Music
artist Common says he’s come a long way since “drinking 40 ounces, talking
about getting girls — you know, raw hip-hop.”
“But,
when you go through these experiences as a man,” he says, “you evolve. It’s
always new because we evolve everyday.”
The Chi-Town
native delivered his out-of-breath thoughts on evolution as he walked towards
his airport terminal. Common’s tour schedule is busier than ever now, with the
release of his latest disc, BE. “I
definitely believe that this is my best work to date,” he says of the second
release from Kanye West’s label, G.O.O.D. Music. “I believe it’s the most
complete throughout. Every song’s got something special to it.”
With only 11
tracks on the album, listeners would have to expect only the pure concentrate,
with nothing watered down. Common lives up to these expectations. You might
even go as far as to say that he was trying to prove himself.
While he has
been making classic records for more than a dozen years, Com took a lot of
flack for his 2002 release, Electric
Circus. Many looked at the spacey eclectic mix of funk, rock, and hip-hop
as too out-of-this-world for the hip-hop nation to grasp. But, have Com tell
it, he’s “back.” Where did he go?
“Well, I had to
go through my evolution, my journey,” he says. “And when you go through that, a
lot of people don’t connect with you because you’re not in a grounded spot.”
It seems that he
has landed and he knows where his foundation is. Com enlisted his hometown
homey to do the bulk of production on the album, and Kanye makes sure that his
presence is known even if you don’t read the credits. With guest vocals on four
of the nine tracks he worked on, the “Kan Man” complements Common as the only
other MC on the disc.
Maybe
he came back because he’s grown. From his 1992 release, Can I Borrow a Dollar, until now, we have seen the otherworldly
MC’s music change from that of the squeaky-voiced prepubescent to the soul of a
man. But Com says the feedback on his progression was always positive. Through
the growth he’s never shied away from expressing himself and being the person
he is. He says that’s part of the idea of the album’s title and concept. “BE just means to be who you are and be
natural,” he says. “Just exist in the core of you — be in the present
moment.”
The
ever-evolving MC likes to make music to change your life as well. “I think I
have more purpose as an MC, you know?” he says. “I talk about life issues and
things that affect people’s lives. I’ve had people say to me: I proposed to my
girl because of ‘The Light.’ Or: I had a baby because ‘Retrospect For Life’
made me not have an abortion.'”
Common went
through another major change a few years back with his highly publicized
romance with former girlfriend, r&b soulstress Erykah Badu. When asked if
Badu’s influence had turned this brotha out, Common laughs. “I was already on
my path of trying and wanting to do something creative and be different,” he
says. “Erykah is a person that encourages that. I was attracted to her because
she was trying to live a different lifestyle.”
Com says to
expect that same creativity in his performances. With his band and DJ backing
him up, he says the spontaneity of making beats live on stage makes for a combo
of raw hip-hop with musical elements. “When I do shows, I want people to say,
‘Man, that’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen,'” he says. “Not just
hip-hop, but the best show, period.”
With the cell
phone breaking up, Common boarded the plane, heading to another city to prove
again that what goes up must always come back.
Common | Sunday, July 17 | 5 p.m.
This article appears in Jul 13-19, 2005.
