J-Banks

Common Says Obama Is Gonna 'Change Hip-Hop'
Published: Monday - December 15, 2008

Common recently released a brand new album, Universal Mind Control, and if you haven't heard it yet, he broke the formula that has proven successful for him over his past two outing with the lack of help from Kanye West.

After help from 'Ye on Be and Finding Forever -- both of which helped expose him to a mainstream audience -- Common opted to take a different route, search for a new sound, and he's done that.

However, he credits President-elect Barack Obama for helping him see the light, and he says the first black president is gonna do the same for the hip-hop genre all across the board.

In an interview with CNN, Common said Obama "is going to change hip-hop for the better."

"I really do believe we as hip-hop artists pick up what's going on in the world and try to reflect that," Common explained to CNN. "I think hip-hop artists will have no choice but to talk about different things and more positive things, and try to bring a brighter side to that because, even before Barack, I think people had been tired of hearing the same thing."

The rapper said his new album represents the "broadening" of hip-hop's audience -- one that demands evolution rather than reworking of old beats and rhymes.

This time around, Common shaped a new sound for himself with the help of the Neptunes and Pharrell Williams. West appears on just one track.

But, he tells CNN, that he shapes by all the music he's made before linking up with West and shooting into the mainstream. Common says selling albums is all about the music, but without proper promotion, you can't break into a bigger audience or out of the underground. Before West, he said he hadn't done enough to achieve that.

"After you make good, quality music, then it's your job to go out there and promote it and to market it and to get it out there to the people. I feel like I wasn't doing that early on," he said. "Now I am, and I feel like I'm growing as a songwriter and working with producers that are very incredible, so I feel all that is contributing to me getting the recognition that I'm getting."

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Source: ballerstatus

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JTC50C

word, com is my boy

THA WEATHA MAN

Haven't heard his album yet. Any good?

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"I was taught wise, Im known to extort guys, this aint Cali, its Harlem nigga we do walkbys" -Big L

JTC50C

one of the songs (Sex 4 Suga) sucks real bad. The rest range from good to great but the rest is only 9 tracks so it shouldve been at least 1 or 2 longer maybe. But for what he was shootin for with this one he succeeded. He says he wanted to make just a pop/dance/hiphop album because none of his previous releases are anything like that and he also said he didnt like that there were no songs of his that were really club songs or getting any type of club play until "UMC" and this Album.

I reccomend: "Gladiator," "Make My Day (w/Cee-Lo)," "Inhale," "UMC" & "Announcement"

THA WEATHA MAN

Oh alright, thanks fam I'll check both out

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"I was taught wise, Im known to extort guys, this aint Cali, its Harlem nigga we do walkbys" -Big L

anzee11

I posted this thread days ago. Not complaining. I'm just saying.