What can be said about Common that hasn’t already said, he’s a living legend, a true representative and representation of hip hop, he’s been at and has stayed consistently fire for going on 20 years now. He’s not afraid to succeed nor fail, he stays true to himself at all cost doing what he wants to do and making music from his heart they way he wants to hear it regardless of album sales or any ones opinion. Based on his track record you really truly don’t know what to expect from Common because he is not afraid to take a large risk and go completely left and experiment with a new sound, never one to paint himself into a box or corner or to stereotype himself, he’s a true artist that pushes boundaries.
After mixed reviews and the somewhat experimental Universal Mind Control , you always have to wonder what to expect from Common next. Well with The Dreamer / The Believer, Common brings it back, closer to the middle of expectations and desires of his music, and brings back typical but not stereotypical Common music. With all songs being produced by No I.D. you know some good hiphop is to be served and that chemistry be on point.
Lyrically it’s the dope you expect . If you’re a fan of lyrics you know and expect better than average from Common. The subject range is great, there is no one prevailing theme or subject, its life in all its forms.
On the scale of originality it’s not anything that has never been done, but more on the side of what is rarely done anymore. And its Common being him self not any body else or following any trends other than the recent trend of having on producer take on the whole load.
No I.D lays it down on the production, it’s a good selection of beats and overall sonically its well rounded. Not necessarily any instant classics or beats that will change history but definitely some jams.
The strength is in the song making ability . Each song has a feel and depending on what mood you’re in when listening may determine which song you want to hear and what’s your favorite that day. I don’t think there is any wasted tracks, collabos or beats. The collabo are very poignant and he does the majority of work himself. All of the tracks fit and flow, there is no significant drop off, its consistent song to song as expected from a vet. Definitely check the Intro track “The Dreamer” f/ Maya Angelou, Ghetto Dreams f/ Nas , “Lovin I lost” , “Celebrate” , and The Believer f/ John Legend.
If you’re a fan of real music, authentic hip hop and lyrics, the entertainment value will be relatively high, and the replay value also. Its not his best album but should be well received. I give The Dreamer / The Believer a strong 4 out of 6 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment