The Believer
Feb20/2008
During his acceptance speech at the Grammys, Kanye West joked that he and frequent collaborator Common shouldn't drop albums in the same year, because they're always competing against each other for awards. Well, it looks like Com agrees, and he's already a step ahead of his good friend. Common is eyeing the fourth quarter of '08 to release his next potential classic.
"I'm looking around November," he told MTV News of the release date of his follow-up to last year's Finding Forever. "I'm working on a new album called The Believer. I'm just getting in the mode. I been touring a lot and been working on verses here and there. Now, I'm starting to get focused on the album, letting it take its shape. And at the same time [I'll] be working on films, God willing."
“Thank You For All Your Support”
Jan04/2008
From Kanye's Blog
When I was in Europe I would play this game for hours and hours... it helped me zone out. Everybody would get envolved... Derrick Dudley (Common's manager) and Consequence were the best other than me... I beat Lexi... Don C beat Jay... Tony Williams beat Common... but every now and then people would speak of this legendary connect 4 champion........... BEYONCE!!! I had 2 play her!...so last night at Jay's new 40/40 club in Las Vegas (which is sidebar, crazy big w/ 24krt gold flooring, Black Jack tables, $500 slot machines,the biggest projection screen in the universe and the best turkey burgers I've ever had in my life) she beat me 9 times in a row! (and I didn't even spaz lol) here's a photo of the only game I won!
Kanye West’s Grammy Nominations
Dec06/2007
The official list of nominations for the 2008 Grammy Awards for announced today. Heres a summary of all Kanye West and G.O.O.D nominations
Graduation has been nominated for Album of the Year. Competition includes Amy Winehouse and The Foo Fighters
Graduation has also been nominated for Best Rap Album, along with Common's Finding Forever and albums from Nas, Jay-Z and T.I.
Kanye's Stronger and Common's The People have both been nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance with competition from T.I., Jay-Z and 50 Cent
Common's Southside (featuring Kanye West) and Better Than I've Ever Been by Kanye West, Nas & KRS-One have been nominated for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
Good Life (featuring T-Pain) has been nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Competition includes Rihanna and Jay-Z's "Umbrella"
Kanye's songs Can't Tell Me Nothing and Good Life have both been nominated for Best Rap Song. Competition includes 50 Cent and Soulja Boy.
For the full list of Grammy nominations click here.
Common (feat Lily Allen) – Drivin’ Me Wild (VIDEO)
Aug27/2007
Vote for Kanye / Common @ The Mobo Awards
Aug24/2007
Kanye has been nominated for 3 MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin) in the UK
Kanye's Nominations
Best Hip Hop
Best International Artist
Best Video (Stronger)
Common's Nominations
Best Hip Hop
Click HERE to vote for Kanye or Common!
The MOBO Awards 2007 will take place on 9/19 in London!
Drivin’ Me Wild Video Stills
Aug22/2007
Stills from the video for Common - Drivin' Me Wild (feat. Lily Allen)
kanYe West & Common on MTV TRL
Aug07/2007
Kanye West and Common were surprise guests on TRL earlier today. Check it out...
Interview
Performance
Common – Finding Forever
Jul24/2007
"Many have come, but few have been chose to be a true MC"
Nearly two years ago, Common dropped his album Be to the masses, with an uproar of acceptance and critical acclaim. XXL Magazine gave it an unprecedented XXL rating, one of only six albums to ever receive that original rating. His investment in Kanye West as his core producer paid off, with four Grammy nods to boot, yet sadly he went home with none. Fast track to the present.
In a déjà vu case scenario, Common is set to unleash his seventh album entitled Finding Forever on July 31st. Just like last time, Finding Forever instills Kanye West at the helm of production, with eight of the eleven tracks under his belt. He and Common’s hopes are being held even higher this time around, as Kanye has already coined Finding Forever as the rap album of the year, which is a strong statement to boast as Ye’ himself will be delivering his third album, Graduation, in mid-September. Not to mention Mr. West is 2/2 in that category at the Grammy’s.
The album begins with an appropriately named track called “Start the Show,” which features a haunt-ish embracing chorus, and shows Common in his raw form. A rapper that has never held his tongue among his peers (does his feud with WSC ring a bell?), he rips with the lines “hot for a minute now you just a remember him,” and later “With 12 monkeys on stage it’s hard to see who’s a gorilla, you was better as a drug dealer.”
The next track in line, and also his first single off the album, Common emancipates himself as a spiritual speaker with “The People.” Drawing on a similar sample from The Game’s “Wouldn’t Get Far” track (for which Ye’ produced as well, and Common turned down), Common describes his importance to his people and community when he raps “Sick and tired of punching in, I look on the bus at them, when I see them struggling I think how I’m touching them” and “I’m keeping my eyes on the people that’s the prize,” a term which is a reference to the Civil Rights movement during the 1960’s.
With the only rap artist featured on the album, Kanye and Common bring back the old days of straight belligerent flows embellished by a beat so hard it’ll remind listeners that Hip-Hop is far from dead on a once-again Kanye produced track “Southside”. And in Ye’-like fashion, he stubbornly points out that “I’m back from the future seen it with my own eyes, and yep, I’m still the future of the Chi.” Not to be upstaged on his own track, Common replies “You in the building but the buildings falling, you wouldn’t be ballin’ if your name was spalding.” If Chicago had its own anthem, this would be it.
When producing this album, Kanye expressed his influence of the late J Dilla in his production technique. Being a close friend with Jay Dee, Common honored him and included the track “So Far Go” which originally was featured on J Dilla’s posthumous album The Shining, circa 2006. Featuring D’ Angelo on the chorus, “So Far To Go” reunites 3 members from the group Soulquarians, a collection of artists who emphasize an authentic and raw sound of music. As mellow and enticing the beat is, this feel-good track feels out of place on an album pushing for exceptional.
Completing the cycle of his reach for eternal music, Common finishes the album with “Forever Begins.” Piano and drum roll included, Common focuses his intentions of today’s words affecting the future with, “Look fear in the eyes say I’m never gonna run / Sooner or later I know the cheddar gonna come, for now I write the world letters to better the young.” His lyrics end in stating, “I knew we live forever through song,” a reference to J Dilla’s impact on music. And to keep the streak alive at 6 albums and counting, Common brings his Dad on the track for some spiritual release.
As of recent, XXL magazine has stamped Finding Forever with a seal of an XL rating. Many, including Kanye and Common, have been confused by this rating because in their review they considered this album to be better than the predecessor Be. XXL magazines reasoning is that Be was a 200% upgrade from the “head-scratchingly progressive” Electric Circus. Though I will not argue with the rating, I will agree that this album does surpass Be in overall quality (I consider Be a potential, eventual classic. It has not crossed over as of yet). And I too hope Finding Forever grabs Common his much deserved Rap Album of the Year at the Grammy’s in the coming year. What about Ye’ you ask? Looks like Album of the Year is in his sights. For now, let us let Common shine like the star he is.
by Edwin Ortiz
Common – Drivin’ Me Wild
Jul18/2007
Download Common - Drivin' Me Wild (feat. Lily Allen)
Common Performs 4 New Tracks Live
Jul13/2007
Common performed 4 new tracks from his upcoming album Finding Forever, check em out...
Forever Begins
Black Maybe
The People
Drivin' Me Wild
Common – The People (video)
Jun22/2007
Common’s Finding Forever Cover Art
Jun13/2007
Watch The Game video
Listen to The People / Misunderstood / Southside / Black Maybe
Preorder Finding Forever @ Amazon.com
Common – The Game Video
May29/2007
Three New Common Tracks
May18/2007
All these tracks from Finding Forever are leaking like crazy!
Black Maybe (feat. Bilal / Produced by Kanye West) - Download
Southside (feat. Kanye West / Produced by Kanye West) - Download
Misunderstood (Produced by Devo Springsteen) - Download
Download Common – The People (feat. Dwele)
May06/2007
Download Common's brand new single "The People" from his upcoming album!
Download (Right-click and Save Target As...)
The track was produced by Kanye and features Dwele singing on the hook.
For more info about Common's upcoming album Finding Forever see Sneak Peek: Common - Finding Forever
Kanye and Common
Sneak Peek: Common – Finding Forever
Apr06/2007
Last night at New York's Sony Studios, Common played several tracks from his upcoming album, Finding Forever, out July 10. The title, as he explained, refers to the idea of Jay Dee living on forever in the music. (Jay Dee, aka J Dilla, died on February 10, 2006 due to complications from lupus.) He was Common's roommate and produced most of Common's Like Water for Chocolate album.
Some track titles and features (Not all):
The People (featuring Dwele; prod. by Kanye West)
Black Maybe (featuring Bilal; prod. by Kanye West)
I Want You (prod. will.i.am)
Southside (featuring and prod. by Kanye West)
Misunderstood (Nina Simone sample; prod. by Devo Springsteen)
Drivin Me Wild (featuring Lily Allen; prod. by Kanye West)
So Far to Go (featuring D'Angelo; prod by Jay Dilla)
Break My Heart (prod. by Kanye West)
Start the Show (prod. by Kanye West)
Common said that on some tracks, Kanye tried to chop the samples in a similar way to Dilla as a way of honoring him.
He also said that it had been difficult for him to come home to his apartment and not see Dilla on the couch watching "whatever show comes on in the morning," but that he knew Dilla lived on in the music.
Message from Common
Mar11/2007
From Common-music.com
"Finding Forever, Coming Soon"
Common feat. Kanye – Southside Superbowl (New) + VIDEO
Feb02/2007
Updated 2/7/07
Common Features in Gap Ad
Nov27/2006
Common is the star of Gap's brand new holiday ad campaign.
He features in two 30-second ads, rapping a song he written especially for the ads called "Holiday In Your Hood".
The song was produced by will.i.am (Black-Eyed Peas) and samples Madonna's "Holiday".
