Like Water For Chocolate

I'm not a big rap guy so getting rap albums is always tough for me here. So far all the rap albums mostly come from the US and represent a culture I did not grow up in and have never experienced. This makes it tough to judge these albums given how reflective they are of the society the respective rappers grew up in. However, compared to some of the previous rap albums I've gotten, this is more in my style. The beats are more jazzy and the flow is a bit more my style. Still the lyrics are a bit homophobic, which Common has admitted to saying he doesn't want to use any more which is always good to hear.

This album has a few issues, particularly in length and pacing. It’s a bit bloated, both in overall length and in a few songs that really could have been edited down a bit. But all that falls by the wayside with just how good of a vibe it puts out. Equal parts passionate and relaxed. I feel like I’ve been snatched away and placed into Common’s living room, and he is making some tea while telling me about some social issues he is passionate about. That is a feeling I can’t help but love.

Classic 80's sound. Love her voice. Full of fun and sad songs

Very enjoyable, I haven't listened to any common before. I like the jazz influence, the whole thing works well

It's..okay. Song for Assata is great, but most of the album is a bit of a slog, about 20 minutes too long. Marred by homophobia and misogyny in spite of Common calling his girl his equal multiple times

some good beats, but god damn common is an ass rapper and some of the content does not age well, some homphobic themes.

Thought I wouldn't enjoy this as much as I used to due to seeing through the 'conscious' part of 'conscious rap' now (which I did), but the flow and production is lovely. However, ain't no-one falling for the 'I would rather have a meaningful conversation than sex with all these fine ladies" stuff, that's defo just another way to try and get laid. Also, I'm not homophobic, I just don't want them to bring it around me is not exactly conscious rap! However, I don't judge rap albums by their morals.

This is sweet relief after a bunch of gangsta rap albums. Gangsta lost me; it was just too violent, too misogynistic, too homophobic and just deliberately unpleasant. By way of comparison, soulquarian, conscious hip hop is a blessed relief. I love the Dilla/Questlove production on this record. Common isn't the world's greatest rapper, but this record is a breath of fresh air after the violence and misogyny of much of 90s hip hop. The production is A1, which makes this a really wonderful album to listen to.

I heard he was an antidote to the popular violence and misogyny of the era. I guess homophobia sounds so groovy we don’t mind?

77 minutes? When I look up unfamiliar contestants on Spotify, the record length is all I look for. Pressed play and got ready to kick the shit out of this record, and finally roll out a long-brewing rant about the bloat of turn of the millennium hip hop albums. Unfortunately, the first track's so good and unusual, it quelled my rage and I started listening closely. Sweetly placed afrobeat flourishes from the start made my nose twitch, and while the opener, 'Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela)', is a standout, it is not an outlier. The involvement of J Dilla makes sense when I look this up: the record has a wriggle to it. It is overlong, though. I only had time to listen to it once. I may listen to it again.

Liked it much more than I thought I would, since Common generally doesn't do much for me. Overlong, but saved by great production.

A lot of this album comes from a place of pain, but it is a thing of beauty. Not as good as Pimp a Butterfly, but still quite remarkable. I, weirdly, mostly know Common as an actor. To hear him in his original environment is a real treat. Not sure that this is my favorite thing ever, but I'm curious to check out the rest of his work.

Very boring, nothing here that I enjoyed at all. And to top it off, it's too long.

So the thing about Common, is the he is an excellent lyricist with a special sound. I feel uplifted, and yet, grounded when listening to him. He absolutely captures a cup of coffee in the middle of the city on a Thursday morning for me. Sometimes it is cheesy, I'll just say that is a little cream cheese on a bagel with my coffee. I can't always put this on, but I can for sure put it on every morning.

Production: 15/20 Songwriting: 14/20 Innovation: 15/20 Bangers: 20/20 Emotional response: 16/20 =80 Banging stuff

Common's flows are as cool as a cucumber.

Common is in fine form here - I think this is his best record - and no disrespect to the other producers on this record, but I think J Dilla’s production steals the show on a few tracks. Hopefully, someone will add Donuts as a user submitted album when they are done with the list. It should really have been on this list to begin with.

The sound blends a bunch of genres together, including funk and afrobeat, but also electronic to create a product that sounds very much like a product of its time, yet excels in its endeavors with each track. Maintained momentum all throughout, with tracks blending into each other. Only exception is that I found the clarity in its pop track "The Light" to be a sore thumb. Despite this, I found the length to be a huge weakness, starting to lose focus near the middle. Had to drop and come back to the second half later, but it's still full of good tracks. Use of spoken word works well for covering political topics, like "The Questions" to make it super easy for audience to follow along on first listen. Favorite tracks: Time Travelin, Heat, Dooinit, Funky for You

Can't believe I've never heard Common before. The production is brilliant in this album, with phased vocals, tasteful use of synths, keys, trumpets and strings, a bass tone that's compressed to a satin chocolate finish, and rich, measured backing vocals. Common's flow is great and the tribute he pays to african american music from the past 50 years is dense as hell. Through Jazz, blues, disco, funk, RnB (especially on the keys), soul, and others, Common elevates the music of black artists onto his own personal pedestal, and then takes inspiration from it to create something really exciting and original. It drags a bit in the middle for me maybe, but that's the only complaint I have - and Common's reluctance to fall into patterns of singing about the same tropes that a lot of 90s hip-hop singers did is not only refreshing, but it also allows him to touch on some really emotional and personal points of interest. "Save the war stories for Private Ryan"

Another great hip-hop album. Common has great flow and the beats are funky.

Eine Platte, die sich nicht so gut eignet um Sonntagmorgens noch im Bett liegend aus dem Nebenzimmer gehört zu werden. Dann klingt sie hektisch und unausgewogen und man möchte lieber Jazz anmachen und eine schöne Tasse frisch gebrühten Bohnenkaffee serviert. Hört man sie aber dann per Kopfhörer zB in der Bahn oder später auf dem Sofa im Wohnzimmer, dann wirkt sie viel ausgewogener einerseits, und edgier/kantiger und geschliffener als die andere Common neulich andererseits. Gefällt mir dann auch gut und bekommt verdiente 3,5 Sterne.

Common is just that. Ordinary and boring.

Hip hop. Why are so many of these albums on this list? Annoyed 1/5

Hangulatosnak tűnik, letöltöttem

I spun this record a lot when I was living in Greeley, CO, working at the Windsor Finest Record Store, and deep in my Dilla obsession. This record totally slaps. I would say it ranks with one of Common’s best. If I was a professional critic, I wouldn’t give it a 5, because Resurrection is the zenith for Common Sense, and this record can’t really match up to that. But personally, LWFC had just as much of an impact on me if not more.

A Few tracks that absolutely slapped my socks off - some less noticeable but all good

I used to listen to this album all the time in my late teens. It was my shit, it was formative and I am happy I listened to it when I did. Listening to it now, it doesn't hit quite the same. I though Common's flow was lacking more than once, not even his pleasant voice could make up for it. But you know what? For the great beatsx the positive vibes and the buckets full of nostalgia that I felt re-listening to this, it is going to get 5 stars from me, even though if came at this purely objectively, it probably doesn't deserve it. Thankfully music is not objective.

An absolute classic. Listened to this album nonstop while riding the subways while I lived in Paris. And "The Questions" remain: Why do I need ID to get ID?

Common is elite at rapping. This album showed his versatility for me and I wasn’t familiar with his story telling abilities. It’s always good hearing slum village and Mos Def rapping, it’s soothing to the ear. Real Hip-Hop til infinity!!

I burned up The Light. Love common. Every album!

One of my favorite hip hop albums. Dilla forever. Part of the soulquarians sessions w things fall apart, mamas gun and voodoo

This is a classic. The amount of talent on this album is incredible, with contributions from the Roots, Mos Def, D'Angelo, Cee-Lo Green, Jill Scott, Macy Gray, Roy Hargrove and more. The production is excellent too, mostly from Detroit's own J Dilla, but additional production from DJ Premier, D'Angelo, and the Roots. Like Water for Chocolate was a welcome shift from the bling era of hip-hop that dominated the late 90s, instead going for jazzy beats and socially conscious lyrics. Highlights include "Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela)", "The Light", "The 6th Sense", "Geto Heaven Part Two", and "A Song for Assata". 5 Stars.

Banging beats and truthful lyrics. One of the last (?) hip hop masterpieces.

This is next level. I love D'Angelo and he's on this. This is basically a hip hop version of his sound, and his sound is incredible. Deep funky grooves with poetic raps that still won't let go of the street. A+

great fucking album!

I can’t believe I’ve missed this album my whole life, it’s incredible.

Amazing

Common at his zenith.

Something was moving in the waters of rap and R&B in the late 90s, especially in the hallowed halls of Electric Lady. The perfect time for a perfect group of people to congregate and concoct a flavor in which the ingredients are simple yet wholly effective in the ensuing chase of replication. Common's Like Water for Chocolate is seventy plus minutes of part Afrobeat tribute, part Blaxploitation detour, part millennium expression of black pride, whole Soulquarian adventure. No corner is left unturned as the individuals scattered all over here are showcased either approaching or having approached the peak of their powers. Like Water for Chocolate cemented Common as the torchbearer of the conscious style of hip-hop that was left by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest and their ilk and he would only go farther to beat the drum of the cause.

I like the mix of jazz and hip hop. It sounds very innovative for its time. This is my first time hearing Common and it certainly won't be the last. I love it! Liked songs added: - Time Travellin' (A Tribute To Fela) - Heat - Funky For You - The 6th Sense - A Song For Assata

Common is a good rapper, and I like his style and flow a lot compared to his other contemporaries. It's fast and thoughtful, and the beats are suprisingly musical. Some of the lyrics are dated, particularly the homophobic phrases, I wonder if his newer music includes sentiments like this still. My favorite was Ghetto Heaven, though Dooinit, The Light, and The Question were all good too.

I really enjoyed this album. It feels like a real piece of art but also something casual enough to throw on and enjoy. Common is really profound and painfully real. Extremely enjoyable first listen for me.

Classic 5 star hip hop album. Been too long since I last listened and this remedied that

So good

This album brings me back to DeKalb, IL and some awesome friends I made there. Blunts, bonfires, BBQs, and Iraq war protests.

seriously a lot of these beats i listen to i feel like is missing from modern-day hip hop music. low-key and deep, this is a collection of really smooth really poetic hip hop that talks about family, prejudice and emotion. both the words and the music whisk you away... i dunno i liked it!

This is a pretty great album. 5/5

I had never given Common much attention before but that's two albums I have heard from him now and they are both brilliant. Production on them is second to none.

Awesome smooth funky rap

Vet leuk bro

This is next level. I love D'Angelo and he's on this. This is basically a hip hop version of his sound, and his sound is incredible. Deep funky grooves with poetic raps that still won't let go of the street. A+

Great from the first note. Not I would listen to specific songs (maybe), but as an album I could definitely put this on

Beautiful work

interesting latin sounding opener, cool guitars in the background, it's also a tribute to Fela Kuti which is cool, overall really groovy and jazzy, nice and long album too, I like that a lot over the very short albums, nice and funky outro on Nag Champa, thought it was leading into the next track, but that took another turn

Seems to me this was intended as a double album, not only due to the length but the abrupt transition from Time Travelin’ Reprise to The 6th Sense. An aside - The static on 6th Sense leading into the iconic “revolution is here” intro had me longing to use it as a lead-in track for the hip hop mixtapes I made for girls in high school. After all Common’s voice is a well known aphrodisiac (it’s not just the nag champa). But goddam Common had to put an annoyingly long interlude at the end of the track about men as hypocrites and smacking hoes. Needless to say the feminist chicks I dug in high school weren’t having that and they were deprived of one my all time favorite DJ Premier beats. Alas! Anyways I wanted to dock the album a star for that and it being too long. I was ready to do so and then A song for Asata came on and I knew this had to be 5 stars. It’s a bit of an all star group with Common joined by the Soulquarians (Questlove, Dilla, etc). The beats are solid throughout ans aside from a few dumbass homophobic and misogynist lines the flow and lyricism are on point.

Really enjoyable, I loved the story-telling in particular. Not sure it needed so many skits and interludes, but I also know this is the way most hip-hop albums flow, so it would perhaps sound oddly like a compilation without them. I think I prefer his debut, but this is still solidly 5 🌟 for me. An underappreciated artist in my opinion, and one who deserves much more recognition.

First time I've ever listened to a complete album by Common and this did not disappoint. I can't think of any reason this shouldn't get a 5. The production and rapping are incredible and gel together well. The entire album is great, but The 6th Sense is my favorite.

Common is a product of the golden era of hip hop and unfortunately due to his lack of radio play left him mostly forgotten over time by anybody who isn't a big fan of hip hop. It's a shame too because Common shares a lot of the same skill sets that the greats like Andre 3000 have. In songs like Cold Blooded he showcases his lyricism as he crams an ungodly amount of rhymes into a couple bars. For example: "The stylist and violence with vibrance The sign of times with rhyme shit is timeless" And "With penitentiary talk, Coke and Hennessy walk My imagery talks, metaphors and similes stalk" He has the ability to paint a picture and portray thought out concepts throughout a verse. Take verse 3 from 6th sense for example: Some days I take the L to gel with the real world Got on at 87th, sat by this little girl She recites raps, I forget where they was from In em, she was saying how she makes brothers cum I started thinking, how many souls hip-hop has affected How many dead folks this art resurrected How many nations this culture connected Who am I to judge one's perspective? Though some of the shit y'all bop to, I ain't relating If I don't like it, I don't like it, that don't mean I'm hating I just want to innovate and stimulate minds Travel the world and penetrate the times Escape through rhythms in search of peace and wisdom Raps are smoke signals letting the streets know I'm with 'em He even has the ability to tell a story throughout the course of a whole song. Take A Film Called (PIMP) and A Song For Assata for example. I have always heard about some modern rappers who were heavily influenced by Common but I never really took the time to sit down and digest his stuff. Excellent album with a ton of replay value.

Какое-то время мне нравился рэп, но недолго. Потом я стал ненавидеть звучание этой музыки, потому что все песни казались одинаковыми: скучный и однообразный флоу, бессмысленность текстов и наплевательское отношение к миру читающих эту ересь. Но! Этот альбом меня поразил. Он основан на всей той афроамериканской музыке, которую делали в 50s, 60s и так далее. Тут есть и элементы соул, и фанка, и RnB, трубы напоминают о джазе, но не сильно. То, как читает Common - очень круто: под мощную ритм-секцию голос отлично ложится. На фоне играет то орган, то скрипки, то гитара, что создает разнообразие для каждой композиции. Также хотелось бы отметить работу бэк-вокалисток: просто класс, задорно и весело! Думаю, что к этому альбому я еще вернусь, хоть на нем и есть песни, не вызывающие никаких эмоций, как и на любой, впрочем, пластинке. Любимые композиции: «Light», «6th Sense», «Funky For You», «Time Travellin» и «Geto Heaven».

Fantastic album throughout. It’s definitely a product of it’s time, but Common has apologised for these lyrics and is always trying to improve himself, so I think it’s important to bear that in mind.

Great album.

Probably his best album although I do have a soft spot for those first 2 records

Amaze.

very cool

4.5. Superb album, great mix of excellent music with incisive lyrics. Standouts: Cold Blooded, The Light, Funky For You, The 6th Sense. Thelonius, Geto Heaven Part Two, A Song For Assata, Pops Rap III...All My Children.

dilla and premier

Not even halfway through this and I've already added it to my library. Don't know how I've never heard this before but some absolute heat is on this record.

Great album, I’m surprised I didn’t listen to this when it was out 20 years ago, it was exactly the kind of thing I was into. Awesome production, nice tone and flow but I was surprised by the amounts of niggers, hoes, gats and fags included: not quite as conscious I was expecting.

So cool

Awesome album. Lyricism is top notch, and the beats are immaculate. Questlove and J Dilla on production is such a dream team and they really show out. The feature list is great too with Slum Village, Mos Def, MC Lyte, Bilal, etc. It's one of those albums that you have to keep coming back to in order to really dive into all of its nook and crannies of both lyrical meaning and musicality. Also my neck is sore from nodding my head for over an hour straight.

I should listen to more Common

SO GROOVY

Che bellissima production! Il beat e` super soft e raffinato e i momenti jazz e funk si fondono benissimo. Hip hop jazz funky super elegante e coinvolgente.

It's not Be, but it comes close

2 - "Freaky like Marv Albert in outfits" 7 - The Questions é MUITO boa 8, 9, 10, 11 - sequencia absurda de batidas PIKA Depois de pesquisar eu entendi o pq eu gostei tanto desse álbum: ele é todo produzido pelo J Dilla. Conceitualmente é muito muito bem feito, liricamente também, as batidas também. Se esse álbum fosse um jogador de basquete ele seria o Anthony Davis. O que que ele não consegue fazer? Você examina a habilidade defensiva, muito bom. Beleza, então ele deve ser um passador ruim? Não. Então ele é um zelador: defende, rebote, assistência? Também não. Ele faz tudo que precisa e faz muito bem. A imersão que esse álbum causa na história que ele conta é absurda. Ele é balanceado, pega fogo no miolo e termina muito bem.

An excellent blend of global sounds that feels as important in the 2020 climate as it likely did in the 2000 climate.

I enjoyed this, I haven’t heard of the artist before either

Great production!

I have heard Common before, and I never had any issues with him, but his music also never clicked with me. This album came out at a time where I was looking for hip-hop that was either even more classic sounding like Jurassic 5 or really bombastic like Outkast. However, now, going back to it, I really enjoyed it and could see myself listening to it again.

The last track with his dad won me over. But really the whole thing was pretty good.

It is rather decent, a bit of a throwback to more narrative rap. The Questions, Thelonius, and Payback is a Grandmother are brilliant. Love the use of samples, and bringing in thorough instrumentation. Common has decent flow. More of a 3.5 than a 4, but a 3 feels harsh on what is a good, lengthy, well-thought-out album. Mos Def and Slum Village are excellent collaborators here.

I'd never heard of common before, although googling him tells me it's the guy from Silo! I actually thought some of this was really good. For an album released in 2000, it sounds more old school, there's some great bass in some tracks. There is some of the gangsta tropes here, but it isn't overbearing. It's more chilled than that. Not sure the more soul parts are for me though. But overall, when it was good, I thought it was very good. Highlights: Dooinit The light The 6th sense Geto heaven part 2 4

bops on bops

Not the most enjoyable to listen to, but Common did a great job getting his points across and I found the album pretty educational, as well as pretty clever a lot of the time. Because he nailed these key areas that I often complained about in other rap albums, I feel like it elevates him to a four.

hmmm do I know Common? The intro to this first track would have made me think it's jazz...but the wiki says it's rap. YOOOOO WTF!? This guy is also an actor and is in Silo!! What a trip. This was a great album. 4 stars.

3.5

Perfect album for a spring afternoon. The vibes, production, and amazing rapping all just make this an amazing experience to listen to. I will admit it is a bit long, and the production definitely isn't as good as Be, but this album's flaws are easy to look past with how great everything else is.

Solid listen, although like a lot of hip-hop albums from the time period its a little long at 78 minutes. In hindsight, it's clear why this is an essential listen; it captures the energy and spirit of top-tier producers/musicians (Questlove, J Dilla, D'Angelo) in their prime. The lyrics match the music in quality, and overall it will be rewarding to revisit.

Thought this was quite good - Common is definitely a rap I should look into more. He's got great delivery and it seems like his lyrics are thoughtful and good storytelling (I didn't pay as much attention as I should have). The hooks and choruses with many different guests were solid and brought a nice R&B edge to the music.

This is a very good album. I'd give it a 3.5 if I could, but I'll bump it to 4 stars because there just really isn't much out there like it. Common is, rightly, lumped in as a "conscious" rapper, but there's a lot more than that on this album. There's jazz, there's blues, there are collaborations, there's standard braggadocio, hard core rap. It's really a great presentation for the breadth of Common's vision and skill.

4/5 liked the funky hip hop vibes

This was really cool. Common has great social commentary and a very nice voice and flow.

Back in the day, I had some friends who were really into Common, so listening to this album was like a trip down memory lane. The lyrics capture that early 2000s hip-hop vibe, and Common’s smooth style meshes perfectly with the production. What stood out to me the most was the easygoing, smooth, and jazzy feel of the beats.

Some pretty eclectic influences. I enjoyed it!

This album definitely has a "cool" factor to it as he commentates on society and black culture. The songs are creative and well composed, and he's super talented. The guest collaborators add a lot of interesting layers to his storytelling too. Overall, I thought this was super solid!

always like comon's flow and sound. some good colab but not his best work

Love this album so much! In particular, it has many more uplifting lyrics than most of the genre. Common is a national treasure. After seeing the dedication to Fela, I looked it up. It is, indeed, Fela Kuli, and apparently because of his activist movement. I learned after that about Fela's beating after making Zombie, so I listened to that album next. Splendid evening all the way through.

This is an early 2000's hip hop album, which is actually the first rap album I got on my album generator, believe it or not. Admittedly, I was not very thrilled when I saw it because hip hop and rap are not exactly my forte. It's not that I don't like it, I just never reach for it and this album made me wonder why I don't. I'm figuring out that I love albums that are smooth and easy listening; albums that create a vibe and an atmosphere. This album definitely does that. I can see the concrete jungle of American metropolitan life, I can smell the bodega coffee, the steam from the subway, I can hear the distant sirens. It's a timeless record with great production and interesting commentary about life on the streets. Though, there is homophobic lyrics in there, some hints of misogyny in there... which sucks. Big time. You could make excuses such as the time this album was made but still, it's disappointing. Though, name me a rap album from this time that didn't use any of that language. I'm going to surprise myself and say this could be a four star album, I could see myself listening to this on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Back in the day, I had some friends who were really into Common, so listening to this album was like a trip down memory lane. The lyrics capture that early 2000s hip-hop vibe, and Common’s smooth style meshes perfectly with the production. What stood out to me the most was the easygoing, smooth, and jazzy feel of the beats.

longer, more dated (the pimp skit makes me a lot more uncomfortable than the f slur uses lol), and less potent in overall mood than Be, which i have to admit makes the overall package a bit worse and harder to get excited about, but as neat as peak-era kanye is, he's just got nothing on j dilla in the position of Most Prominent Beatmaker For An Album and that deffo makes me understand anyone who prefers this record. dilla's drum programming is the stuff of legends, and even beyond that this whole record musically is just exquisite and subtle and rewarding. they do frankly often outshine common's presence, but ultimately they work in tandem with his delivery being the anchor that allows the whole beat to reach its max musical potency. definitely still a couple hangups but man...a ton of this has my heart