Common-Follow Me

Sometimes the best way to stop a bully is to ignore them. Sometimes it's best to call them out. This bully has already been called out time and time again, but it's the biggest bully on the block. I probably need a bigger megaphone, but this will do.

The rapper Common has found his name stirred in the constantly simmering pot of misinformation and hype served daily by Fox News. The Obamas are hosting a poetry night to celebrate American poets, and one of the invitees is the Chicago rapper Common. Immediately, talking heads like Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, and Karl Rove hopped in, using their vast knowledge of hip hop and deep readings into the lyrics of the discography of Common, called him fan of cop-killers, accused him of making threats on George W's life, and called him out on supposedly supporting carrying uzis around and on top for being bad for the kids. And Fox News love the kids.

If the Obamas had invited Tyler, The Creator over for tea, I see how that could cause a stir. But Common? The same Common that has built a career on introspection? Common is one of the shining examples that good hiphop can combine both dope lyricism and great beats, that the two aren't mutually exclusive, and the combination can still be really commercially successful. Reading the lyrics to many of his songs highlights the poetry at heart of the best hiphop, and listening to him perform lets you hear the intrinsic symbiosis between the words and the beat. Common is a rapper's rapper. And all that can be found in this unreleased track that's been chilling in my computer for a little bit. The lyrics are the same ones that are causing all the ruckus now, the sames ones from the Def Poetry Jam from 2007. On top of a easygoing beat by Kanye, Common adopts the voice of an inner-youth, writing a letter to the government about police brutality. The message is there, the lyrics are there, the flow is there, the poetry is there. And that is all Common is. A poet, an artist, and every artist deserves their fair share of free-rein.

Fox News charges Common with being a bad influence on the kids. I'd say that Fox News holds way more influence than the Chicago rapper ever will, and unlike Common, uses that influence very, very poorly. That's where the real danger is, not with a rapper whose most offense recent act was releasing his atrocious last album.

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 Common-Follow Me by jamand1/2

Kanye & Jay Z-Power (Remix)

Some rappers find a niche. A groove. Make the same sounding music for years and years. Talk about the same subjects, stick to the same flow, have similar beats by the same five producers. They ride comfortably for years until they finally fade into rap oblivion. They say do what you do best, and rappers like Juvenile and Busta Rhymes have done just that, and made careers of it.

Say what you will about Kanye, regardless of whether you like him or not, but he is anything but predictable. Whether it be his videos, award show wearits, or style, Kanye has shown an almost ravenous pursuit of doing what is not expected of him. With his classic debut album College Dropout (just gets better and better with age), Kanye introduced himself to the world as a  rapper/producer who has the ability to chef up dope beats from classic soul, blues, and jazz samples (even reworking a jamandahalf by a gay British guy and making it his own). Three albums later (including his experimental 808’s and Heartbreaks) Kanye is at a crossroads of his career.

Luckily all signs point to great things from Mr. West. On his untitled fifth album, Kanye has worked with everyone from Jay-Z to Bon Iver, experimenting with his own talents, and shifting hip hop’s direction at the same time. The “Power” remix is Kanye pulling off his gloves and taking it to the rap game. Proving his point that he can “rap with Jigga,” Kanye drops three fire verses with three different flows, a lyrical roulette. On the third verse, Ye gets crazier than a Tea Party convention, flowing on top of a frenzied beat with a classic Jock Jam sample. From a rapper who easily could have easily taken his millions and made ambient autuned tunes the rest of his life, seeing his fire and drive is refreshing.

  Power (rmx) f. Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz by jamsfordays