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Long Time, No Sugar
(Brown Sugar - D' Angelo)
Common 2 Opensouls
(The Corner - Common)
Fuel 4 Troy's Fire
(They Reminiscence Over You - Pete Rock & CL Smooth)
Dilla Soul Glow
(Much More - De La Soul)
Ta-Lib-Illa-Docious
(Listen - Talib Kweli)
Runnin' 2 Get Some
(Runnin - The Pharcyde)
Tribes Re:Born
(Check The Rhyme - A Tribe Called Quest)
Lyall Bay Globetrotter
(????)
What They Do To Get Up
(What They Do - The Roots)
4 Music Spinnas
(????)
Takes Is Fly
(Stakes Is High - De La Soul)
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1. RESURRECTION
A title track right from the jump? Huh. While this song is a good way to start off your sophomore album (avoiding a shitty rap album intro is the new black), I always felt this song was only alright. For me, this track is best known for inspiring two remixes, the Large Professor version and the Extra P remix, both of which were produced by the same fucking guy, the Large Professor.
2. I USED TO LOVE H.E.R.
This metaphor about hip hop is considered to be one of the greatest rap songs ever made, and this time I agree with the critics. The No I.D. beat is dark but not joyless, complementing the saga of our chosen genre through the ages. I've always kind of hoped that Common would revisit this theme today, given how hip hop seems to be pretty much dead and all (I said seems: I'm fully aware of the name of my blog), but I suppose he's too busy making bad acting decisions (such as Street Kings, although he did come off as more of a badass than The Game in that flick, so I guess that counts for something).
3. WATERMELON
I remember back in the day, when I used to work late night shifts in retail, I would swing by a Wendy's drive-through (spicy chicken sandwiches all the way) on the way home and play Resurrection (not the most obvious choice, I know) while I ate. I always only got this far before I finished the meal completely, so I would then move on to something else. Because of that, I seem to remember this track sounding more interesting than it actually does.
4. BOOK OF LIFE
Kind of boring. Sad, but true.
5. IN MY OWN WORLD (CHECK THE METHOD) (FEAT NO I.D.)
While I liked the brief instrumental at the start more than the actual beat for this song, the track still works, although I preferred No I.D.'s guest spot more so than Common himself, who sounds like he's still trying to test the boundaries of how many syllables he can fit into a single bar.
6. ANOTHER WASTED NITE WITH...
Skit...
7. NUTHIN' TO DO
This song was pleasant enough, but the only thing I can clearly remember is the Ol' Dirty Bastard vocal sample in the hook.
8. COMMUNISM
I liked this song, but if Common were a brand new rap artist today, shit like this would quickly categorize him as a “backpacker that won't sell a goddamn copy, not even to himself, but bloggers the world over will praise him” kind of rapper. Crap, I think I just proved my own point.
9. WMOE
Skit...
10. THISISME
I love No I.D.'s beat, but the rhymes sound as if Lonnie found some of his old scribblings and decided to recite them in random order, Nas “Book Of Rhymes”-style.
11. ORANGE PINEAPPLE JUICE
Meh.
12. CHAPTER 13 (RICH MAN VS. POOR MAN) (FEAT YNOT)
The back and forth between Common and producer Ynot Is engaging, making their take on the overused subject matter sound almost fresh. Not bad.
13. MAINTAINING
I just didn't care for this song. It sounds too much like Common was aiming for an audience made up of people that gather at someone's house to get drunk and primp before a night of clubbing, who get so wasted that they can't even leave their host's house, who end up crashing on the floor in a pool of their own vomit and excrement, and when I hear Common, I don't think of that at all.
14. SUM SHIT I WROTE
This is more like the Common I'm used to. The late hip hop writer and fan Dave Ellis titled the editorial section of his site after this song, which may be part of the reason why his was one of the first sites I followed on a regular basis. May he rest in peace.
15. POP'S RAP (FEAT LONNIE "POPS" LYNN)
Common lets his own father in on the action, on what is essentially the outro. There's a nice, simple, melodic beat playing behind him, as well. Pleasant enough.
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October 18th, 2009Uncategorized