Album just gets better. On my first listen I liked it but felt there were too many tracks that bled together lyrically - lots of peace/love/prosperity raps but not enough conceptional or shyt talking tracks mixed in. But on subsequent listens the balance feels solid.
One thing that the album really has me thinking about is how hard it is for established artists to to create music people genuinely want to hear 20-30+ years into their career. Typically when you go to a legend's concert you expect to hear the classics - hits, classic deep cuts, etc. A few artists have managed to add to their pantheon late in their career but it's rare. For instance Stevie Wonder has These Three Words and Gotta Have You, which came out nearly 30 years after his first hit, and are now classic staples of his shows. The Rolling Stones have Thru and Thru, which came out in 1994 yet is a classic song you'd expect to hear at a concert. This Common/Pete Rock album has multiple tracks that would sound super comfortable in between his classics live. Dreamin', This Man, Now And Then...shyt just sounds GOOD. Some of these tracks feel like they could have been on Be.
The beats/production are key because the sound is timeless. The layers on these beats man...this shyt gonna be beautiful live. The bass, the snares etc. There's nothing on this album (production wise) that a Common fan from 30 years ago would say "this isn't for me." Usually when I hear "throwback" shyt it feels tired or regressive but this shyt feels alive. The beats jump off the record with a lot of vigor.
, friends.
. This album is flames
