Common – Finding Forever
In a world where Crunk now dominates the hip hop landscape with its nauseating blend of synthesized guitar loops and inane catchphrases, Finding Forever by Chicago born hip hop veteran Common reminds us of just how poetic, intelligent and brilliant rap music can be.
It comes as no surprise that Common again bestows production responsibilities on the seamlessly untouchable Kanye West. After all, it was West who revived Common’s career with the critically and commercially acclaimed Be in 2005.
…Forever picks up where Be left off and lures you in with the slow burning ‘Start the Show’, a clever little opener which doesn’t so much blow you away as it does set the stage for next track and first single ‘The People’. An irresistibly addictive track that sweats Kanye from every funked up, melodic pore. Imagine Nas’ Illmatic album being remixed by the Isley Brothers with a militant bassline hook. It’s as brilliant as it is interesting.
The pairing with Lily Allen on ‘Drivin me Wild’ is daring yet works due to Allen’s monotonous, almost bored sounding tones complementing Common’s soulfulness perfectly.
Those 2 great singles aside, it’s ‘Southside’, the Grammy Award winning duet with Kanye that makes the album. Kanye injects the ego and Common matches him with panache. Like a hip hop tag team they tag in and out so the fresh man can flex his rhyming muscles in a brilliant game of rap one upmanship.
Finding Forever isn’t perfect though. It’s the next logical step on from Be in Common’s Kanyevolution. ‘U, Black Maybe’, ‘So Far to Go’ and ‘Break my Heart’ all almost blend into one overly long, bland interlude and the dip in quality when Mr.West isn’t behind the production desk is also strikingly apparent.
However, there’s enough quality on Finding Forever to keep it playing for many soulful, feel good hours. That’s more than enough time to make Soulja Boy seem like a disturbing nightmare from hip hop’s Room 101.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
By Joe Baiamonte
In a world where Crunk now dominates the hip hop landscape with its nauseating blend of synthesized guitar loops and inane catchphrases, Finding Forever by Chicago born hip hop veteran Common reminds us of just how poetic, intelligent and brilliant rap music can be.
It comes as no surprise that Common again bestows production responsibilities on the seamlessly untouchable Kanye West. After all, it was West who revived Common’s career with the critically and commercially acclaimed Be in 2005.
…Forever picks up where Be left off and lures you in with the slow burning ‘Start the Show’, a clever little opener which doesn’t so much blow you away as it does set the stage for next track and first single ‘The People’. An irresistibly addictive track that sweats Kanye from every funked up, melodic pore. Imagine Nas’ Illmatic album being remixed by the Isley Brothers with a militant bassline hook. It’s as brilliant as it is interesting.
The pairing with Lily Allen on ‘Drivin me Wild’ is daring yet works due to Allen’s monotonous, almost bored sounding tones complementing Common’s soulfulness perfectly.
Those 2 great singles aside, it’s ‘Southside’, the Grammy Award winning duet with Kanye that makes the album. Kanye injects the ego and Common matches him with panache. Like a hip hop tag team they tag in and out so the fresh man can flex his rhyming muscles in a brilliant game of rap one upmanship.
Finding Forever isn’t perfect though. It’s the next logical step on from Be in Common’s Kanyevolution. ‘U, Black Maybe’, ‘So Far to Go’ and ‘Break my Heart’ all almost blend into one overly long, bland interlude and the dip in quality when Mr.West isn’t behind the production desk is also strikingly apparent.
However, there’s enough quality on Finding Forever to keep it playing for many soulful, feel good hours. That’s more than enough time to make Soulja Boy seem like a disturbing nightmare from hip hop’s Room 101.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
By Joe Baiamonte
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