“Finding Forever really means to find a place in music where you can exist forever.”
Common has always been an artist whose main goal was to put out quality music. The type of music that would stay relevant years after his career and life has ended. With his seventh album, Common may not have succeeded in making his human presence immortal, but his music may be the closest thing to it. Coming out July 31st, “Finding Forever”, may be the closest thing to timeless music that has come out in a long time.Production- 7
Just like his previous album, Common’s main producer was Kanye West, as the college drop out produced 9 of the 13 tracks that were on the album. For the most part the beats are enjoyable, but the mellow flow for all 13 songs will more than likely bore any casual fan who decides to pick up this CD. There are a couple of eyebrow raisers such as “Driving me wild” where the beat is so annoying it almost makes you block out the lyrics, and if that happens you will definitely miss out on a genuinely good song. Songs like “The Game” and “southside” speed up the tempo of the album, but after that, it’s pretty mellow…nothing that gets the heart racing.
Lyrics-9
It’s Common. Did you really expect to hear poor lyrics? There really is no reason but to expect the best from Common and that is exactly what he gives. In “The Game”, you have a high level beat where he talks about the dynamics of the game and how he approaches it every time. Possibly the best lyrical song on the entire album. If you want to see Common at his best make sure you listen to this song. He continues to display knowledge and lyrics for the entire album, but in “The Game” he’s at his best.
Songs-7.5Although all of the songs were pretty good and quite enjoyable, Common does nothing and really says nothing that he hasn’t already said before in another way. Songs like “Black Maybe”, fail to grasp the attention of listeners, despite the intent of sending out a message to the masses. In “Misunderstood”, Common talks about circumstances and how the street life should be depicted. Not glorifying it, just telling the story of the ones who get lost on their journey in life. One of the things that Common does so well on this album is maintain the flow of the songs. From the intro and throughout, every song feels like it belongs exactly where it is placed. It goes so smoothly from one track to another, it can be mistaken for a audio novel. Every song flows into the other and it gives you the feel of a true album, not just the typically formatted album.
Conclusion-8
This album, like “Eardrum”, is a backpacker’s dream, but unfortunately not everyone who listens to hip hop is a hip hop head. The majority of listeners today are casual listeners. They want to get crunked and screwed up, all the while taking a casual visit to the coffee shop. Their attention spans are shorter than Vanilla Ice’s career, so they will not appreciate this album as much as the next person would. Common tries to find forever, and in many ways he does, but the immortality that he was looking for has found another way to elude him. For now, he will have to settle for just being a mere mortal…. For now that is.
Overall-8
COMMENTS
Ima Cop This... Ya Boy Be Snapin!!!
yea commons nice ill scoop it up
I knew Common was going to bring a hot album to hiphop. I love how he depicts the street life, he tells the story through a true hustlers eyes. But like you said, a lot of the people who listen to hiphop now won't appreciate this album. And to me, if it doesn't sell, it's still a classic album. I wish Common the best of luck with this one.
yea he brought hiphop where it is but not at the right time
nice!
i definately want to get this album
Common is nice but people unfortunately wanna hear gangsta
im gonna get this common is sick
yea common is hot but people aint gon appreciate they wanna hear about sellin pounds and buying ice and big rims and shit. But the cd is gon be hott
I got this CD allready this shit is tight one of the best albulms I have heard this year!!
HE SHOULDVE GOT 10! Or at least 9! U SAID 8? HELL NO!
AND UR NAME is (LYRICAL THOUGHT)...u should be fired! ASAP!
Can i get an amen?
it can't be a 10 cuz a perfect album cant just appela 2 hip hop heads it gots 2 appeal 2 all listeners of hip hop
yo but in some real shyt...(who cant say that Big - ready to die wasnt a classic?)
but its so many people who feel it isnt...BUT when u get an album like finding forever which was so well put together as it is...its perfect 4 real!!
true i feel u no offense 2 big or pac but do u think they would get so much praise if dey wasnt dead????
Historically, there have been numerous albums to get 5 Mics that did not get "mass appeal" reaction in the marketplace. Hip Hop is NOT a business. It is an art form. Ratings should be based on the content of the art, not the marketability of the art.
Picasso's paintings were not worth anything for the 1st half of his life. Doesn't change the fact they were still beautiful and among the most prolific art of his era.
If everything was normal!
Pac would have made peace with Dr Dre, Made Aftermath the official takeover with him. Suge wouldve been fell off. Big wouldve made Bad Boy merge with Dre. Jay-Z rocafella label wouldve made a collab to takeover with them as well. Def Jam would run all distributions. MONEY AND PEACE! Cuz eventually that shyt wouldve went away!
The media got them both killed. None of them did SHIT! ya know!
Hateme,
Finding Forever is good... HIGH LEVEL, but NOT perfect! It is good and worth the purchase, but it is NOT a CLASSIC album... meaning it would receive a 10... I agree with the 8... 7 even, lol...
amen. this cd is great if u like this kinda shit.Common has a niche in the rap game-he does what he does and hes the best at it. Hes got that real mellow intelligence and social commentary that you can hear in the music. Its not about singles on Finding Forever; the whole cd just flows like water.Some people may not like it but whatever...let them listen to their lil wayne(no diss on weezy)
good review .. I think this gonna be a classic, and definitely one of the best albums this year.
good review. i heard the whole album and no bullshiting its album of the year so far.
i mean aint nobody gonna even come close to this shit.reason why cuz its a hip hop album not gangsta rap or pop.this is the way hip hop gets ressurected now all we need is mos def talib hi tek the wu etc etc to drop albums back to back.the west coast is already poppin off with a big bay area buzz and u know when the game drops he always has a big fucken buzz.what im trying to say is it has to be a all coasts effort to bring hip hop back to life.cuz hip hop its about different types of music styles not just snap 1 hit wonders we wont hear about next year.
i got this already...and it is sick!!!!!!...i can lissen to the whole thing...shouldve got a 9
that's what's up, when you can listen straight through an ablum thats what makes a great ablum. co-sign 9/10. life ain't always gangsta,i'll be gett'in this ablum.
Its a good album.
damn..im gonna download this right now and put it in my mp3.this shit is gonna be tight
Everybody want to talk about hip hop dead.will this hip hop a live and at it's best really MC's like common , kweli, nas etc. don't get the love because cats want to hear gangsta shit 24/7.even Jay-z switch his style better yet propective on shit,and know alot of people calling him corny, he can't rap no more uneducated fake hip-hop heads don't know anything. COMMON THE TRUTH, MORE POWER TO COMMON SENSE.
Definetly worth your money
why would you buy it? when you can just download it on albumbase and be bumpin it before it is even released. how stupid are people these days??? i guess some people dont use technology to their advantage.
Dowload it right now on albumbase.com get it before it hits the stores!!!!!!!!!!!!
Niggas go buy it because it's worth the fucking money dumbass!! Even if you download it before it come out, go buy it when it come out because its good music and too keep the artist that really do make good music in the game you got to support them
musics like candy, you gotta throw away the rappers
That's what happened to the game! The Internet! Because now that artist can't even do average numbers because everybody's bootlegging, they havve to make disposable music that appeal to mainstream america because most people in the hood don't buy cds! You want REAL music and everybody talking bout they want REAL HIP HOP back, well go support projects like this so artist know that they will get paid for digging deep and working so hard! Because being a REAL artist now is like working for minimum wage! who wants to work hard as hell for minimum wage????
real talk my nigga.
and if executives see that people are buying the music from REAL ARTIST
then they will stop signing these bullshit watered down artist just to make money. They'll start weeding out the fake rappers and start signing and seriously backing the real emcees! Just my opinion
OH MY GOD THIS LIKE ONE OF THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE. FINDING OUT THERE REAL PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT GOOD MUSIC. IM WAITING FOR THIS ALBUM. I MEAN THE ACTUAL RELEASE DATE AND COPPING IT. I LOVE COMMON BE. IT A CLASSIC TO ME AND IF THIS FOLLOWS THE SAME FORMAT ANOTHER CLASSIC. FROM WHAT I HERE THAT WHAT IT IS SO MUCH RESPECT TO COMMON. MUCH RESPECT TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT SUPPORTING COMMON AND REAL HIP-HOP IN GENERAL. YALL REAL DUDES KEEP GOING YALL KNOW WHO YALL ARE.
Their attention spans are shorter than Vanilla Ice’s career lmao!!!!
thats true sad but true im def gonna go cop dis album
BOY VANILLA ICE IS A BEAST LOL
Good review man.. was one of the best albums this year.
Giving this record less than a 10 reduces your own credibility. When did we determine the worth of music by whether it moves people with short attention spans or an affinity for crunk music?
I though Def Sounds was supposed to be about Hip-Hop, not about guessing what White kids in the suburbs or dope dealers in the "trap" what to listen to.
YO YOUR MAN DIDNT LIE WHY THE HELL THIS GET A 8. DOESNT MAKE ANY SINCE IT SUCH A CLASSICWHY ITGETA 8. GOTTA GO WITH YOUR HEART NOT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK.
I have to admit, with these last 2 albums and with his overall body of work, i think common is slowly creaping into the conversation of top 10 ever.
man i cant wait im gettin it tommorow
Heard it on MTV.com the best shit I heard n along time as a whole CLASSIC!!!...doesn't need a rating
Actually i love Common but he fell off! might cop the album rather Talib Kweli's though!
i know yall gonna hate but common always been wake to me and he still iz,,,hip-pop singer,,,thats al!
ur an idiot u prolly think hes weak jus because hes not rappin about drugs or makin up some new dance
man it is amazing how dumb the people on the main page are (perfect example)
black mans maybe -real talk on dat track. if u dont feel this piece of art or at least respect this album u might want to rethink your thinkin process.
it's my opinion so u can kiss my chevy's back,,fag,,!!!
what i dont get is how u dont like music that actually has meaning and portrays our struggle as a people? have u even listened to the cd prolly not. i bet your favorite rapper is someone like jenny jones(jim jones incase u didnt know).
Break my Heart, Forever Begins, and The Game are classics.
Finding Forever is the best album of the year....It ain't backpacker music,it's hip hop is it's truest form. The album tackles various themes and ideas. i bought two copies today. The dude is on his shit. Beats could have been better, but in this day and age good music is hard to find. For real tho if everybody is a d boy, who the fuck is buying the crack? This album is much needed, shit maybe if common sold 5 million muthafuckers could get they mind right.
agree..copped it and its a fuckin classic - period -
best album all year. im listenen 2 it as im typen this. everysong is fire... no songs u wanna skip... shits fire!!!
this nigga is hip hop
i liked it but i thought there was to many slow tracks
Let me apologize cuz I copped the album! This shit is crack! He went in on these songs! Foreal it's real soulful! Everybody know H20 dont like shit! But Common put work in on this album! My favorite songs is "The People, MisUnderstood, & Break My Heart!" He WENT IN!
"My daughter found Nemo
I foud the new premo
Ye U know how we do
We do it for the people"
FUCK COMMON GAY ASS SELF!!...WEST SIDE!!
first id like to say congrats MR213, you know how to type. Other than that, there seems to be nothing positive about your ridiculous comments so just save your CAPS LOCK for the next brilliant thought that escapes you like "Tupac lives!" or some shit. If you dont like common or his cd, than thats cool just explain yourself cuz nobody wants to hear some retarded hooligan call common a homo unless he got a good reason(like a pic of him kissing some dude)
common has been the truth since I used to Love H.E.R., to 1999...mr123...ur an enormous jackass.
MAN SHUT DA FUCK UP HINOTAME..U MITE AS WELL JUST SUCK HIS DICK BITCH!..COMMONS FUCKIN GAY!
Obviously you have to taste in great hip hop. You need to leave the hip hop because you were never committed. Just because he doesn't walk around with his pants hanging down and demean our beautiful black women by calling them hoes and bitches doesn't make him a bad artist. Get some taste.
WELL HE NEEDS TO START DOIN DAT CUZ HE AINT POPULAR OVA HERE!..EVA SINCE HE DID DAT GAY SONG WITH MARY J BLIGE I THOUGHT HE WAS GAY AS HELL!..THE ONLY SONG I LIKED FROM HIM IS GET EM HIGH WITH KANYE WEST AND DAT WASNT EVEN HIS SONG...SO FUCK COMMON!
Where are you from?
LYRICAL THOUGHT
"For the most part the beats are enjoyable, but the mellow flow for all 13 songs will more than likely bore any casual fan who decides to pick up this CD. There are a couple of eyebrow raisers such as “Driving me wild” where the beat is so annoying it almost makes you block out the lyrics, and if that happens you will definitely miss out on a genuinely good song. Songs like “The Game” and “southside” speed up the tempo of the album, but after that, it’s pretty mellow…nothing that gets the heart racing."
- Dog, you COULDN'T have but taken the words RIGHT OUT of my mouth! Common raps at ONE speed... The boy CAN RAP, though; HE'S NICE...
LOOK AT MY AVATAR DUMBASS!!
Man, do you have to be so harsh. I'm just asked you a goddman question. Are Planet Asia and Murs big out there? I know they live out there.
PABLO ESCOBAR CAN SUCK MY DICK!!!
I'm not trying to insult you MR213, but you need to do some homework before you just take a swing at a hip hop (notice hip hop, not just rap, even though he's a rapper) veteran. Hip hop has many genres in it, and apparantley you're only interested in one and that's fine (to each his own). But don't make a cross-genre judgement when obviously you don't know about it, I can honestly tell you that anyone with half a heart for hip hop is looking at you like "Can you be serious?"
And on another note, he put your 213 gangsta rappers Ice Cube/Westside Connection in line a few years back when Ice Cube tried to come at him with "Slaughterhouse" because Common(Common Sense at the time) criticized the way hip hop was going then with "I Used to Love H.E.R". Since you're from the west coast I'm sure you've heard that track that they made dissing him. The question is did you hear the track Common responded with .."The Bitch In Yoo"?. There were a few lil scuffles after, but has there been anything said about him from that entire coast (or anyone really) since then(after Farrakan insisted they squash it)? No. So yes, homework time. And after that if you still feel that way about Common, that's fine, just know you can't possibly have any sincerity for hip hop if that's the case.
I gotta echo matic on this one...
I've been a Common Fan since "I used to Love her".
This album is hott of course but not on Everyone's terms...
The average rap fan couldnt just cop this and love him...
But I... shit I'm feeling it...
Just NOT more than BE!
~Be Eazy!
'Ye did a great job, I love those Beats! - RIP 2 DILLA -
This album is fire. Love the album, and Kanye is definately in my top 5 producer list.
Production - 9/10
Lyrics - 9/10
Value - 7.5/10
Overall - 92/100
THE ALBUM IS FIRE...HOT!!!!....MUCH PROPS TO COMMON...
Damn this album needs a higher rating
^^^ ill have w/e hes smokin
I loved this album
so u give lupe a better review than common? tho the score is the same, you give him a better review than COMMON. come on man..........
COMMON way HARDER than LUPE FiAGsco
U just can't fuck wiv Common.One of d realest MCs still about.Make Mo Sense Y'all.Yung
hip hop is alive because of this album! 9.5/10