[ATI] Common- Finding Forever

A.T.I. · 07-24-2007, 04:55 PM

Common
Finding Forever
G.O.O.D. Music/Geffen

(8.6)

Having delivered six full length albums in a career spanning over fifteen years, Chi-town's most notable lyricist, Common, decided to record his seventh LP with a certain goal in mind- Finding Forever. This aspiration, to make timeless, memorable music, is one shared by many veteran artists hoping to cement their place in music history. Common's classic-esque Be (2005), certainly displayed his eagerness to create music for the ages, and if not thoroughly better, Finding Forever continues Common's trend of making genre-spanning music at a level rarely seen in hip-hop today.

Back on board to handle most of the production duties is Common's fellow Chi-town native, Kanye West, who duplicates his role from Be, producing roughly 3/4 of the album. This in itself sets apart Common's latest offering from the batch of under-whelming music flooding hip-hop in 2007; West equals the high standard of beat-making from Be, constantly pushing Common to deliver high-quality bars to match the smooth production. The blasé introduction and the subdued "Start The Show" make way for the album's current single "The People," where West flips a previously used Tupac sample ("All Bout U" from The Game's "Wouldn't Get Far") to compliment Comm's introspective lyrics, "at the Grammys, yo they tried to India Arie me, got backstage, and I bumped into Stevie, he said no matter what, the people gonna see me//Can't leave rap alone, the streets need me, hunger in they eyes, is what seems to feed me." The jazzy tones of "Black Maybe" are a stark contrast from the funky synths on "I Want You," where Common's seductive lyrics don't quite do Will.I.Am's beat much justice with lines like, "thoughts take me, to when we were close, addicted to your love, feel I need another dose."

The Lily Allen-assisted "Drivin' Me Wild" is a surprise highlight, as the UK vocalist meshes a dreamy hook with West's piano-dripping production and Common's thoughtful commentary on individuality and relationships. However, the sampled falsetto vocals and mediocre love-story-raps on "Break My Heart" are somewhat under-whelming, but Common then launches into the hard-hitting "The Game," which features the legendary DJ Premier providing cuts that help Kanye set the tone for the dark verbal assault: "They tried to back me in like Cassius, Clay, hey I'm like Mohammad when he fasted//opposing the fascists, made cuts and got gashes, scratches over third eye-lashes//punchlines are like jab hits to rappers, who's careers are now ashes, they’re too many slashes, in his name."

Kanye's co-producer of "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," Devo Springsteen, smartly utilizes a Nina Simone sample on the moody "Misunderstood" before Common effectively closes things out with the uplifting gem "Forever Begins". Here, West rehashes the gospel stylings of yester-year, complimenting the reminiscing lyrics of Lonnie Lynn, the man behind the rapper, "It was in the wind when she said Dilla was gone, that's when I knew he'd live forever through song." The great effort with which Common and Kanye West create music is crystal clear on Finding Forever, as they craft an album that exemplifies just why they will be remembered for years, perhaps even generations to come.

gin8u · 07-24-2007, 08:45 PM

dope review.
I like the album too.

Rocky · 07-24-2007, 09:12 PM

finally we get ur review..great post

Nokster · 07-24-2007, 09:38 PM

good stuff. However, my comp is acting gay and won't let me open any folders that I have extracted from .rar files lately. All the files I have extracted won't open. This is dumb as fuck on acccount of I can't listen to any albums anymore.

1.2.3 · 07-24-2007, 09:42 PM

i thought it was a solid release. i would have given it a 4/5. he had a few wack verses on the album but the rest was very consistant.

A.T.I. · 07-24-2007, 11:39 PM

yeah I was torn between 4 and 4.5, gave it the latter on account of a 4 doesn't really seperate it from the rest of albums coming out

InFiNiTiZeD · 07-27-2007, 12:09 AM

very good review cant wait to buy it in a few days

Pineapple · 07-28-2007, 07:59 PM

kanye west completely runined the album......can somone teach him to say south?????????

A.T.I. · 07-28-2007, 08:01 PM

I thought it was the "side" part he had most trouble with

Pineapple · 07-28-2007, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A.T.I.

I thought it was the "side" part he had most trouble with

south was the part and he single handedly ruined the album any unreleased tracks???????that i can exchange with that song????????

mEatwaD · 07-30-2007, 02:42 AM

lmao, i cant stand that south side song.... but the rest of the album i thought was dope.

Better Than You · 07-30-2007, 09:38 AM

Just bought the album, listening to it for the first time now.

Sounding very dope so far...but im only on track 3

Rebel INS {CF} · 07-30-2007, 11:25 AM

^ ur a fucca for having it today ....... im goin up the road to get it on like wednesday ... thursday

did u get it in hmv ? how much u fuccca ?!?!

Better Than You · 07-30-2007, 12:24 PM

Yeah i got it at HMV. £9.95!!

f4ng · 07-31-2007, 04:23 AM

well-done review. good read ATI. And yea surprisingly, the song "Driving Me Wild" grew quickly on me. I might have given it a 4.5 just because it was a refreshing album in an age of commercialized rap.

Just_Blaze · 08-02-2007, 01:24 AM

now that i've purchased the album i can read this review and this review does the album justice. good review. i enjoyed the album.

THE GAME TIME · 11-26-2007, 06:25 PM

props on da review....

Outlaw · 11-27-2007, 05:26 PM

dope album most is good

moniquethe1 · 12-15-2007, 09:26 AM

nice review

Brolic · 01-16-2008, 09:47 AM

How come this is in underground reviews. Its not an underground album

Nice Album btw.

07-24-2007, 04:55 PM	#1
A.T.I. Agitating the Ignorant Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 7,464 Repped: 1,301 Repped 1,964 Times in 687 Posts Neg Reps: 139 Neg Repped at 151 Times in 124 Posts	[ATI] Common- Finding Forever [ATI] Common- Finding Forever Common Finding Forever G.O.O.D. Music/Geffen (8.6) Having delivered six full length albums in a career spanning over fifteen years, Chi-town's most notable lyricist, Common, decided to record his seventh LP with a certain goal in mind- Finding Forever. This aspiration, to make timeless, memorable music, is one shared by many veteran artists hoping to cement their place in music history. Common's classic-esque Be (2005), certainly displayed his eagerness to create music for the ages, and if not thoroughly better, Finding Forever continues Common's trend of making genre-spanning music at a level rarely seen in hip-hop today. Back on board to handle most of the production duties is Common's fellow Chi-town native, Kanye West, who duplicates his role from Be, producing roughly 3/4 of the album. This in itself sets apart Common's latest offering from the batch of under-whelming music flooding hip-hop in 2007; West equals the high standard of beat-making from Be, constantly pushing Common to deliver high-quality bars to match the smooth production. The blasé introduction and the subdued "Start The Show" make way for the album's current single "The People," where West flips a previously used Tupac sample ("All Bout U" from The Game's "Wouldn't Get Far") to compliment Comm's introspective lyrics, "at the Grammys, yo they tried to India Arie me, got backstage, and I bumped into Stevie, he said no matter what, the people gonna see me//Can't leave rap alone, the streets need me, hunger in they eyes, is what seems to feed me." The jazzy tones of "Black Maybe" are a stark contrast from the funky synths on "I Want You," where Common's seductive lyrics don't quite do Will.I.Am's beat much justice with lines like, "thoughts take me, to when we were close, addicted to your love, feel I need another dose." The Lily Allen-assisted "Drivin' Me Wild" is a surprise highlight, as the UK vocalist meshes a dreamy hook with West's piano-dripping production and Common's thoughtful commentary on individuality and relationships. However, the sampled falsetto vocals and mediocre love-story-raps on "Break My Heart" are somewhat under-whelming, but Common then launches into the hard-hitting "The Game," which features the legendary DJ Premier providing cuts that help Kanye set the tone for the dark verbal assault: "They tried to back me in like Cassius, Clay, hey I'm like Mohammad when he fasted//opposing the fascists, made cuts and got gashes, scratches over third eye-lashes//punchlines are like jab hits to rappers, who's careers are now ashes, they’re too many slashes, in his name." Kanye's co-producer of "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," Devo Springsteen, smartly utilizes a Nina Simone sample on the moody "Misunderstood" before Common effectively closes things out with the uplifting gem "Forever Begins". Here, West rehashes the gospel stylings of yester-year, complimenting the reminiscing lyrics of Lonnie Lynn, the man behind the rapper, "It was in the wind when she said Dilla was gone, that's when I knew he'd live forever through song." The great effort with which Common and Kanye West create music is crystal clear on Finding Forever, as they craft an album that exemplifies just why they will be remembered for years, perhaps even generations to come. __________________ “At a snail's pace, I won this race that y'all trail"

07-24-2007, 09:38 PM	#4
Nokster ♫, $, & ♀ = Life. Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 8,878 Repped: 748 Repped 2,426 Times in 830 Posts Neg Reps: 44 Neg Repped at 103 Times in 84 Posts	good stuff. However, my comp is acting gay and won't let me open any folders that I have extracted from .rar files lately. All the files I have extracted won't open. This is dumb as fuck on acccount of I can't listen to any albums anymore. __________________ You Up Yet? My Punchline's Like Gut Checks - I'm Raw Dogg, I'm Rough Sex - I'm All That, I'm Up Next/ I'm God Bless, I'm Success.. So Fuck Stress/

07-24-2007, 11:39 PM	#6
A.T.I. Agitating the Ignorant Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 7,464 Repped: 1,301 Repped 1,964 Times in 687 Posts Neg Reps: 139 Neg Repped at 151 Times in 124 Posts	yeah I was torn between 4 and 4.5, gave it the latter on account of a 4 doesn't really seperate it from the rest of albums coming out __________________ “At a snail's pace, I won this race that y'all trail"

07-28-2007, 07:59 PM	#8
Pineapple Complex Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,918 Repped: 1,219 Repped 2,316 Times in 705 Posts Neg Reps: 10 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	kanye west completely runined the album......can somone teach him to say south????????? __________________ YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!:supersh ocked: Back before they turned hip-hop to rap It was always a place to party at, remember that?- Rakim

07-28-2007, 08:01 PM	#9
A.T.I. Agitating the Ignorant Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 7,464 Repped: 1,301 Repped 1,964 Times in 687 Posts Neg Reps: 139 Neg Repped at 151 Times in 124 Posts	I thought it was the "side" part he had most trouble with __________________ “At a snail's pace, I won this race that y'all trail"

07-24-2007, 08:45 PM	#2
gin8u Underground Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 599 Repped: 18 Repped 70 Times in 37 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	dope review. I like the album too.

07-24-2007, 09:12 PM	#3
Rocky Veteran Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: MTL Posts: 2,570 Repped: 69 Repped 29 Times in 22 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	finally we get ur review..great post

07-24-2007, 09:42 PM	#5
1.2.3 Veteran Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: new york Posts: 1,388 Repped: 166 Repped 40 Times in 19 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	i thought it was a solid release. i would have given it a 4/5. he had a few wack verses on the album but the rest was very consistant.

07-27-2007, 12:09 AM	#7
InFiNiTiZeD Fuck You....... Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,323 Repped: 24 Repped 25 Times in 14 Posts Neg Reps: 1 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	very good review cant wait to buy it in a few days

07-30-2007, 02:42 AM	#11
mEatwaD Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: NY Posts: 2,568 Repped: 1,348 Repped 508 Times in 130 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 7 Times in 5 Posts	lmao, i cant stand that south side song.... but the rest of the album i thought was dope.

07-30-2007, 09:38 AM	#12
Better Than You More Tea Homeboy? Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: England Posts: 328 Repped: 7 Repped 8 Times in 5 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Just bought the album, listening to it for the first time now. Sounding very dope so far...but im only on track 3

07-30-2007, 11:25 AM	#13
Rebel INS {CF} - iLLuminati ~ Rapsody - Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ireland Posts: 11,436 Repped: 150 Repped 629 Times in 297 Posts Neg Reps: 1 Neg Repped at 76 Times in 68 Posts	^ ur a fucca for having it today ....... im goin up the road to get it on like wednesday ... thursday did u get it in hmv ? how much u fuccca ?!?!

07-30-2007, 12:24 PM	#14
Better Than You More Tea Homeboy? Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: England Posts: 328 Repped: 7 Repped 8 Times in 5 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Yeah i got it at HMV. £9.95!!

07-31-2007, 04:23 AM	#15
f4ng Word Is Bond Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: LA Posts: 147 Repped: 8 Repped 16 Times in 9 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	well-done review. good read ATI. And yea surprisingly, the song "Driving Me Wild" grew quickly on me. I might have given it a 4.5 just because it was a refreshing album in an age of commercialized rap.

08-02-2007, 01:24 AM	#16
Just_Blaze Thread Jacker Numero Uno! Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nu Jers.. It's that on top muzik! Posts: 3,631 Repped: 131 Repped 144 Times in 101 Posts Neg Reps: 10 Neg Repped at 4 Times in 4 Posts	now that i've purchased the album i can read this review and this review does the album justice. good review. i enjoyed the album. __________________ "tell blaze to stop it wit the embarassing posts.....he's making everything die" - Grandmaster G

11-26-2007, 06:25 PM	#17
THE GAME TIME Veteran Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: ... Posts: 2,859 Repped: 685 Repped 12,601 Times in 905 Posts Neg Reps: 31 Neg Repped at 32 Times in 29 Posts	props on da review....

11-27-2007, 05:26 PM	#18
Outlaw Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 881 Repped: 154 Repped 8 Times in 6 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	dope album most is good

12-15-2007, 09:26 AM	#19
moniquethe1 Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 96 Repped: 32 Repped 0 Times in 0 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	nice review

01-16-2008, 09:47 AM	#20
Brolic Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: The World Posts: 49 Repped: 0 Repped 0 Times in 0 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	How come this is in underground reviews. Its not an underground album Nice Album btw.

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