Serving as the finale to his Beautiful Revolution era, Common sets up the series’s second and final installment to be an intuitive-sounding and well-written closing that defines just how gracefully the legendary mc has aged. Over the course of 11 tracks, the Chicago rapper wastes no time showing how good he still is with a pen game that is as elusive and technically witty as ever. With the topical focus still regarding the current social climate in America and how we can use our current struggles to create a better and more loving world, we see the 49-year-old use this set of skills to the best of their service. While Common isn’t necessarily reinventing the wheel or telling us anything we didn’t know with his storytelling here, witnessing such a rational and calculated voice speak for the people and fight for what he believes in is so empowering and inspiring.
Layering the project’s near 40 minutes, the lp’s soundscape further enhances Common’s sonic pallet through a score that’s even rawer and more organic than its already groundbreaking predecessor. From the acoustic guitars to the bongo drums, the album’s simple instrumental approach adds to the overall feeling of Common serving as the voice of the people, specially the common folk. While some may worry that stripping down instrumentals to such a primitive form may hurt the record, using these basic and simple instruments only enhances the record as aside from adding to its narrative and atmospheric power, the score is super layered and intricate in itself through its intense horn sections and climatic percussion buildups. Due to its originality and well execution, the production job here is right behind the very best of Common’s production jobs which says a lot considering names like J Dilla and Kanye West have led the charge behind the boards on previous releases.
Although the first installment of this series did a better job at stating and exploring its ideas, between Common’s timely performance, the excellent production job, and the fantastic contributions from the various guest artists, including frequent collaborator PJ and fellow conscious hip hop titan Black Thought, Common has delivered fans another special project, which has only further strengthened his goat case.
Rating: 6.5/10
Top 5 Songs:
- Saving Grace
- When We Move
- A Beautiful Chicago Kid
- Get It Right
- Star Of The Gang
Written By: Mr. Fantastic
