People" in such an abstract way but also reaffirms just how insanely talented his delivery and pen game really is. He goes a different route on the stellar "testify", as he presents a murder mystery surrounding a shiesty woman that flexes his storytelling muscles. While we've heard better types of scenarios like "More Trife Life" or even Dave East's "Keisha", this was admirable, plus Kanye's soulfully sampled track accentuates the positives across the board. The closer is the impeccable "It's Your World" featuring the croonings of Bilal (who also delivered a tremendous performance alongside John Legend on the excellent ode to loyalty and relationships, "Faithful"). While Common brings it as fresh as only he can with his uplifting and charming, it's the monologue from Pops that really hits it all home, and subsequently wraps up the theme of the album in a nutshell: being yourself and proud of who you are. Over some gorgeous keys, Pops was starting to become a legend in his own right with his monologues, and it's possible this was his best one besides the posthumous one he had on Black America Again. There have been comparisons to the god album, Illmatic, with this one, and truthfully, there's a decent argument there. From the phenomenal kazoo-laced opening title track to the closer, Be was perfect. All the way around. With it being eleven tracks, there was little room for error, and frankly, there weren't any. None. Kanye brought a beast out of Common not seen truthfully since Resurrection and it was like were seeing the younger twenties Common again on this album. Over arguably the best production Kanye delivered to someone besides himself, Common was a swordsman that knew how to cut through the best of them with his witty, yet insightful and clever lyricism. He was also a maturing sensei, who's wisdom and thought process made him be presented as down to earth more so than preachy. This was top to bottom real hip-hop and a true generational album in every sense. Rarely do we hear anyone make an album comparable to Illmatic in terms of its overall structure and lyrically technical precision, but this was an extraordinary case. This stands as not only his career best, but one of the finest bell to bell moments in modern hip-hop and should be regarded and celebrated as such for decades to come.
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