The Dreamer, The Believer

Common

After three years of focusing on acting, Common makes his return to hip hop with The Dreamer, The Believer. On 2008’s Universal Mind Control, Common dabbled in electronic sound, using synths to provide beats for his songs. It seemed as though the rapper/actor/author was progressing his sound into what most mainstream hip hop was becoming and it was greeted with a mixed reaction.

Thankfully, this seemed to only be a fad. On The Dreamer, The Believer, Common returns to his roots. Not only does he return to using R&B samples for his music, but he also enlisted the help of No I.D. (who produced Common’s first three albums) to produce and co-write his latest LP for the first time since 1997.  These steps were key to ensuring a solid return to form.

The Dreamer, The Believer showcases the positive side of everything Common has achieved to date. The album opens with the powerful “The Dreamer”, with Maya Angelou narrating the final verse of the album. It borders on being preachy, but really drove the track’s message home. Though she may not be a fan of the finished product, it’s clear that this track sets the tone of what’s to come in the next 50 minutes. The next track, “Ghetto Dreams” goes in a totally different direction as Common’s lyrics are delivered more brashly (along with a guest verse from Nas), yet the whole “dreamer” theme is still present. It’s clear that Common wants to prove that he hasn’t lost his edge and can still assert his swagger on tracks like this and “Sweet.”

Though its good to see Common hasn’t lost his edge, this album really hits its stride when it sticks to its “dreamer/believer” theme. Songs like “Cloth” and “Windows” really illustrate where his priorities in terms of life’s big picture. It’s these tracks that allow him to get away with the somewhat preachy finish of the album’s last two songs: “The Believer” and “Pops Belief”, the latter of which is a spoken word track by Common’s father. These final tracks wouldn’t work if the album wasn’t so uplifting as a whole, especially “Pops Belief”, which is an inspiring coda to a triumphant return to form by Common.

Recommended tracks: “The Dreamer”, “Ghetto Dreams”, “Cloth”, “Windows”