Nicole Symmonds: August 2007 Archives

Ever since I heard Common's "Retrospect for Life," a track off his 1997 release "One Day It'll All Make Sense," where he ruminates on the mistakes he made as a premature father, I fell in love. I loved his ability to bring introspective thought to music that was all about gang-banging.

He was an envelope-pusher, choosing to rhyme about the ills of the black working class in his Chicago 'hood while other rappers decided to forget their 'hood and rap about money, cash, and that other expletive. He was--and is--a renaissance man in a society of simpletons. But none of these things moved me more than his spirit. He has an old soul that always gives thanks to the "Most High," to the ancestors, to Allah, and to God. And although some may believe he is too ecumenical, it showed me that knowledge of other faiths cultivates true understanding of your own faith.

Like a good and faithful servant, I have followed his career, bought every album, gone to the shows, and read almost every article I've ever seen about him. So of course I jumped at the opportunity to say a word or two about his latest album, "Finding Forever."