Due December 9 from Geffen after numerous delays (which Common blames on his burgeoning acting career), the album forgoes Common's usual stable of producers -- among them No ID and Kanye West. Instead, the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and OutKast producer Mr. DJ are behind the boards for Common's most pop-driven work to date.First single "Universal Mind Control (UMC)," featuring Williams, plucks its rhythm from Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" as Common rhymes about "booties dropping ... styling and being fly."
"I wanted to do what I felt was missing from my catalog -- songs that could be played at parties internationally," Common says. "I just came off tour with N*E*R*D, and crowds really felt 'Universal Mind Control (UMC).'"
Common is revered in hip-hop circles and beyond for his creative storytelling. His witty 1994 single "I Used to Love H.E.R.," chronicling the changes that hip-hop has endured as a genre, is hailed as a classic and emulated by many new artists. But he has never been shy about taking chances with his sound.
His fifth album, 2002's "Electric Circus," drew its beats from new wave and Count Basie-style jazz, but it sold just 65,000 copies in its first week of U.S. release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The artist spent the next two albums --2005's "Be" and 2007's "Finding Forever" -- returning to his roots, and fans responded big-time: The two albums combined have sold 1.5 million copies.
"When you come up with a new sound, it takes time for people to take a liking to it," Common says. "The music is the future of progressive hip-hop. It's colorful and a little electronic."
With Williams and Mr. DJ as the sole producers, the album showcases the catchiness of the Neptunes and the alternative quality of OutKast. "Everywhere" features a guitar line reminiscent of Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield," while "Gladiator" finds Common fiercely rhyming over a '20s-style horn wail, driving drums and thick bass. "Punch Drunk Love," possibly the second single, features a catchy chorus from West, who is otherwise absent.
"Kanye was focusing on his Glow in the Dark show, so he wasn't able to make it to the studio to weigh in," Common says.
Beyond his music, the rapper continues to be busy with film work. He has acted alongside Jeremy Piven in "Smokin' Aces," Denzel Washington in "American Gangster" and Angelina Jolie in "Wanted," and will play the character Barnes in the 2009 action film "Terminator Salvation."
Having achieved Hollywood success, Common knows he can take artistic chances with his music in a way few other rappers can. "A brother isn't just relying on hip-hop to pay my bills anymore," he says.
Reuters/Billboard
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