On December 20th 2011, Chicago emcee Common will release his ninth studio album “The Dreamer / The Believer.”
One of the best lyricists in the game, Common's new album closes out 2011 on a high note with “The Dreamer / The Believer.”
Lyrically, on par with artists such as Eminem, Andre 3000 and Nas, Common is a poet on the microphone, with his ability to put words together and create beautiful visuals.
Produced solely by the legendary No I.D., “The Dreamer / The Believer” has an old school 90's vibe.
This is an element I sorely missed in hip-hop, and it makes the record feel fresh and exciting. Whether it's the scratching or sirens and horns heard in the background of the production or Common's renewed love for hip-hop, “The Dreamer / The Believer” reminded me of all the things I adored about hip-hop growing up.
A fire seems to have been lit inside Common and it sounds nothing like Common's recent older, softer material.
Common goes hard on every track, and on “The Dreamer / The Believer” Common sounds hungry like he wants to reinsure his place among the all time greats and cement himself as the elite of the elite.
Although Common sounds fierce on every track, there has always been a uniqueness to Common in his delivery and flow. “The Dreamer / The Believer” maintains this aspect as the lyrics are full of positivity, generating good energy and the buoyant faucets of music.
Common's skills as a poet also shine through during parts of the record. Common writes more abstract than any other mainstream rapper and his delivery of his verses have just the right amount of attitude to evoke the proper emotions.
The toughest song on “The Dreamer / The Believer” is “So Sweet.” Clever wordplay, “So Sweet” is anything what it's name suggests. The song brings hardcore back to hip-hop and is Common's battle rap proclamation. Vicious and full of braggadocio, “So Sweet” proves that Common is one of the coldest emcee's in the game today.
Attacking rappers who have a soft, sweet style (cough cough Drake) Common murks the angry instrumental with lines such as “My name is synonymous with prominence I'm to hip-hop what Obama is to politics.”
Real get in the ring music, my favorite part of the song however, is Common's flow, as it is delivered like a true street corner philosopher.
Another great song is the first single released from the album “Ghetto Dreams” featuring the one and only Nas.
“Ghetto Dreams”, could have been released two decades ago and it would have been just as big of a banger as it is right now.
The beat is perfect with scratches spread throughout the track like old school DJ records and Nas' verse sounds like it could have been off of “Illmatic” or “It Was Written.”
Showing how diversified the record is, another standout song on “The Dreamer / The Believer” is “Blue Sky.”
A poetic song, as well as the second released single, “Blue Sky” is inspirational and motivational, containing multiple references to religion, dreams and overcoming obstacles.
“Daylight beams, night life schemes This is my Inception I'm writing my dreams Immortal view of a star doing what I'm born to do I see the blue sky, see the Lord's coming through” is possibly my favorite line of 2011.
Overall, Common and No I.D. have put together a great record, which to me is better than Common's critically acclaimed masterpiece “Be.”
Even if you are not a Common Sense fan, “The Dreamer / The Believer” is an outstanding album and is hip-hop personified.
People who have already made their top 10 lists of 2011 should have waited, because their lists are flawed without the inclusion of “The Dreamer / The Believer.”
This is unquestionably one of the best releases of not only the year, but of Common's career as well and ends a fantastical musical 2011 at the top.
Believe!
Ranked on the Beavis and Butt-Head Scale:
5 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Head's
Songs I Recommend:
Ghetto Dreams, Blue Sky, So Sweet, Gold, Celebrate
Tracklist:
01: The Dreamer (Feat. Maya Angelou)
02: Ghetto Dreams (Feat. Nas)
03: Blue Sky
04: Sweet
05: Gold
06: Lovin I Lost
07: Raw (How You Like It)
08: Cloth
09: Celebrate
10: Windows
11: The Believer (Feat. John Legend
12: Pops Belief
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