I knew you thought I was done
with this shit, but nahhh b, I still gonna be droppin reviews like once every “whenever
the fuck I feel like”… or thereabout. Anyways let’s do this COMMON – NOBODY’S
SMILING TRACK BY TRACK REVIEW.
1.
The Neighbourhood (ft. Lil Herb & Cocaine 80’s)
This track was a perfect intro
track to the album. Lil Herb and Com were spitting vivid lyrics detailing “tales”
of just the general scenes of the average Chicago neighbourhood and how they
saw it from their eyes. Really smooth beat too by super producer No ID. No ID
Produced the ENITIRE album FYI so when I mention beats, just bare that in mind.
He flipped a sample of a Curtis Mayfield track called “the Other Side Of Town”
so subtly, way really great shit from No ID. Lil Herb blew me away with is
aggressive delivery and lyrics, and his story telling was on point. Great album
opener!
PS. He does this interlude at the
end of a Chicago news reporter giving minor reports on the raio, sort of
highlighting the theme of giving you a journey through Chicago which is
essentially what the album is about. This was repeated on a number of tracks
throughout the record, interesting concept.
2.
No Fear
Continuing with the story-telling
theme, Common details the mind set of someone (presumably his younger-self in
Chicago), speaking about how he has no fear about anything he faces and talks
about how he really approaches some of the ills of his past and current life,
and advises that you should to. There is a sample flip here on the beat too,
but I wasn’t able to track the credits… so fuck that, it was a great beat that’s
all you really need to know anyways.
3.
Diamonds (ft. Big Sean)
This is the second single from
the album… but ubnfortunately, sighhhh. BIG FUCKIN SEAN, why Lord why? Sean is
crooning on the chorus like a frog my g. It’s terrible. Common flow and lyrics
are stellar as usual though. On the bridge between Com’s first verse and second
Sean absolutely FUCKS the track all the way UP with a horrid Migos flow and
lyrics like a pre-schooler, yo this track apart from Com’s flow is real ASS my
nigga, I don’t fuck wit it!
4.
Blak Magik (ft. Jhene Aiko)
At first I thought this was
trash, to be honest. But bruh after the third listen, this shit blew me away.
Common’s lyrics and flow are wayyy to on point to ignored yo. The beat is what
turned me off initially, but it grew on me. Whatever lyrics are looping that is
driving the beat is kina annoying at first, but once you get accustomed to it,
you gonna love this track. Jhene Aiko was perfect as fuckin usual, her voice is
so soothing and infectious, it kina gets my dick hard :/ but anyway…
5.
Speak My Piece
THIS THAT CLASSIC CHI TOWN GOD
LEVEL COMMON!!! This track is perfect hip-hop, the Biggie sample from Hypnotize…
yooo, No ID cooked up some cocaine here. Common came so correct with his lyrics
too, phenomenal track. It has no real theme just one of them raptiy rap tracks,
showcasing flow and lyrical ability, so fucking raw. I FUCK WITH THIS HARD.
6.
Hustle Harder (ft. Snoh Alegra & Dreezy)
Yo this track’s theme was
actually refreshing. Common put together a not really explored concept by a
male rapper, detailing a female that hustles harder than most males. He really
went in lyrically with the concept depicting her lifestyle so vividly. Fellow Chicago
rapper, Dreezy came SUPERRRR HARDDD WAT THE FUCK. I have no idea who she is but
I back tracked her entire catalogue after this verse of flames! This track was
that classic, male female hip hop duo, Great stuff.
7.
Nobody’s Smiling (ft. Malik Yusef)
This is easily my favortie song and
in my opinion the best song on the album. Off the bat, the beat is so fucking
dark and hard… JEEZUUS. No ID made this in some kina underground MMA training
facility with no ventilation or light, barely had oxygen down there or sumn yo,
fuck. Common’s lyrics were 10/10 again and flow so slick too. He raps about
basically that nobody is smiling in Chicago, and shit is real out there. Really
embodies what the album is about essentially, clearly it’s the title track of
the record. MALIK YUSEF my worddd, closes the track with a fantastic Haiku,
some dense metaphors about Chicago street life, absolutely perfect… He been
doing that tho. He signed to good music and he’s just a poet, so his is THAT
GOOD, check him out he did a similar haiku on the track Sin City on the Cruel
Summer compilation.
8.
Real (ft. Elijah Blake)
This track is clearly for the
ladies, and man Common really executes it so smoothly. Basically detailing what
a “real” nigga is and the he essentially is a real nigga. Elijah Blake’s voice
definitely gonna get dem female panties all moist n what not. But back to the
raps, I really love Common’s flown he rides the beat so perfectly, and comes
with raw lyrics that makes this fee like a throwback from the “Like Water For
Chocolate” era of Com sense. This track should be a single, with accompanying
visuals, really top notch stuff.
9.
Kingdom (ft. Vince Staples)
LET ME GET TO THIS BEAT THO!!!
Kingdom contains a sample from "O Yes My Lord" by Voices Of Conquest
& "Is There Any Love" by Trevor Dandy,
and it absolutely take the track to a heights I never imagined. Can somebody
give No ID a fucking Grammy? This really just a story detailing a man struggle on the streets of Chicago trying to
make to, and make a better Chicago hopefully getting to what he deems the “kingdom”.
He simultaneously compares this kingdom to getting into heaven and contrasting
street life to what it takes to get there. Really deep stuff. Vince Staples is
lowkey one of my favourite rappers right now, and yo he SHINES ALL OVER THIS
TRACK. His flow was fucking GODLIKE, better than Common’s and that is saying a
lot. The lyrics fit the theme perfectly, I’ll go as far as saying he outshone
Com here yo. But the beat and uplifting feel of this track couple with Com’s
raspy voice was something straight from a movie, fucking theatrical shit,
11/10!!!
10. Rewind
That
This track was Common detailing
his come up as a rapper. Common’s lyrics are so vivid and powerful, it’s almost
unfair. The first time I heard this I saw a movie in my head of exactly what I
was hearing. The first verse was an ode to No ID(his cousin and first producer
as a rapper) and twilight tone his manager. The second verse details Common’s
days working with the late great J. Dilla, as a rapper and producer duo. He
even compared them to rap super duo Gangstar. Essentially this track is Common
rewinding time and reliving everything that helped him make it as a rapper in
the early days, really emotionally powerful stuff. The track ends with a sample
of an interview of Common talking about J. Dilla and J. Dilla talking about
what Common’s music is to him. It was a perfect album closer.
BRIEF THOUGHTS ON BONUS CUTS
11.
Out on Bond (ft. Vince Staples)
Superb beat and flow by both
rappers. Again Vince outshined Common, fantastic track prolly top 6 on the
record on a whole.
12.
7 Deadly Sins
This track should have been on
the original!!!! The lyrics on this track are so fucking relatable it’s almost
as if Common wrote this for us al. He details and applies the seven deadly sins
from the bible to real life, in this case street life. It was done so well yo,
really one of the best lyrical Common tracks in years.
13.
Young hearts Run Free(ft. Cocaine 80’s)
Really smooth track, good as a
bonus cut really, no need for this to be on the dark, raw overall. Feel on the original tracklist. Cocaine 80’s
really adds this vintage blues feel to records that I super appreciate, really
nice stuff.
Finally thoughts:
Clocking in at 41 minutes, this
album is short and oh so sweet. This album is the new stamp for Chicago, a new
feel to Common’s music. Common is a very clear, exciting lyricist. Exciting in
that he sounds so fucking raw, and good over a beat… and he paints these
perfect pictures to get the emotional intangible aspect of the track to the
listener perfectly. This album was really refreshing, one of my favorites of
the entire year so far, second prolly to Ab-Soul’s these Days maybe. I
thoroughly enjoyed this album, bar that Big Sean track which sucked global
dick.
I recommend this to ANYONE, this is WILD FIRE!
MY RATING: 8.75 OUTTA 10
Follow me on twitter @jellzman
Stay tuned for more reviews and anything HipHop!
Peace bruh!
