- As hip-hop approaches the half-century mark we’re beginning to see rappers age within a youth-centric genre. Albums like Jay-Z’s 4:44 or Phonte’s No News Is Good News have been jokingly labelled ‘dad rap’ for their mature subject matter and contemplative nature. With Let Love, conscious Chicago legend Common puts his paternity on full display to present a concept album about family and love.
A forefather of Chicago’s jazzy, feel-good style, Common has been dropping street wisdom for close to three decades now. First debuting in the early '90s as Common Sense, his mellow production and enigmatic wordplay were a distinct counterpoint to hardcore hip-hop’s golden age. The early 2000s saw Common collaborate with J Dilla and Kanye West, before progressing into the unfortunate pop-rap stage of his career.
With the genre reaffirming itself a dominant cultural force, these past few years have seen numerous ‘old-school’ rappers attempt their quasi-comeback album. Kool Keith, Ghostface, and now Common. Can these middle-aged heavy hitters stand their ground against the new breed?
Let Love continues from 2016’s Black America Again in its return to Common’s conscious roots. Production-wise he’s clearly been following trends, the faux-gospel choruses and soul-jazz instrumentation are a staple of Chicago’s new wave. Generally tracks sound like The Roots if they were a community church band. Choruses come smothered in heavenly vocal arrangements while clean-cut breaks back each verse.
Though it’s nice to see an older artist embrace contemporary styles, almost none of the jazz elements appealed to me. Each part is arranged to the nth degree, sappy chord progressions and vapid motifs practically smothering their soul. Typifying my complaints is closer God Is Love, a stunningly generic if heartfelt prayer song that just feels hollow.
Worse still are the tracks with quality verses but a bloated instrumental, Common’s self-reflective fatherly ode on Show Me That You Love doused its unique perspective in five whole minutes of aimless crooning. There’s some level of self-indulgence inherent to personal art but moments like these honestly test my patience.
Thankfully, Common still commands on mic with passionate poetics and an effortless flow. Hercules is an impressive tour de force that strips live kits back to a thundering groove ripe for twisting rhymes upon. Leaders (Crib Love) is a similarly minimal takeaway, cutting choruses and reaping the benefits. It’s these moments of raw spitting that see Common shine most, as poor artistic choices often overshadow his natural talent.
Though even when things are technically sound, Common’s bars can be frightfully corny. Fifth Story attempts to describe a tense relationship but gets oddly sidetracked by dairy-free cake? There are smatterings of slant rhymes and some overly-enthusiastic syllable bending too. It feels like leaning on Chicago’s tropes without giving listeners a reason to be excited by them.
Let Love is a decidedly mixed album experience, likely to divide fans. Common sounds genuinely happy with life and I’m sure this was a therapeutic release. As far as approach and artistic intent go, Let Love is best compared to Chance The Rapper’s recent The Big Day. Both artists spend a long time talking about their love for God, family, and life, both effectively self-sabotage by over-engineering atmosphere, and both are filled with punchlines so corny they could only be written by someone blinded with joy.
Common’s execution and ability stands head and shoulders above Chance, but I’m still not entirely sold on the idea of a wholesome Christian rap album. Let Love treads interesting ground conceptually but lacks the depth and diversity of a more complete record. Still, if anyone could make this concept work it’d be Common. His passion and creativity is rare for someone thirty years deep in the game, and I hope he keeps it up.
- Boddhi Farmer.