Born In Chicago, Raised on Planet Rock
Common – “U.M.C. (Universal Mind Control)“
from Invisible Summer (Interscope, 2008)
Predicting a long hot summer of ecstasy popping, European trend jocking and fuzzy kazoos, Invisible Summer is sure to be Common’s first bad idea since his last one. And hopefully the greatest trainwreck since 1918.
The lead single, “UMC” finds the man of little sense reunited with Pharrel for the first time since faux-psych-rap brain fart Electric Circus, but both have seemingly lowered their ambitions. Here they aim for something closer to Ice-T’s vision of Saturn than Sun Ra’s. It’s a dramatic departure from his recent coffee shop classics, but one constant remains – Common is still completely unconcerned with rapping well. (Fans of FInding Forever can breathe a sigh of relief). I’m pretty sure Pow Wow put greater effort in crafting his “Zuh”s than Lonnie did in thinking of words that rhyme with “charismatic”.
Still, in channelling Bam n em, Com slips a sly middle finger to every hater who called him a crocheted pants wearing, Starbucks guzzling fairy. Because hip hop’s been gay. And European. And caffeinated. You ain’t know?
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Sometimes, I feel like Common has been on a campaign these last two years to make every fan burn their copies of Resurrection. Whatever happened to aging gracefully. I’d take Electric Circus over this anyday. This might be the worst song of the year. That or “Everybody Nose.” Neptunes are on a roll.
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
sounds liek a regular commen and a regular neptunes joint to me….it sucks….next?
hate to say it but
black eyed peas redoing old electro sounds>>>>>pharell and commen
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Someone close to him needs to look him in the face, and ask: “What happened?”
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
The synth line sounds like something Chad Hugo came up with for Kenna but got rejected.. and it sounds like it uses that one “chigga dun chi” drum loop sample that practically EVERY funk carioca song uses (see “Gasolina” by Bonde do Role or the Will.i.am’s “Make It Funky”).
Here’s what SHOULD be happening: Common should be making an album with Premier, Pete Rock, somehow I could always see him working with Dilated Peoples or KRS, and then if he wants to do ‘party music’, make another backing ensemble: ?uesto (obvously big 15 gets a call for some drumming), Hub (he just left the roots, so sure, he’s not doing anything), and then Soulive’s Eric Krasno (he played guitar on the intro song to Quality, and has been producing beats lately: “My Gun Go Off” and then kweli’s “The Nature” which WAS kinda weak but had some good music on the beat), and oh, we need a keyboard player? Com makes D’angelo’s fat ass get back in the gym and he can hit the organ or some shit.
Oh, and the neptunes should break up for a minute
let Pharrell be the momentum to actually form CRS, and then Chad Hugo can just work with Kenna..
Wow, those three acts would make a GREAT tour even together…
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
*Event together
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
quit hatin the tunes, this song would be acceptable with a good rapper on it (or a a guy that can rap well on it).
the two best songs from jay-z’s last album were done by pharrell…
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:33 pm
^^ that aint sayin much
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:02 pm
This is embarrassing. Can someone please travel back in time and kill Common before he made “Retrospect for Life” and “G.O.D.”?
The beat isn’t that bad. It’s Com. It’s about as bad as the worst shit from his last few albums.
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:15 am
The tough thing about Common’s fall-off (not that I ever liked him much in the first place) is that he can still rap… he just chooses to rap poorly. And then calls that choice artistic evolution. Whereas someone like Prodigy just lost it completely and will never get it back, so I have no expectations when he puts something out, even though The Infamous is the best rap album ever… but when Common drops, even though I don’t like him, I always think, well maybe if he stops rapping about coffee and yoga and hired a tutor so he could kinda-sorta know what he’s talking about when he jumps off the social commentary deep end, maybe he could make a good album. But no. Say what you will about Nas, but at least he didn’t become a total herb after he made Illmatic. Oh, and speaking of CRS, even though each one of those guys really sucks individually (except for Pharrell), they seem to make decent stuff together. The Everybody Nose Remix is a really good song. And Pusha’s verse is one of those rare moments where he actually lives up to his overrated-on-blogs reputation.
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:06 am
Forget Common – that ‘Blue Cheese’ video is the greatest piece of cinema since ‘Rear Window’
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:24 am
i still don’t see what was so terrible about “Finding Forever.” i know you didn’t even like “Be” Noz, but i was pretty confused at the people who liked that one and thought “FF” was trash. i kinda get some of the lyrical gripes, but i guess i didn’t mind much because ‘Ye’s production was miles ahead of “Be” — and for all the “he did a bad job aping Dilla” criticisms, i’ll take any of ‘Ye’s stuff there over the narcoleptic production on “Like Water.”
this song is trash though, yeah. still gonna check for that N.E.R.D. album though, “Everyone Nose” is a nonstarter but “Spazz” is nice.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:50 am
this song is fucking hot,i love those kind of americains copieurs,americains voleurs shit.
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I mean if your really gonna slaughter Com Sense you should take a look at some of the other artists you have shined/put on a pedestal in the past UGK,Lil Wayne,Master p, Etc, and your really serious you think those cats are lyricists? I mean the song is wack but next your gonna write Large Pro is wack or Marley Marl can’t make beats because of one or two missteps. I suggest listening to “Can I Borrow A Dollar” on cassette and give the kid a break. Don’t forget to blame the label execs for pushing this type of garbage.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:16 pm
The only person on record I can think of who went from hot MC to garbage and back to hot MC is Snoop. Comparing Common to UGK is silly.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Wasn’t Common supposed to be in nigga rehab after that strawman beating they staged on Oprah?
May 27th, 2008 at 1:18 am
like water is >>>>>>>>>>>>>> be or ff
May 27th, 2008 at 2:01 am
Well I heard that Erykah a witch and stole Lonnie’s balls on night when he was asleep after they broke up and that’s why he can’t rap good no mo’. But that’s just what I heard…
Man, y’all niggas a trip.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:38 am
yo that vid is funny noz
May 28th, 2008 at 6:27 am
hiphop is being european? Europe bypassed the States in quality hiphop… consumerism fcked up the scene in the states, it’s time to clean the mess you made.
peace
check me at http://www.illfrequency.com
May 29th, 2008 at 7:08 am
As I recall you had the highest hope for lonnies album, above anything else coming out this year….riiiight?
And if you asked Com, he would tell you that he’s got other albums under his belt you can hear him rhyme on if you want, as if that’s a healthy appeasement. Often been depicted as a solid when in liquid? whuudehesay?
I wanna send lonnie a copy of NBA Live and tell him to quit it with YE and the connect 4 tourneys. No class, no class….
May 30th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Question: What does everybody have against Starbucks, anyway? Their coffee is like liquid cocaine.
April 14th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Some of the best rappers come out chicago
http://creativelyboundless.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/chi-town-aj-allen/