Common is a proven rapper and Chicago-native who has seen success both in music and on the big screen. With this latest project he shows that he is still very able to excel in the craft that brought him success.
“What I love about Common is that he raps like his age”
Black America Again is a welcome breath of fresh air in a hip hop and RnB scene filled with mumble rap, 808s and singers trying to recreate the T R A P S O U L sound that propelled Bryson Tiller to fame. Much like Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, there is no attempt to make current-sounding music. Instead, it’s quality music with a focus on current events.
The first track sets the tone for the album. ‘Joy and Peace’ begins with a preacher asking the listener to exalt and praise God, before Common begins a fifteen-track lecture which is packed with soul food. What I love about Common is that he raps like his age (44 years old). He’s not talking about being the toughest guy in the room or being able to steal your girl. Instead, he’s educating, which is what I feel a lot more rappers should be doing, because – unless you’re Kanye West – rapping about certain topics becomes cringe-worthy after a certain age.
Lines like “niggas get foreign cars and think they made it/ it ain’t yours ’til you create it,” add value to the rap scene. I commend Common for sharing the knowledge he has amassed throughout his years in the business, rather than trying to be down with the kids and jump on whatever wave, just to ensure album sales.
“Common almost paints himself as a biblical character as he explains to the listener how he was called to rap”
Common’s pen game also comes through very strong on this project. For example, in the opening lines of ‘Home’, he switches up the rhyme scheme in a way that really draws your attention to his words; with three pairs and a quadruple rhyme fitted into just over four bars.
Much like his friends from Chicago, Chance the Rapper and Kanye West, religion is a heavy influence on this project with multiple references to the Bible and Common’s relationship with God. Common almost paints himself as a biblical character as he explains to the listener how he was called to rap, with the lyrics “Your name is Common, you was born to fight the norm, take house niggas outta darkness ’til they lights is on, I’ma put a hyphen on your name: rapper/actor/activist…”
The title track is one of the most gripping songs on the album. It enlists legendary singer Stevie Wonder and discusses a very prevalent theme, one that is intertwined into the subject matter of the whole album: black lives. ‘Black America Again’ starts with a reference to Chuck D, as Common raps “Here we go, here here we go again”. While on the surface this just seems like a catchy refrain and a throwback to one of the legends of hip-hop, the words allow Common to put a kind of disclaimer on the song before it even starts.
With the use of four words, Common is able to say “Yes, I’m going to rap about Black Lives and how they matter, yes, it’s been done plenty of times before, but bodies keep on dropping so I’m going to keep on writing about it”. In his own words: “It was really saying this is the cycle, here we go again.”
To analyse this song lyric for lyric would require much more than one article, but following that simple refrain, Common drops knowledge in a heartfelt and skilful way which allows the listener to both learn and be entertained. He touches on subjects ranging from slavery and the immoral founding of the US, to black on black crime and the dangers of casting African American actors as stereotypes. This song definitely provokes a lot of thought.
While this album is packed with conscious rap, it’s also full of love songs. When you enlist help from the likes of Marsha Ambrosius and Syd from the Internet, there’s no way these songs won’t be sonically beautiful. ‘Love Star’ is classic two-step music: a simple drum loop with smooth strings lulling in the background and the use of bells create a real nostalgic feel.
“As a lover of hip-hop, I have to admit that hearing girls referred to as “bitches” is exhausting”
My favourite tracks on the album besides ‘Black America Again’ are ‘The Day Women Took Over’ and ‘Little Chicago Boy’. This may have to do with my exposure to these songs on Common’s recent Tiny Desk Concert which took place at the White House earlier this year. ‘The Day Women Took Over’ is so refreshingly beautiful. I’m not a self-proclaimed feminist because I don’t feel I do enough for the cause to call myself that, however, as a lover of hip-hop, I have to admit that hearing girls referred to as “bitches” is exhausting. To hear a well-respected rapper dedicate a song to women in general (not just his mother or love interest), was refreshing. I have to give credit to the instrumentalists involved in creating this track. From the Rocky-esque trumpets to the dreamy flute melody, the song is perfect.
‘Little Chicago Boy’ is a touching tribute to Common’s late father who regularly features on Common’s albums within his spoken word. The song reads like a short biopic. You can almost hear Common smiling through his lyrics in pain and joy, as he misses his father, but celebrates the great man that he is.
Honestly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. This album is deeply brilliant, with layers of awesomeness that I simply can’t fit into an article of readable length. Admittedly, this is the first Common album I’ve given my full attention to. I’m very pleased that I did.
Joshua Ogunmokun
Image courtesy of Common via Facebook
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