Personnel: Common (vocals); D'Angelo (vocals, keyboards, claves); Jay Dee (vocals, scratches); Lonnie "Pops" Lynn, MC Lyte, T3, Baatin, Vinia Mojica, Femi Kuti, James Yancey, Mos Def (vocals); Jeff Lee Johnson (guitar); Antonio Hart (flute); James Poyser (oboe, Fender Rhodes piano, harpsichord, organ, keyboards); Roy Hargrove, Dwight Adams (trumpet); John Paxton (trombone); Stephon Harris (vibraphone); ?estlove (bass, drums); Pino, Richie Goods (bass); Melena (congas); DJ Premier, Mista Sinista (turntables); Black Thought, Cee-Lo, Rahzel "The Godfather Of Noyze", Bilal, Monie Love, Jill Scott (background vocals).
Producers include: DJ Premier, Jay Dee, The Roots, James Poyser, Karriem Riggins.
Engineers include: Joe Pirrera, Todd Fairah, Kenyatta Saunders.
"The Light" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Personnel: Common (vocals); Baatin (vocals, hand claps); MC Lyte, Vinia Mojica (vocals); Antonio Hart (flute); Roy Hargrove (trumpet, hand claps); Dwight Adams (trumpet); John Paxton (trombone); James Poyser (organ, keyboards, hand claps); D'Angelo (keyboards, claves, hand claps); Karriem Riggins (drums); Black Thought (hand claps, background vocals); DJ Premier, Mista Sinista (scratches); Monie Love, Rahzel (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Steve Mandel; Eddie Sancho ; Russell Elevado; Bob Power.
Liner Note Author: Common.
Recording information: A Touch Of Jazz Studio, Philadelphia, PA; Electric Lady Studio, New York, NY; Sound Patrol Mobile, Atlanta, GA; Studio A, Dearborn Heights, MI.
Photographer: Christian Lantry.
Considered by critics to be one of hip-hop's most skilled lyricists, Common has yet to receive the mainstream attention he deserves. But LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, his fourth album, is likely to change that. While positive lyrics and musical uniqueness have always been Common's forte, this MCA Records' debut presented feel-good hip-hop at a time when the genre's most successful artists were concerned with materialism and party-friendly production. Most of the beats on LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE are provided by Jaydee of the Ummah, a producer who helped shape the latter sound of A Tribe Called Quest. And while Common's strongest track, "The 6th Sense," was actually produced by DJ Premier, his TCQ-inspired sound on this album sheds new light on the prolific rapper.
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' ?uestlove, neo-soul auteur D'Angelo, the Soulquarians, and DJ Premier. But the vast majority of the album was handled by Slum Village's Jay Dee, and his thick, mellow, soul- and jazz-inflected sonics make Like Water for Chocolate one of the richest-sounding albums of the new underground movement. Common isn't always a master technician on the mic, but it hardly matters when the music serves his deeply spiritual vision and smooth-flowing raps so effectively. The singles "The Light" and "The 6th Sense" are quintessential Common, uplifting and thoughtful, and helped bring him a whole new audience. They're well complemented by the slinky, jazzy funk and lush neo-soul ballads that make up the record. Not everything is sweetness and utopia, either; Common sends up his own progressive image on "A Film Called (Pimp)," which features a hilarious guest appearance by MC Lyte, and spins a gripping first-person tale of revenge on the streets on "Payback Is a Grandmother" (though the tougher "Dooinit" feels a bit forced). The album could have been trimmed a bit to keep its momentum going, but on the whole, Like Water for Chocolate is a major statement from an artist whose true importance was just coming into focus. ~ Steve Huey minimize