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BHM2K8: Do We Need A New Common LP?

Common, Brother Common, you're one of my favorite lyricists, period. Back in the late 90s, you were that nigga for me, especially when "1,2 Many..." came out - that was my theme song during my late high school years! I would get hungry for your music, and dissect your lines on busstops and during long walks through the city.

Now, while I loved your output with No I.D. and Dilla, you slacked off for a bit, and I felt you'd find your new swagger with Kanye. And you did. And, aside from the bangers on BE, I wasn't impressed. Some cats might wild on you for the twists and turns you took on albums like Electric Circus, but I respect that whole Solquarians era, and I would take something like that before I'd sit through another Finding Forever. Now you are telling MTV that your new album is set to drop in November? Why? Don't you have some R&B videos to cameo in? Or more superheroes to portray? What's good with that?

Dog, just don't taint your legacy with this snooze-core Soul-Rap. I just can't stand the sappy love odes: when you need to be making more of "The Corner", you are trying to "Go!"... I mean, hell, you slept on the instrumental for "Everything I Am" - that should tell you something, nigga! Maybe you should ease up a bit, get the Q-Tip project done before dropping another solo.

You want to call your new jawn The Believer. Make me a believer and keep it thoro.
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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

he does need a talking to, doesn't he? ever since i seen him rockin fur coats i've had a hard time taking his music seriously. and not cause i'm on some peta stuff, just because he looked funny and awkward. and then his music changed. and not cause i'm on some 90s boom bap only stuff either. it's because it changed for the worse. sappy snooze-core soul rap. that's it exactly. great choice of words. that's the problem. it's on some neo-soul but the problem is that neo-soul tends to lack the organic feel of real soul. ah man. i even hate the way i sound right now. whatever. more power to him. peace, love and GAP.

AaronM said...

Great piece, Khal. You could not be more spot on.
It's like he sanded all the edges off his lyrics and beats.
Also WTF is up with him gaybashing again on "The Game" after he admitted to his homophobia on "Between Me, You and Liberation"?
And focusing on acting after mocking Mos Def for doing the same thing?
I was pretty young when "Electric Circus" came out, but those artistic statements are still out there, Com. You'd be wise to listen to your own advice, a few years back.

khal said...

i'm surprised you guys agree with me! most of the time it seems like people feel this way, but when Finding Forever dropped, mad people considered it a classic. i gave it one proper listen through and didn't get it, save for 2 tracks.

common's gay bashing and interacial dating bashing are two points of his persona that i def. don't agree with, but that might be a different subject...