I'm Big D, from Tampa. I review Hip-Hop passionately. I hope you enjoy my work.
I'm Big D, from Tampa. I review Hip-Hop passionately. I hope you enjoy my work.
Member since:23.07.2004
Reviews:73
Members who trust:5
Common is one of those artists that you just cannot stop respecting. Every single thing Common, formerly Common Sense, touches turns into classic. From his unknown underground debut Can i Borrow a Dollar, to his back to back pure classics Ressurection and One Day It'll All Make Sense, so his countless guest appearances, he has earned the title of being one of the most poetic, creative, and thoughtful artists in music, not just Hip Hop. Usually, Common's raps come in million forms, from fly love songs, to narrations about life, to his thoughts, to introspection, to storytelling, to old-school battle raps. Common can do it all, and has proven it to us time and time again. Common's complete cross-over into the mainstream was with 1999's Like Water for Chocolate. Common had a #1 hit single, but still didn't sell out whatsoever, and continued being poetic and thoughtful. This is my review for that album...
Track List & Rating
1. Time Travelling (A tribute to Fela) (5 Stars) 2. Heat (4 Stars) 3. Cold Blooded f/ Rahzel (3 1/2 Stars) 4. Dooinint (5 Stars) 5. The Light (5 Stars) 6. Funky For You (5 Stars) 7. The Questions f. Mos Def (5 Stars) 8. Time Travelin’ (reprise) (NOT RATED) 9. The 6th Sense (5 Stars) 10. A Film Called (Pimp) f/ MC Lyte (4 1/2 Stars) 11. Nag Champa (Aphrodisiac For The World) (5 Stars) 12. Thelonius f/ Slum Village. (4 Stars) 13. Payback Is A Grandmother (5 Stars) 14. Geto Heaven Pt. 2. f/ D'Angelo (5 Stars) 15. A Song For Assata (5 Stars) 16. Pops Rap III… All My Children (NOT RATED)
The one song from Like Water for Chocolate that fully crossed
Common over and made him a smash rapper on television was the incredible single "The Light". Producer Jay-Dee creates a masterful jazzy beat with a driving bass and drum loop, a snare, keyboard keys, and a memorable flute for Common. Common has always been an artist to be innovative, so instead of giving us a true love song, or a sappy "Ja Rule" type of Love Ballad, he gives us an intelligent look at a relationship. Common showcases his love song abilities, with tons of emotion, but its the intelligence of the song that surprises me. Common describes how he would treat a woman in a relationship and his love for her, basically in letter format. F*ck all this sappy commercial love crap, Common gives us a real love song, specially in the ending when he says yo, I'll tell you the rest when I see you, peace", indicating that some things must be said in person, which i know first hand, is true. Many think this is dedicated to Erykah Badu, who is Common's boo, and it probably is.
I never call you my b*tch or even my boo There's so much in a name and so much more in you Few understand the union of woman and man And sex and a tingle is where they assume that it land But that's fly by night for you and the sky I write For in these cold Chi night's moon, you my light If heaven had a height, you would be that tall Ghetto to coffee shop, through you I see that all Let's stick to understandin and we won't fall For better or worse times, I hope to me you call So I pray everyday more than anything friends will stay as we begin to lay this foundation for a family - love ain't simple Why can't it be anything worth having you work at annually Granted we known each other for some time It don't take a whole day to recognize sunshine
"Dooinint" was Common's first venomous battle rap on the album. Common changes all of the mentality on "The Light", and shows us his hardcore, and vicious size. Common annihilates commercial rap and does a Canibus, in battling unnamed opponents, but ripping them to pieces. The Chorus is very old school, where Common spells his name. Common's lyricism is top notch, featuring a plethora of metaphors, similes, all over a multi-syllable flow. The instrumental is masterful, with a low-key skipping piano, drum / clap, and deep bassline. Tight F*cking track.
Common gives us funky and soulful music with "Funky For You" and "The Questions". The first of the two is just a braggadiocio track, in which Common pays respect to hip hop's roots, including one of its founding fathers, the teacher KRS-One. Common gives us an incredible pro-underground track which i personally love. The second track of the two features fellow Rawkus legend Mos Def. On this track, Mos Def doesnt rap, but only helps Common rap in an attempt to dominate and destroy commercial rap, in a very intelligent and introspective way. They basically ask questions to the pop-rap croud, mocking them with clever punchlines and ideas.
DJ Premier, possibly the greatest producer of all time, produces on "The 6th Sense". Primo laces us with a memorable scaling piano, backed by a simplistic loud drum loop which sounds awesome coming out of you're speakers. Common gives us intelligent poetry about himself, claiming that his 6th sense is the ability to rhyme, basically saying that it is hip hop. Common rhymes that no matter what happens, he will never sell out and remain poetic and remain with his own style, which is an awesome tribute to the underground. In fact, he even lays down a subtle diss towards Lil Kim. Even though Like Water for Chocolate got an extreme amount of commercial success, it is, and always will be, created for the underground, which is incredible in this humble reviewer's opinion.
Like Water for Chocolate continues to please the listener over and over. The excellently soulful, lyrical hip hop tribute "Nag Champa (Aphrodisiac For The World)". The excellent chorus and soft, easy-to-listen to production and amazing intelligent poetic lyricism is the winning combination for Common, as usual. "Thelonius" is a relatively strong track. Common spits flames on the track, but Slum Village comes off a tiny bit sub par at times, allowing Common to take center stage. Of course, the production is jazzy and soothing, with a strong bassline, and piano keys which allow the lyricism to be the main event, which is composed to street poetry this time around. R&B star D' Angelo pops in on "Geto Heaven Pt. 2" to add some flavor to the chorus as Common gives us yet another excellent, introspective, thoughtful, and lyrical poems about the street, over some beautiful jazzy piano keys, giving us another classic track. Common gives us another gripping storytelling CLASSIC with "Song for Assata" which must be heard to be believed.
One of the major stand-out tracks is the storytelling lyrical journey called "Payback is a Grandmother". This track has stricking similarities to the "Stolen Moments" trilogy from One Day It'll All Make Sense. In this story, Common's grandmother gets robbed, and its up to Common to get revenge for it. The lyrics are poetic and narrative, and they perfectly describe Common's adventure to find the culprit. The story turns deadly and violent at the end, but it doesn't matter because Common's genius is fully shown on this track, as usual. Jay-Dee gives us yet another beautifully produced, old-school instrumental for Common to rap over.
Like the previous two Common albums, Like Water for Chocolate ends with "Pops' Rap III... All my Children", where Pops gives us another poetic narrative to close the album.
Like Water for Chocolate was the album that put Common into the mainstream and sort of introduced the underground to many fans on television who would never know any real hip hop music, and would be forced to be trapped within the horror of Bentleys and Dubs. Common is a bit more laid back on this album, yet continues to be poetic and intelligent, which was always his major strong point. On here, Common blends soulful production by the incredible Soulquarians production team, which feature such people as Jay-Dee, ?uestlove from the Roots, and D'Angelo, and mixes it in with his poetic lyrics, making a magically delicious, lucky charm of an album if i can use that cereal reference. Like Water for Chocolate is a brilliantly unique album, and i am proud to have it in my collection right next to every other classic Common album.
4 1/2 Stars... Rounded up to 5
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Jul 26th, 2004
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