Finding Forever
| Finding Forever | ||||
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| Common studio album | ||||
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Publication |
July / August 2007 |
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| Label (s) | Geffen Records | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
49:53 |
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Kanye West , J Dilla , will.i.am et al |
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Finding Forever is the seventh album by American rapper Common . This was published on July 31, 2007 in the United States of America and on August 3, 2007 in Germany. Finding Forever was released through GOOD Music / Geffen Records and reached # 1 on the Billboard 200 charts.
Meaning of the title
In an interview, Common stated that the title Finding Forever stood for the timelessness of his music that he wanted:
“ For me, Finding Forever is the symbiosis of art, music and activism that should last for generations. The aim of my art is to create something timeless. That doesn't mean that I consider myself a kind of "legend", but that I continue the work of other artists like Joni Mitchell or Stevie Wonder . "
The Commons objective was further influenced by the death of hip-hop musician J Dilla , who died in February 2006.
“ Finding Forever is about a person's legacy. Everyone strives to achieve immortality through their actions. After Dilla's death, I thought a lot about how we could make a mark on earth. And I think that you can find that kind of eternity through the values you impart to your children, for example - but also through music, art, journalism, acting and any other kind of creative activity. Like I said, all of this became clearer to me when Jay Dee died. Even if he is physically dead, his spirit lives on. "
Emergence
After Common released his sixth solo album Be in May 2005 , the rapper began working on Finding Forever in early 2006 . The album was created in collaboration with producer Kanye West . Common first traveled to Spain, where West completed a tour. In Spain, the two musicians began listening to records and looking for samples. Actual recordings began in New Zealand and Australia , during Kanye West's world tour. Other states in which Common worked on Finding Forever include the United States of America and Hawaii . After the recordings, Common finished working on his album with his studio engineer in the Czech Republic in June 2007 . The reason for the production location was that the rapper had to work as an actor at the time of the final work for the film Wanted , which was shot in the Czech Republic and in which Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman participate, among others .
content
- Intro - 1:17
- Start The Show - 3:14 am
- The People - 3:24
- Drivin 'Me Wild - 3:42
- I Want You - 4:30
- Southside - 4:44
- The Game - 3:32
- U, Black Maybe - 5:02
- So Far To Go - 4:27
- Break My Heart - 3:39
- Misunderstood - 4:46
- Forever Begins - 7:36
production
Finding Forever was largely produced by Atlanta- based hip-hop musician Kanye West . For a large part of the pieces of music he produced, he used samples from other songs. For example, the song The People includes samples from the songs Long Red by Mountain , We Almost Lost Detroit by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson and Let The Drums Speak by Fatback Band. Another example is the song U, Black Maybe , on which parts of Black Maybe by Stevie Wonder & Syreeta Wright were used, and the track Break My Heart , which includes a sample from Someday by George Duke . In the case of the song U, Black Maybe Stevie Wonder made his approval for the use of the sample conditional on Common not using swear words on the song. Common then, due to his admiration for Wonder, removed the so-called curse words .
Finding Forever also includes individual beats from other producers. So that was intro by Derrick Hodge and the song I want you by the Black-Eyed Peas -member will.i.am produced. For the background music of So Far to Go was J Dilla , which already from the effects of early 2006 lupus erythematosus had died responsible. So Far to Go includes samples from Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love) by The Isley Brothers , as well as As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still by Soft Machine. The production of Misunderstood was taken over by Devo Springsteen and that of Play Your Cards Right , which was only released as a bonus track on the United Kingdom version of the album, by Karriem Riggins. Under the Street Lamp by Joe Bataan was used for the song Play Your Cards Right .
The Interludes that can be heard on Finding Forever were recorded and produced by Karriem Riggins and James Poyser.
Singles
Four songs from the album were released as singles. The first single can be assigned to the song The People . This was published on May 22, 2007 in the United States of America. The piece, produced by Kanye West, was voted number 29 of the 100 Best Songs of 2007 by Rolling Stone magazine . On the same day as The People , the piece of music The Game was released as a single. The Game was released on iTunes and is not available as a maxi. A black and white video was shot for The Game . The third single is Drivin 'me wild . The singer Lily Allen can be heard on this . Drivin 'me wild is the first Finding Forever single to be released in the UK. There she was able to reach position 56 in the singles charts. In Poland the single reached number 68. The last single can be assigned to the song I want you . In this twisted video games, among other Derek Luke , Serena Williams , Alicia Keys and Kerry Washington , who was also involved in the direction of the video to.
reception
success
Finding Forever celebrated international success. In the US, the album went straight to number 1 on the Billboard 200 charts. Commons' seventh album lasted a total of fourteen weeks there. Another North American state in which the album was able to occupy a position in the national charts is Canada . Finding Forever entered the Canadian album charts at number 10.
Furthermore, the album was able to occupy chart positions in various European countries. Finding Forever rose to 23rd place in Switzerland, 27th in Norway, 57th in Ireland, 58th in the Netherlands and 82nd in France.
In Germany, Commons' seventh album entered the 34th calendar week at number 92 on the album charts. It could only last a week there.
At the 2008 Grammy Awards , Finding Forever was nominated for Best Rap Album , but was subject to graduation from Kanye West .
criticism
Finding Forever received largely positive reviews from critics. Sebastian Reier, author of the newspaper Die Zeit , described Finding Forever as "solid, sometimes great". Among other things, the production is highlighted. According to the author, the producer will.i.am compensates with his beats, the work results that he has achieved with his band Black Eyed Peas :
“Commons voice gently lays itself over the melodious compositions by producer Kanye West. The music sounds new and familiar, just like good pop music, tinkered with the tools of a hip hopper. With The People it works like this: a line of synthesizers caramelizes, pithy guitars pull strings, the sample of a voice always comes to the fore. There is also an urgent rhythm and Commons insane voice. He has been breaking the stereotype of the tough rapper for years. His texts always put awareness above consumption. The soul of the sixties resonates in his music. "
In a review of the catalog of the HHV.DE label , the album was called "one of the best hip-hop albums of the year". Nevertheless, the author in charge noted some negative points of criticism:
“As good as everything is here […], you can't shake the feeling that Common could really let the tiger out again. Regardless of whether he should bury another beat according to all the rules of the art, like last time on E-MC² , or finally have to take a really bitchy chunk to his chest again, like last time with Soul Power . A little more Electric Circus [...] next time could prevent someone from stagnating at a high level or even “Hip-Hops Dr. Phil "will."
The website Laut.de awarded Finding Forever four out of a possible five evaluation points. In the justification, among other things, the production of Kanye West was highlighted and referred to as "true fireworks".
“Basically, it's really boring to review records by artists like Jurassic 5 , Roots or Common. You only expect the best and that's exactly what you get. […] Common keeps an eye on down-to-earth and the needs of his audience, and yet: "I never kissed the ass of the masses." He's not going to do it that fast either. What for? Obviously, you can make it to number 1 in the charts without being pissed off. "
The hip-hop magazine Juice , which dedicated the "cover story" to the rapper in its August issue, declared Commons to be album of the month in its September issue . The print medium awarded 5.5 of the six possible evaluation crowns.
“Even Start the show sets the tone of the album with its string sample, which sounds as if the Beatles had lost their way on the dark side of the moon : multi-layered instrumentals in which the lyrics are sometimes smoothly, sometimes dirty and stubborn. The entire spectrum of the vision behind Finding Forever is already evident in the two singles . Between well-groomed back-in-the-days nostalgia ( The People ) and timeless B-Boyism ( The Game ), Common spits out his biting, precise comments on zeitgeist, biz and politics, always looking for the musical correspondence to his messages. […] Finding Forever? Found."
credentials
- ↑ HHV.DE catalog, edition 02 2007, page 6/7
- ↑ a b c d August issue of Juice (2007) - page 59
- ↑ Mzee.com: News about the Common Album "Finding Forever" ( Memento of the original from October 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ American chart positions on Allmusic.com
- ↑ International chart placements
- ↑ Chart tracking at Musicline.de ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Zeit.de: Just before tipping over
- ↑ HHV.DE catalog, edition 03 2007, page 27
- ^ Review by Dani Fromm on Laut.de
- ↑ September issue of Juice (2007) - page 119
