Words by T.C.
If anyone was to argue that rapping was similar to acting, they would have several valid points. Exaggerated images, normally of the gangsta persuasion, and larger than life persona’s characterize the DNA of many rappers. But when an artist creates a successful career simply by being themselves, you know they’re on to something. Take veteran MC Common for example. After reliving his second “resurrection” in the form of 2005′s remarkable BE, the gifted lyricist has been hailed by peers and critics alike as the ultimate alternative to anything overly commercial or superficial. The Anti-Bling if you will. His latest effort, Finding Forever gives us the traditional ol’ Comm complete with witty lyricism and poignant messages abound. And although the album’s format is considerably similar to that of Be, its production gives it a clear distinction from its predecessor. Where Be flowed with lush melodies and slightly caused audio jet lag, Finding Forever is drenched with oatmeal thick bass lines and off-kilter chopped samples that would make the late J Dilla beam with pride, courtesy of the album’s primary producer Kanye West of course.
Never one to bite his tongue (see “The Bitch In Yoo”), Common’s road to eternity begins with “Start The Show”. A sly insult to all rappers with questionable talent while simultaneously making his presence felt in ’07. Over Kanye’s brooding piano cuts, Comm gets nasty with lines such as “Noble like Drew Ali/many have come/but few have been chose to be a true MC/you sing along wit’ it inside/you knowin’ its wack/Young “who”?/Oh he the opening act…” Equally provocative is the awesome metaphorical diatribe “Black Maybe” and the fast paced humanitarian dedication of “The People”. And despite “Southside” being the only time Common shares his mic (with Kanye West…of course!), the two Chicagoans represent their craft and their city as well as a couple of legends did for Brooklyn several years ago.
Now for the knitpicking. Imagine the hardship of a reviewer shaving points on an album that’s an overall solid composition. Especially when standards in Hip-Hop are so low nowadays. But if Finding Forever has any glaring flaws, its the lack of the element of surprise that separates a classic from a great album. Tales of whirlwind love in “Break My Heart” and “I Want You” are very familiar ground for Common. Even the jazzy march instrumental of “Forever Begins” has his name written all over it. The slimmed down tracklist of seemingly carefully executed tracks somewhat has “playing it safe” written between the fine print.
A classic label is not necessary for one to enjoy an impressive musical experience however. Common has created yet another timeless collage of soul reflected Hip-Hop to add to his storied catalogue. Free from fads and glamorized sin, Finding Forever has the quality to appeal to a wide demographic underneath the culture’s umbrella. It may be conventional but it never goes out of style.
Common – Finding Forever [4 Bonus Tracks Not On Album]
1. (00:03:07) Common – Play Your Cards Right (Feat. Bilal) (Bonus Track)
2. (00:03:39) Common – A Dream (Feat Will.I.Am) (Bonus Track)
3. (00:04:30) Common – So Cool (Bonus Track)
4. (00:04:27) Common – The Food (Studio Version) (Feat. Kanye West) (Bonus Track)
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quality review of a quality album.
nice one bruvah!
DJ Bounce (UK)
cant hate on legitimate hiphop
nobody gonna be listenin to THE MASSACRE with they kidz
http://www.aspektz.com
gunshots for timeless music
chi town go get it.
Nice review, even if i’d like to say something about the Drivin me Wild Chorus… isn’t it annoying ? Too much lilly allen, not enough common :p
but i needed a new Common album, and this one is good, but not as good as Be :)
Anyway, thanks a lots for those bonus tracks
^ “Drivin Me Wild” has grown on me like no other. At first listen, I was kinda iffy about it. But the more I listen to it – beat, lyrics and her chorus – I’m really loving the track & the significance of the role it plays in the album. By that I mean, it’s still lyrical rap, but it’s got that infusion of thought that’s pervaded Common’s lyrics more and more since Electric Circus. But w/BE and FF, he’s found the right beats to surround it w/and it’s making for good music.
Just my opinion.
Also, which is better to you – Com over No I.D. beats or Com over Kanye beats?
I’ve got my opinion but I’ll wait to see what, if anything, others think.
Solid effort. I just want Common to make something that you can ride to in the whip. His last two have been for the incense and feet rub session with your lady. Dude’s top 10 to me.
I like both of them but I would choose No I.D. just because I’m still listening to his album(No I.D.) he dropped back in the day.
Dorian – Up that joint.
Chuck – I listened to BE pretty heavy in the whip. It wasn’t an album you played loud, but it did good for commuting.
The biggest fault of this album is that it’s as formulaic as most of the Roots albums are, I mean you can run down the line between Be and Finding Forever and just match the songs.
I enjoyed (am enjoying) this album, but it certainly didnt blow me away with creative force, mainly on the production end of things though….
T.C., you are right. Honestly there is nothing wrong with Finding Forever. Good review though.
“Noble like Drew Ali/many have come/but few have been chose to be a true MC/you sing along wit’ it inside/you knowin’ its wack/Young “who”?/Oh he the opening act…”
that’s such a dope couple a lines. i gtg peep this album
“Also, which is better to you – Com over No I.D. beats or Com over Kanye beats?”
Although I love Kanye’s work, I’m gon have to go with No I.D. on this one. No I.D. in his prime was producing such soothing, jazzy and relaxing type of shit over Com’s lyricism that was one of a kind. Albums like Resurrection and One Day It’ll Make Sense displayed some of the best production as far as Rap albums are concerned.
But the tandem of Com & Kanye is just as great as well.
Shout out to the Purple tape.
sweet review. comm’s album matched up to its hyped up anticipation.
nothing but dope beat dope rhymes..
i thought overall (production and lyrics) it was a boring album. but i haven’t really liked a common album since 1997 (one day it will all make sense) so maybe common fans will love it.
Drive Me Wild, …the drums, crazy.
I agree with you T.C., This album is one of the best out this year.
And will be the first album I’ve bought since Hip-Hop Is Dead.
this is not an album (‘southside’ nonwithstanding) that you put in to get LIVE to, this is however, a VERY good album. it’s almost cliche to say, but it’s a ‘grown folks’ album as far as the topics and music selection go. depending on what mood you’re in, it may or may not lag—but that’s just a typical common [sense] album. i like ‘Finding Forever’ better than ‘Be’, cuz to me ‘Be’ was overly preachy at times… front if wanna, but top to bottom it’s an excellent cd
No I.D. or Kanye? That’s a tough one.
I’m gonna call it a tie. Only because No I.D.’s production fit the younger Common perfectly… I feel the same way about Kanye and the Common of today. Dude has been one of my top 10 emcees from the jump, but I will definitely say that he has evolved.
Favorite Common joint “Hungry” — One Day it Will All Make Sense
Yo… if anyone has No I.D.’s “Accept Your Own & Be Yourself (The Black Album)” and can up that money it would be greatly appreciated. My copy still has hella scratches from letting a “friend” borrow it in like ’98.
No I.D. is the better fit for Common. I would like to see Common and Primo hook up for like 5-7 songs. Common would shine over beats.
Dougie, I got that at the crib…I’ll hook it up later if you don’t get it sooner.
And good point about the comparison. We’re dealing with two different Commons at two different periods in time.
There are a lot of producers out there who could be, like, milennium No I.D.s, though…9th and Kev Brown come to mind.
Ah, that’s a good look, Squeek.
If there is one thing I have to say about the Common, though, is that the cover art is fucking ridiculous.
good looks Squeek.
^^^LOL
The cover art is pretty bad… the marker on his head & beard just looks sloppy.
Looks like a cross between a bad weave & this guy:
http://www.apollowebworks.com/atheism/images/emperor.jpg
Yeah, I’m not really feeling the cover @ all.
nice review. personally, i was so thirsty for a common album, i didn’t really find too many faults with this album. it is what i wanted be to be. that is only to say that i dig this album way more, at least on the production tip. i know that dilla is smilin’ from up on high. he definitely left his mark and passed the torch! after emerging from my bedroom from a 3 day stint involving my mp3 player, vibrator, and this album, all i can say is that common left me very satisfied!
i’mma also have to say that i prefer the com/no i.d. collabo slightly over com-ye collaborations. resurrection is my shit because com still has that youth angst & ire, while he’s mellowed some now and come more to terms with the cyclical nature of life (respect due on being a grown man), but sometimes i just love the bravado and braggadocious (sp?) nature of hip-hop.
resurrection link:
http://www.zshare.net/download/2830006102cbc6/
Big shout to the homey Squeek Boogie. Most appreciated.
Anybody holding the mp3 for the version of “Ressurection” that used to be on the video? I remember being in Chi when that joint released and they played it on The Box ALLLLLL day long.
Resurrection is one of the illest rap albums I’ve ever heard in my life.
And the video was just as dope…high Common, with the Heineken. Dope.
Gotty – I ghost-rode to it too, dolo. but on my way to a rec league game with my homeboys? Nah. We’d end up puffin L’s and we was supposed to be hyped. Its a great album, beats, rhymes, subject matter, social relevance, it just ain’t knock like that. Water for chocolate knocked like that.
My nigga said the Box….AHH SHIT!
Channel 39 up in NYC, I remember it like it was yesterday.
I bet some cats don’t remember that the Box was turned into MTV2.
This album is Dope!! I wasn’t a real big fan of Common’s work overall in the begaining of his career. IMO he hit homeruns with the last two albums. Dope beats, dope lyrics, and albums that are cohesive.
Good looks squeak on the NO I.D. link!!
As for the collabo question, I might have to call it even… eh maybe NO I.D. with a slight edge… like I mentioned in another post, I would have preferred if he had some NO I.D. production added in there… that’s all… Kanye does eventually keep some of his production for his own use so you definitely won’t get the best produced beats available… still, he does bless Common with some heat on FF…
I do believe this album is better than BE but that will always be open for debate… just with the amount of tracks this time around, FF is a plus!!… and the flow of FF is good… fave tracks : Start the Show, Drivin Me Wild, Southside and The Game…
Can I Borrow A Dollar is my joint… Twilight Tone where ya at!!???…
and “Two Scoops of Raisins” is my favorite track all time… lots of tracks tied for 2nd… Hungry, Orange Pineapple Juice, Soul Power, I Am Music, Nag Champa, Heat, Soul By the Pound (remix)…..
One!
yeah the albums tight but i started to think i was listening to a dipset album with so many fucking highpitched samples…but yeah this is def gonna be the best cd out this year…unless ugk comes with some shit
Finding Forever continued…anybody have any of these tracks? forget the obvious “A Dream” and Dilla’s track..but the rest
Common – Finding Forever Unused Tracks
A Dream (featuring will.i.am) (produced by will.i.am)
The Glory (featuring Kanye West) (produced by Kanye West)
So Far To Go [Original Verses] (featuring D’Angelo) (produced by J Dilla) (original verses appear on J Dilla’s The Shining)
Chicago (featuring Kanye West) (produced by Kanye West)
Living This Life
Road To Forever (featuring The Last Poets)
Roses
Baby We Need It (featuring The Willie Conttrell Band)
Can We Go Back
Finding Forever (featuring Monkane)
I’d like to hear The Glory and Chicago.
be > finding forever
and ‘drivin me wild’ is horrible.
did anyone else notice that the album version of ‘southside’ and the snippet on the cant tell me nothing mixtape are completely different?! the mixtape version had a badass breakdown where the beat totally changed up. anyone know what happened?
hands down 1 of the best ive heard from him in some time now.good quality tracks ,now lets see kanye and talib hold up there end of the bargin.
I know y’all noticed that the track “forever begins” sounds identical to dj quik’s “50 ways” off of his under tha influence album…anyone else hear it?
@ Shawno
its the same drum sample from Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” which was also used on….
Eminem “Murder, Murder”
Kid ‘N Play “Can You Dig That”
Kool Moe Dee “50 Ways”
R Kelly “The World’s Greatest”
@ Gotty… I can’t remember which joint he used in the video, but anyone that doesn’t have these needs them:
Common Sense – Resurrection (Pete Rock Remix)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/2834179ce3f926/
Common Sense – Resurrection (Large Professor Remix)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/2834215f83a002/
Somebody up those unused tracks if you got ‘em. I’d like to hear them to see how horrible they had to be not to make this album. I like the album personally, and can play it all the way through with no problem.
I just drank a Creatine Martini – Glass of Belvedere, with two teaspoons of creatine monohydrate and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. . . . and what im saying is that i cant listen to this Common album AT ALL !!!! …. its too “Gay” . .. even for me !!!!!.. .. now, my partner is the bottom in this relationship, and even he agrees that it seems more suited for one of those gothic punker emo white girls to cut her forearms to. . … sorry Common. . .. the community wasnt feeling this one !!!!!!. . .. . >snap
Common’s music is what really got me into Hip Hop. I had always enjoyed it, but Common got me into it.
I usually don’t get albums “the traditional way” anymore (especially not rap albums), but for a few, I make the exception. I will be coppin’ this album as soon as possible.
THE BONUS TRACK “THE FOOD (STUDIO VERSION)” IS SKIPPING. CAN ANYONE UPLOAD A PROPER VERSION?
As far as i know, tha’s the best version available (The Food). I don’t know why Rapgodfathers.com put the bonus tracks of Be alongside the bonus tracks of Finding Forever. Annoying.
Oh and Common did it again! But, IMO, BE is overall a better album, the only flaw in Be was the live version of The Food, but who knows? :D