Posted on 05.24.2005
Common
aka: Common Sense
Real Name: Lonnie Rashid
Hometown:Chicago, USA
Common Biography:
Common (aka Common Sense), spent his childhood
in Southside Chicago, where he had a modest upbringing that he describes as
neither poor nor rich. During his summer vacations, he would spend time with
his cousin in Cincinnati. It was there he discovered a hip-hop group called
the Bond Hill Crew, which led him to take the music more seriously. From there,
he began writing his own rhymes and formed a crew with 2 other emcees. Since
then, Common has perused a career as a solo artist, one who’s
style and talent is not only distinct but also respected and loved by hip-hop
fans worldwide.
The road to success all started in 1991. A friend of his sent Common’s
demo tape to the Unsigned hype section of ’The Source’ magazine,
the most respected and popular hip-hop publication at the time. Matty C, one
of the magazine’s writers, heard the tape and it wasn’t long before
Common was featured in the October issue of the magazine. Three
months later, Relativity Records (then home of the Beatnuts and Fat
Joe) signed him and he was on his way to recording his first album.
In late 1992, Common’s first single and video "Take it EZ" received
some airplay on both BET and MTV, but it wasn’t enough to propel the LP
Can I Borrow a Dollar to commercial success. The album was
a collection of up-tempo rhymes, with the signature early-90’s rhythm,
with a soundscape of jazz influenced break loops. 1993 saw the release of two
remixes, "Breaker 1/9" and "Soul by the Pound," which gained
even more attention for him. To this day, most Common fans consider this his
weakest release, but only as a testament to his tremendous growth in his years
to follow.
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In 1994, Common released his second album Resurrection, an LP still regarded as one of the best hip-hop releases of all time. Part of the album’s acclaim is due to the first single, "I used to love h.e.r.," one of the most powerful records of the 90’s. In it, Common personified hip-hop in the form of a woman he loved, and he proceeded to construct an entire metaphor for the trends of the industry and culture. It’s one of Common’s most recognized works of art and solidified his position as a premier emcee. Unfortunately, it also helped to fuel the coastal tension going on in hip-hop at the time. Ice Cube took offense to some of the lyrics in which Common sense commented about West Coast hip-hop. |
He retaliated on "Westside slaughterhouse," a collaboration with WC and Mack 10. He adds "Used to love her, mad cause we fucked her/ Pussy whipped bitch with no common sense..." As one can imagine, Common didn’t take this too well. He recorded "The bitch in yoo," a non album track that remains a classic diss track, and a perfect example on how to stip a man of his dignity. The beef was later resolved in 1997 after the deaths of 2Pac and The Notorious BIG. Up until then, Common had actually been recording and releasing records under his original name Common Sense. But shortly after the release of his second album, he ran into legal trouble with a California reggae group with the same stage name. They had ’common sense’ copyrighted, which prevented Common from recording under it. There was an attempt to settle out of court, but it failed, resulting in the shortened name we now know him as. If you were to go back and buy a copy of his first two albums, there’s a slim chance you will find his original name on the cover and outside label. For those of you who bought the album then, consider them collectors’ items.
In 1995, he released a video for the remix of his title track, "Resurrection,"
which got some play on BET. That year also saw Common on Chantay Salvage’s
album I Will Survive, rhyming for a few bars on "90 in the Red." Despite
the acclaim and controversy of his second album, however, commercial success
continued to evade Common. In 1996, he decided to make good
use of his time between albums, and made a name for himself on collaborations.
He recorded "UNIverse at war" on The Roots’ Illadelph Halflife
album, "The Remedy" with Q-Tip on the Get on the Bus soundtrack, and
"The Bizness" with De la Soul on Stakes is High. All of these impressive
guest appearances had hip-hop audiences fienin’ for another solo release.
In late 1997, their thirst was quenched. One Day It’ll All Make Sense
was released and well received by Common’s core audience. The first single,
"Reminding Me (of Sef)," featured Chantay Savage and had one of the
most radio-friendly vibes of any Common song to date (the track was later remixed
by The Roots, putting the original to shame).
While his music was always personal, his third LP found Common showing his spiritual side in a way that seemed sincere and creative. Inspired by the birth of his new daughter, Common matured to a level that few hip-hop artists ever reach. Perhaps the best example of this is "Retrospect for Life," Common’s second single featuring The Fugee’s Lauryn Hill. In It, he reflects on his decision to abort his unborn child and his relationship with the baby’s mother. "G.O.D. (Gaining One’s Definition" was a duet with Goodie Mob’s Cee-Lo. The two discuss the important of having God in one’s life, and stress the futility of religious division. Common brought intelligence, maturity, and lyricism to a point that hadn’t been seen, and gained more fans in the process. The album also featured Erykah Badu and Canibus, at the dawn of their careers, creating some memorable tracks. Lack of record sales lead to turmoil, but Common’s fans stuck by him. Although he had failed to gain a plaque in his career, he was still selling out at show dates around the country.
He left his label Relativity and went on another guest appearance spree. He
was featured on Pete Rock’s 1998 album, Black Star’s debut, Rawkus’
Lyricist Lounge and Soundbombing 2 compilations, The Beatnuts,
Pharoah Monch’s solo debut, as well as The Roots’ " Act Too
: The Love of My Life," the sequel to "I used to love h.e.r."
Perhaps this appearance was the most important, because it was heard by the
masses, on The Roots’ breakthrough album, Things Fall
Apart. In 1999, Common signed with MCA Records, the same label as The Roots,
and toward the end of the year he dropped "DOINIT" as a white label.
In the beginning of the following year, he released the single "Sixth Sense"
to promote his forthcoming album. This marked the first and long awaited collaboration
between Common and DJ Premier, and once again had hip-hop audiences
craving.
On March 28th, 2000, Common released his forth album, Like Water For Chocolate. The second single, "The Light" helped push the record to gold status, an achievement that Common never enjoyed. On the ambitious Electric Circus, Common experimented with other musical genres to create a wildly erratic but compelling multi-layered album that stood out as one of the finest hip-hop releases of 2002.
With fellow Chi-Towner Kanye West behind the boards, Common
returns with his sixth and perhaps best effort to date, Be.
Like a train ride through the hood, the concise, 11-track opus steamrolls through
the images, stories, and emotions of urban folks getting by any way they know
how. Overflowing with passion, honesty, and optimism, Be gets to the root of
human experience-all the while staying beautifully soulful and funky.
Common discography:
| Common sense albums |
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| Common singles |
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Come Close Remix (Closer) Geto Heaven The Light/6th Sense The Light (Remix) One-Nine-Nine-Nine Like They Used to Say Reminding Me (Of Sef) Resurrection
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More Tracks featuring common:
- Bilal - 1st Born
Second (4. Reminisce)
- Black Star - Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (11. Respiration)
- Brown Sugar soundtracks:. Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop)
- DJ Kayslay - Underground Part 1: Well Connected (2. Freestyle)
- DJ Skribble’s Traffic Jams 2000 (06. No Competition)
- Kid Capri - Soundtrack To The Streets (19. Interview 2)
- Talib Kweli - The Beautiful Mix CD (5. Wack Niggaz)
- Talib Kweli - Beautiful Struggle (10 It’s The Ghetto)
- Teena Marie - La Doña (9. Revelations 3:8 Introduction (Interlude))
- Pete Rock - Soul Survivor (15. Verbal Murder 2)
- Pharoahe Monch - Internal Affairs (14. The Truth)
- Soundbombing II (20. 1999)
- Soundbombing III (8. Yelling Away - Zap Mama)
- Wild Wild West soundtracks (14. 8 Minutes To Sunrise)
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