Like Water For Chocolate

Instinct fuels Common during his pre-artistic makeover era. The most enjoyable tracks are the ones where Com lets his guard down and lets us peek inside his mind. \"The Question\" ponders the imponderable, in a way that Tribe Called Quest did on \"What?\" He exacts revenge on some stick-up kids on \"Payback is a Grandmother.\" The finest moment is \"The Sixth Sense,\" a collaboration with DJ Premier that has everything a hip-hop track should have: smart lyrics, sharp hook, plus beats and scratches. With Common flying by the seat of his impulses, *Like Water For Chocolate* serves as a reminder that he is a rapper first and social theorist second.

Man, about five years ago I was so damn white. Not that my skin color actually deepened at some point ...

Check out our album review of Artist's Like Water For Chocolate on Rolling Stone.com.

Common spent the '90s carrying the Native Tongues torch through an era dominated by gangsta rap, earning a sizable underground following. Positive-minded alternative rap came back into vogue by the new millennium, and Common managed to land with major label MCA for 2000's Like Water for Chocolate. The album established him as a leading figure of alternative rap's second generation, not just because of the best promotion he'd ever had, but also because it was his great musical leap forward, building on the strides of One Day It'll All Make Sense. There's production work by the Roots' ?

Common’s fourth album, Like Water for Chocolate, is a seamless backdrop of funk, soul, and hip-hop for his rhyming prowess.