In "The People," Common rhymes "My daughter found Nemo/I found the new Primo," yet it is the late J Dilla -- not DJ Premier -- who is emulated by Kanye West throughout Finding Forever. Dilla's 2006 death has had Common and Kanye not just grieving but further contemplating the making of music that outlasts their time on the planet. This lends a kind of heaviness, a level of seriousness, and a sometimes overbearing sense of "What we are doing here is intended to be important," not present on 2005's Be -- a taut and steady album with an unforced and seemingly less conceptualized liquid flow. This time out, Kanye adopts a "What would Dilla do?" approach to his productions. (As on Be, most of the tracks feature his handiwork, with some duties farmed out to others.) Though the intentions are good, it's an audacious move: idiosyncratic and often brilliant producer attempts to channel the creativity of a master who constantly switched up his game. It doesn't help Kanye's cause that the album's sweetest track is the Dilla-produced "So Far to Go" (heard in original form on Dilla's The Shining), sandwiched between two Kanye beats that can be tuned out with no effort. There are some subtle references to Dilla, and while it's perfectly acceptable that no outright mimicry is going on, the majority of the beats are slightly substandard, at least by Kanye standards. Common delivers plenty of lyrical potency, whether he's mixing the sad with the silly ("Doin' all she can for her man and her baby, drivin' herself crazy like the astronaut lady") or dishing out some serious Nas-worthy disdain ("With 12 monkeys on-stage, it's hard to see who's a gorilla -- you was better as a drug dealer"). Sometimes, though, he's only providing more ammo for those who still maintain that his best album is his less than didactic debut, like the Cosby-in-training "He had a fetish for shoes that's athletic/Pathetic on his MySpace page half-naked." The album includes a handful of well-placed and effectual guest contributors, including Bilal, Dwele, Lily Allen, Common's dad, and the one and only Primo. Still, it's a shade less satisfying than Be.
*Mog Rating*: 7.5 Out Of 10 Stars*The Good*: I Want You & Forever Begins are standout tracks. Overall the LP is very cohesive, mellow, and great to zone out to. *The Bad*: Both collaborations with Kanye are just "ok".*The Ugly*: The album is only 13 tracks, one of them is a very short intro, one of them was released in february, and the other was on J Dilla's last album. Only 9 new songs? Come ...
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This week’s Sunday Share features the latest upcoming highly-anticipated album from Common, Finding Forever. Listen to the album in its entirety, but be sure to purchase it when it's released Tuesday, July 31.Visit Write State of Mind to download it.
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1. http://www.myspace.com/common - Here you will find, streaming, the new Common single, "The People." It is produced by Kanye West. It is a good production, but I will offer the e-mail exchange between myself and my friend Ben as a good illustration of my thoughts on it.S: "Listen to this and try to tell me that Kanye isn't trying his damnedest to work at [J Dilla's] Donuts-level...."B: "i mea...
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Current mood: Optimistic. Why? I just got word that Common's Finding Forever is set to drop in a few months. Normally, I don't get too amped until I actually hear tracks or see reviews (both are posted below) and even then the album dropping on the street date (or at all) is still not for sure. Now the caveat to all this is after hearing the first track and reading the review the album sounds t...
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I know you're wondering, "hasn't this sample set been done before?". Yes it has. In fact, it has been attempted not one, not two, not even three, but four times prior to this post. So why revist it? The contrubutors here at This Is Hip Hop and I are preparing for our next Artist Week [...]
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Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Troy Powers LIVES!I've been on the low lately. Popping my head in every now and again. Came across this clip at hiphopdx.com today, so you know I had to share it with my people.By the way, as some of you know, I'm headed out to Budapest in a couple weeks to catch a big music festival they have out there every summer. Lots of acts from around the world, unfortunatel...
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so electronics company, Trekstor, just released a new mp3 player called the "i.Beat Blaxx"Think about that again, and say it out loud. "i - Beat - Bla(cks)"they got some geniuses working over there. in other news, Common.
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New track from Common, presumably from the upcoming Finding Forever album. Produced by Kanye West. Courtesy of hiphopdx.com. Thought I'd share it with my people.
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1. http://www.myspace.com/common - Here you will find, streaming, the new Common single, "The People." It is produced by Kanye West. It is a good production, but I will offer the e-mail exchange between myself and my friend Ben as a good illustration of my thoughts on it.S: "Listen to this and try to tell me that Kanye isn't trying his damnedest to work at [J Dilla's] Donuts-level...."B: "i mea...
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Common's new album, Finding Forever, will feature production by Kanye West, will.i.am, the late J Dilla and Devo Springsteen,according to Billboard.The album from the Chicago-based rapper, due out July 10, includes guest turns from D'Angelo, Bilal and Dwele and Lily Allen."I want to leave a mark on this earth," Common told Billboard. "By making music and saying what I have to say in my music is...
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I've been waiting for Common's new disc for almost a year. Now that it's less than two weeks away, I'm starting to get a little anxious. God knows, that shit could get pushed back at the drop of a hat (see Kweli). I'm still excited, though.This new single, Drivin' Me Wild, features Lily Allen with production by K. West. The track ain't really bangin like I was expecting. Com rocked it, tho...
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Current mood: Optimistic. Why? I just got word that Common's Finding Forever is set to drop in a few months. Normally, I don't get too amped until I actually hear tracks or see reviews (both are posted below) and even then the album dropping on the street date (or at all) is still not for sure. Now the caveat to all this is after hearing the first track and reading the review the album sounds t...
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Produced by Kanye West from the forthcoming new Common album, Finding Forever.
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Produced by Kanye West from the forthcoming new Commmon album, Finding Forever.
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A lot of people gave Finding Forever a hard time. I personal dig it almost as much as Be. The Common Kanye formula just works. On Finding Forever, Kanye mentioned that he tried to chop his samples up Dilla-style in honor of the legendary producer. I think he did well. Here are the instrumentals… DOWNLOAD No [...]
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This week’s Sunday Share features the latest upcoming highly-anticipated album from Common, Finding Forever. Listen to the album in its entirety, but be sure to purchase it when it's released Tuesday, July 31.Visit Write State of Mind to download it.
More >
*Mog Rating*: 7.5 Out Of 10 Stars*The Good*: I Want You & Forever Begins are standout tracks. Overall the LP is very cohesive, mellow, and great to zone out to. *The Bad*: Both collaborations with Kanye are just "ok".*The Ugly*: The album is only 13 tracks, one of them is a very short intro, one of them was released in february, and the other was on J Dilla's last album. Only 9 new songs? Come ...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Intro |
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| 2 Start the Show |
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| 3 The People |
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| 4 Drivin' Me Wild |
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| 5 I Want You |
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| 6 Southside |
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| 7 The Game |
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| 8 U, Black Maybe |
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| 9 So Far to Go |
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| 10 Break My Heart |
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| 11 Misunderstood |
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| 12 Forever Begins |
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© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Finding Forever")
