Common is usually named among the best emcees to ever grace a mic and with good reason! His lyrical ability, his flow and his laid-back attitude really set him apart. After one album that went somewhat under the radar, Common dropped Resurrection with his then alias, Common Sense. Personally, Resurrection is my favourite Common album and totally deserves the title of being a hip-hop classic.

After “Can I Borrow A Dollar?”, I don’t think anybody expected Common to put out such a great album. Isn’t it amazing how someone can go from being unnoticed with his debut album to dropping an album that will set him apart from other artists and lead him down a path of glory and respect. The album itself is pretty relaxed, but don’t overlook it’s lyrical aggressiveness because of that. Throughout the whole album he provides social commentary with bitterness and intelligence in a fashion that only a great lyricist could do. With this album Common found a way to express his almost shocking opinions (keep in mind that it was released in the 90’s) in a way that will most likely make you think about society’s situation. Going from disapproving hip-hop’s direction to discussing racial differences, Lonnie never fails to impress with his versatility and his wittiness. Let’s also mention that Common is backed by one of hip-hop’s greatest producers through the whole album. No I.D. actually produced 13 of the 15 tracks and found a way to perfectly match Com’s rapping without getting overshadowed. It was pretty risky for Lonnie to pick a single producer to produce most of the album, but luckily for him it worked out perfectly. Everything on this album blends so well to bring you more than an hour of pure greatness that is rarely matched in hip-hop. Common’s dad even makes an appearance on the final track of the album, closing the masterpiece with a beautiful spoken word poem.

Common Sense was able to provide the hip-hop crowd with something else than the overly-popular ‘gangsta’ stuff. He was able to create a masterpiece that can easily be compared to the likes of “Illmatic” and “Ready To Die”. Common’s personal growth after “Can I Borrow A Dollar?” led him to become one of hip-hop’s greatest lyricist and thinkers. Thanks to Common, we still love H.E.R. !

by Jean-Guy