Universal Mind Control [PA]

Performer: Common
Artist: Kanye West; Cee-Lo; Pharrell Williams; Muhsinah; Martina Topley-Bird
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Common has done this sort of thing before--namely, coming up with a record so different in tone and musical style it confounds fans and critics alike. The unchecked experimentation on ELECTRIC CIRCUS had his public polarized and left some wondering if Common's future work would be anything like hip-hop. This time around, on his eighth LP, the Chi-town lyricist once again bucks expectations, with 10 tracks of Bambaataa-esque electro courtesy of the Neptunes and Mr. DJ. This is original hip-hop--as Pharrell's "Planet Rock"-inspired hook on the opening title cut should proclaim loud and clear for those old enough to remember. On the lyrical front, Common is as captivating as ever. In between the lusty club-bangers and throw-your-hands-up anthems, he comes correct with a lofty, extended-metaphor take on the Obama era ("Changes") and an inspired homage to Biggie ("Announcement (Sped Up)"), where he and Pharrell rework some of the notorious one's most memorable lines.

Rolling Stone (p.94) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[R]ap's deep thinker wanted to make club bangers. So he got the Neptunes to shape this sexed-up set." Spin (p.102) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Common dazzles with the back-to-the-future motif 'What a World'....UNIVERSAL MIND is primarily a a rhythmic celebration, paying tribute to Afrika Bambaataa and Jonzun Crew jams." Billboard (p.45) - "'Announcement' benefits from a slinky beat that lets the MC breathe....'Gladiator' is a great old-school brag rhyme..." XXL (Magazine) (p.105) - "Promptly starting the party, Common spaces out to futuristic synths on the lively title track, a frantic, genre-blurring adrenaline rush..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Cee-Lo collaboration 'Make My Day' is winningly dreamy, and both mixes of Kanye-duet 'Punch Drunk Love' 'make for fine, treacly bedroom music."

Born Lonnie Rashied Lynn in Chicago, the rapper who would become an integral part of the 1990s underground hip-hop scene started out as Common Sense. His 1992 debut CAN I BORROW A DOLLAR? showcased a politically conscious, musically eclectic artist interested in expanding the boundaries of hip-hop. Though forced to shorten his handle to Common after a legal dispute, he pursued his vision, incorporating jazz, rock, R&B and more into his sound, and collaborating with everyone from jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove to up-and-coming rapper Cee-Lo and R&B diva Erykah Badu.

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