Common's New Album Called Classic
XXL Magazine Calls BE A Classic.
"Common’s wordsmith wizardry soars beyond stylistics: It excels at photographing real life."
In 2003, before the College Dropout was released I predicted the rise of "The Regular Dude" in hip-hop off the strength of Kanye's popularity. Well, normal guy John Legend is doing his thing, and Vibe called his album a classic. Now the re-normalized Common gets the classic nod from XXL. Both artists are produced by Kanye and exist now on his label, G.O.O.D.
Dag, son. I was a year too early!
[Hashim: I'mma tell you like I tell my women. Don't watch me, watch TV!]
Right now would be a good time for Lauryn Hill to make her comeback
Posted by: lynne | 2005.03.24 at 11:24 AM
true that Lynne. Guess who's been working with her in the studio lately. Kanye!
Posted by: Hashim | 2005.03.24 at 12:35 PM
Yeah, I think that Common's the end of it though! I don't know wether he can really make a classic L.P, how many times can you hear 'Crack Babies/ Black Ladies/ The hood is crazy'??? Regular guy rap didn't really capitalise on Kanye's fame, they don't know how to draw the line between Regulare guy and Nerd rap!
Nerd rapers are 'Oxymorons they suck when they spit!'- Marvin The Martian (INSO)
Posted by: Tego | 2005.03.24 at 12:59 PM
Tego, I think the problem is Nerd Rap or Backpacker Rap or whatever is just as image driven as gangsta or pimp rappers.
Kanye came out and said "I love Jesus and going to stip clubs"
"I'm normal" is his image.
Kurt Cobain was the same way. After him all the rockers started dreeing like they just walked out there house, and changed their lyrics from hollywood to the everyday struggle.
Same thing is happening with hip-hop.
Posted by: Hashim | 2005.03.24 at 01:19 PM
Yeah, even the Kwelis and Kanyes are pushing an image. But *at least* it's a more realistic image(to me) than superthugs like 50 Cent and The Game
Posted by: charliedigital | 2005.03.25 at 10:18 PM
Holy awesome! Kanye is working with Lauryn?! Oboyoboyoboyoboyoboy...
Posted by: Alex | 2005.03.26 at 04:26 PM
At the end of the day though, the suburbs are only going to get back into hiip-hop if we do what NWA and them did, and offer a new perspective, Nerd/ Regular guy rap, is mature hip-hop but is ultimately for hip-hoppers, we get it! Most of the people that bought 'College Dropout' don't get what we see in it, we see the record label, we see the Blueprint, and we see this kid climbing out of that!
We need to scare the middle class again! We need a group to come through and scare some white mommas! You know what I'm sayin'? Kanye, Common and Kweli, are too-much like everybody else, the artists need to be
Posted by: Tego | 2005.03.29 at 07:11 AM
Hey Hashim,
Good to meet you at the Columbia talk last week. This is totally on point! We're in dire need of good stuff from him, seeing as how Talib and Mos are suffering from "gassed-head-syndrome" these days. Sigh. Pining for the days of "Respiration".
-Mahogany Elle
Posted by: Mahogany Elle | 2005.04.02 at 10:12 PM
when is Common's album suppose to drop?
Posted by: wes | 2005.04.07 at 10:49 AM
PEACE AND LOVE:
COMMONS ALBUM IS DEFINATLEY HOLDING HIP-HOP DOWN. IT IS REFRESHING, NOT TO MENTION THIS IS ONE OF HIS BEST WORKS YET. I LOVE ALL COMMON ALBUMS, ALTHOUGH I SLEPT ON ELECTRIC CIRCUS. BUT THIS ALBUM IS THE ISH. AND KANYE DEFINATLEY BLESSED THE TRACKS.. :-) JUST A THOUGHT (J.A.T)
P.E.A.C.E
JAHLIONESS AKA AERIA51 AKA ALOVE
Posted by: aeria/JAHLIONESS | 2005.09.28 at 05:00 PM
I don't think that comman,kanye and mos Def are like anybody else.Their music isn't what i'm tired of. I'm tired of the LAFFY TAFFIES and the I'MA KILL YOU B**CH and that mess. None of this means anything to anybody. But as soon as somebody brings up REAL issues they wack cause they ain't shootin N*ggas.
If you think like that than you need to grow up.
Posted by: Manifest | 2006.04.01 at 05:26 PM