Finding Forever [PA]

Performer: Common
Producer: Derrick Hodge; Will.I.Am; Kanye West; Karriem Riggins; James Poyser; Devo Springsteen; DILLA
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Lonnie Lynn, will.i.am (vocals); Chillz (spoken vocals); Brandee Younger (harp); Monique Spencer, Edith Dawn Yorkley, Margherita Biederbick, Laura Rajanen (violin); Dawntanya Smith, Hannah Kelin (viola); Alana E. Bennett, Zo� Cartier (cello); String Quartet Teldex (strings); Omar Edwards (flute); James Poyser (keyboards); Derrick Hodge (electric bass); Karriem Riggins (drums); DJ Premier (scratches); Rhea Williams, Dwele, Bilal (background vocals). Additional personnel: Lily Allen, D'Angelo, Kanye West. Chicago's finest returns with his seventh full-length, FINDING FOREVER--a title that, in Common's words, refers to an effort to find that musical place where one can exist forever. Production comes primarily from Kanye West, and, as on BE (Common and Kanye's previous effort together), FINDING FOREVER utilizes samples from such diverse artists as Nina Simone, Bob James, Stevie Wonder, Gil Scott-Heron, Mountain, Dorothy Ashby, and Paul Simon to create a purer, soul-influenced hip-hop sound. Lyrically, Common is in the same place as ever, spreading positivity and spirituality, speaking on relationships and the ghetto struggle, and preaching love as the central message. The artist formerly known as Sense also utilizes topical media references ranging from the astronaut love-triangle incident of '07 to contemporaneous celebrity breakups. Supplemental production work comes courtesy of Karriem Riggins, Will.i.am, Devo Springsteen, and the late, great J. Dilla. Other guests include Lily Allen, Bilal, Dwele, D'Angelo, and DJ Premier (who provides scratches on "The Game"). Compelling and entertaining from start to finish, FINDING FOREVER is another triumph for one of the strongest purveyors of positive hip-hop.

Rolling Stone (p.90) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[With] charged-up beats, R&B hooks, gospel singers and other warm, vibrant stuff." Rolling Stone (p.110) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007". Spin (p.101) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "FOREVER is livelier, grittier, and better....Best of all are 'The Game'...and 'Southside,' on which Common and Kanye West trade witty verses over intense electric guitars." Uncut (p.84) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "There are smart samples and interpolations, and big guests like Bilal, D'Angelo and Dwele." Vibe (p.73) - "FOREVER captures Common maturing gracefully into his -- and hip hop's -- middle-age..." Q (Magazine) (p.76) - Ranked #36 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2007" -- "2007's real hip-hop star was Common."

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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