It's Boom Bap for the older folk. Finally got the new Common album, The Dreamer. The Believer which drops tomorrow. As much as this album was hyped by me since I first heard Sweet a few months back, the release held up to its hype and is the best record of 2012. Common's best? No. But for sure his best work in recent years. The Dreamer has a Boom Bap undertone to it all the way through but so subtle, you don't even realize that you're five tracks deep and have been bumping your head for a good 15 minutes. For the production heads, Common's relationship with beat maker, NO ID has matured. The lyrical heads will enjoy what Common delivers. Doing what he does best. Hip Hop.
The story of the album covers all topics. Love, Hope, Salvation. Desperation. Sadness. Happiness. Stories intertwined with straight-ahead lyricism. The album is for the mature head. While other releases this year were pretty soft in terms of subject matter, the matured music fan will appreciate what Common has to say on this one. Feature tracks featuring famed poet Maya Angelou, Nas and John Legend are no doubt highlights , but I found joints like Lovin' I Lost (that samples Impressions 1968 tune, I Love and Lost) and Cloth as to be my favourites.
No matter what subject Common battles on this LP, it's clear Common is Hip Hop and with the right production and subject matter, he can still kick out a classic. Dreams can come true is the moral to this story and I found it today when listening to The Dreamer. The Believer.
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