1001 Albums Summary

All the songs themselves are fine and even interesting at times. Unfortunately they do not compose a solid thoughtful whole. Tracks like "Riot" and "Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But..." or "When The Sun Goes Down" are great standouts that feel bogged down in a swamp of similarity. An album full of great ideas lacking in interesting production, depth, and comprehensive vision to take it to the next level. Moments of greatness shadowed by my feeling of boredom during the listening experience.

While Common would never be a top 15 mc in most peoples lists; it is undeniable that this record is a bonified classic. Common himself is both this albums blessing and curse. Rarely impressing with creative flows or top tier story telling (Testify is terrible lol), he makes up for this with traditional concepts and rhyme schemes that stand the test of time. Unfortunately this lack of creativity regarding his rap style and a weaker middle that immediately rebounds starting with "Food" keeps this from being a perfect rap record.