Common - Like Water for Chocolate

Like Water For Chocolate

Wow is all i could say when listening to this album. Im sad to say my first Common album was Finding Forever, so when i heard this i was shocked to hear the subject matter on depth on this album. A Song For Assata well bring a tear to your eye if you really listen to this song, its quit moving. I heard it a few times not really listening, but i was reading the lyrics and that's when it really hit me. I wish Common would go back to this type of hip hop. The light is a nice laid back song, i love to play this and the ladies love it as well (just the mature ones). With Jay Dee on the board you can never go wrong. Cold Blooded it a personal favorite and who could forget The 6th Sense, which is the reason i picked this album up. Payback Is A Grandmother is a dope story telling track, i like it because it reminds me of a past event that happened to my family. Make sure you check out this album, classic is all i can really say.

Top 5 Favorites
A Song For Assata
The 6th Sense
The Light
Payback Is A Grandmother
Cold Blooded September 3, 2008

A delightfully tasteful piece of "Chocolate"

Common's been a force throughout his career, always providing a much-needed dose of artistic relevance to the masses. Beginning in 1991 as Chicago's answer to the Native Tongues, Common Sense went on to release 1994's classic Resurrection and continued with a string of excellent albums, including 2000's "Like Water for Chocolate." Always evolving as a musician, Common watched his artistic alternative rap buddies Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and the Roots find success at the turn of the century, making the time right commercially for a breakthrough. From the ingenious title and cover to the wondrous lyrical content and musical brilliance, Common's fourth album and first for a major label is a creative masterpiece.

Everything about this album just clicks for me. It's incredibly fresh and one of the most artistically creative albums I've heard. However, it sustains an accessible appeal because it's not overly indulgent or experimental. The album's setup is effective because it's not formulaic despite its focus. Songs are lengthy, and musically, it's a little spacey and jazzy, though it wouldn't be characterized as either. It's a beautiful forward-reaching sound, but Common always maintains an element of nostalgia. Speaking of Common, he turns in one of the finest performances of his storied career. He's technically impeccable--his flow, delivery, wordplay, double entendre, vernacular, and swagger are perfect--but what sets him apart from the other rap masters is that he has real soul. Common epitomizes the hip hop artist, and each song on "Like Water for Chocolate" is pure conceptual genius. It's amazing that everything works so well on such an inventive project. And for a rapper who raps so deeply, introspectively, and abstractly about Afrocentrism and the hip hop culture, he's never corny. He's a pioneer and master of his craft.

"Like Water for Chocolate" features a vast supporting cast, which is another notable piece to the puzzle because somehow they're on the exact same page Common is. ?uestlove, Jay Dee, DJ Premier, D'Angelo, and James Poyser comprise one of the best production teams ever assembled, and their beautiful collaborative efforts produce rich soundscapes for a constantly smooth, soulful, mellow vibe. A talented crew of live musicians, the Soulquarians, contribute extensively and help enhance the live spirit of hip hop that Common loves to celebrate. R&B singers appear frequently (Vinia Mojica, Roy Hargrove, Bilal, Jill Scott, D'Angelo, Macy Gray), as well as some particularly soulful MCs (Rahzel, Black Thought, Slum Village, MC Lyte, Mos Def, Cee-Lo), and Common brings out the best in each. Even Common's father sounds great on his spoken word outro "Pops Rap III...All My Children" over a tasteful horn arrangement.

My favorites include "Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela)," a perfect opener and an abstract jazz number that Common uses to deliver table-setters. "The Light" is a timeless love song, and I love "The Question," where Common and Mos Def cleverly trade thought-provoking (and just funny) questions ("Why they say never say never, when they know it ain't right/'Cause to say never say never, you done said never twice?") over a Jay Dee gem. DJ Premier lends a top-notch beat on the magical "The 6th Sense," which gives way to "A Film Called (Pimp)," a track of rhyming dialogue between Common and MC Lyte that's half serious, half parody, and all genius. "Nag Champa," "Thelonius," and "Geto Heaven, Pt. 2," with strong imagery, are soulfully gorgeous, and "Payback Is a Grandmother" showcases humorous storytelling and a dope beat. Perhaps most noteworthy is "Song for Assata" with Cee-Lo, a chronicle of Assata Shakur's life.

From start to finish "Like Water for Chocolate" is remarkable on all fronts. Musically inventive and lyrically thought-provoking, it's the sort of charming genre-bending masterpiece that comes once every few years or so. This is one of the finest works from both Common and Jay Dee respectively. It's a joy to listen to and evokes great feelings with every spin. August 20, 2008

One of my all-time favorite & most consistant albums

This record has something for everyone. It is an absolute achievement in the Genre of Hip-hop. Common is constantly on point and relevant in his syllable twisting rhymes. Most of the production is done by the late great Jay Dee (aka J Dilla). If you're just learning about Jay now, this might be the best place to start, he helped make so many artists into what they are today.

This was Common's breakout record, after small successes of the past, Commmon emerged with "The Light" becoming one of the all-time defining moments of real Hip-hop. If you're an aspiring producer I urge you to acquire "open you're eyes" by bobby cladwell and try to figure out how Jay chopped the samples the way he did, you'll be amazed. Common's flow is so tight, and the beats are so fresh that you will wonder why the game changed.

Another track that stands out is called "The Sixth Sense" produced by primo. This is my second favorite Common/Premier Collab after One-Nine-Nine-Nine. If you haven't heard that joint, GET IT NOW. It is a greatly under appreciated hip-hop gem.


I put this in the same category of the first 3 tribe records, Blackstarr, Illmatic and a few other choice cuts. These are the records that set these artist apart from the rest of the pack. Check this one out today, you won't be sorry.

Midnight Marauders

Black Star August 9, 2008

Excellent!

Big fan of Finding Forever so decided to buy this album and was not disappointed! Still listening but loving every minute!!! June 14, 2008

just getting to know common

i have been sleeping on his talents. this album is up there with be, awesome... not to mention that it is produced by my baby daddy ?estlove.
September 10, 2007

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