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By Henry Adaso, About.com Guide to Rap / Hip-Hop

Common to Release first Compilation CD in November

Wednesday October 24, 2007

A little over a decade ago, Lonnie Lynn was a relatively obscure rapper from the south side of Chicago. His claim to fame was a glowing feature in the Unsigned Hype of The Source, a tiny spot reserved by the magazine for brilliant unknowns. Fast forward to 2007, Common is a globe-trotting, chart-topping, award-winning artist, and his old label is ready to cash in on the fame. Common's first Greatest Hits disc, thisisme then: the best of common, will be issued on November 27, 2007 via Relativity Records.

The compilation will give new fans an opportunity to get acquainted with highlights from the first five years of Common's career. The CD features 15 tracks, including the classic "I Used to Love H.E.R.," which was crowned No.1 on our Top 100 Rap Songs list.

See the tracklist for thisisme then: the best of common to see if your favorite Common Sense tracks made the cut
Common - thisisme then: the best of common Tracklist
  1. "Take It EZ"
  2. "Breaker 1/9"
  3. "Soul By The Pound"
  4. "Charms Alarm"
  5. "Heidi Hoe"
  6. "I Used To Love H.E.R."
  7. "Book Of Life"
  8. "Resurrection"
  9. "thisisme"
  10. "Retrospect For Life" (featuring Lauryn Hill)
  11. "Reminding Me (Of Sef)" (featuring Chantay Savage)
  12. "All Night Long" (featuring Erykah Badu)
  13. "G.O.D." (Gaining One’s Definition) (featuring Cee-Lo)
  14. "Stolen Moments Pt. III" (Intro/Outro: Q-Tip)
  15. "Invocation"
The CD also comes loaded with four bonus music videos for "Take It EZ," "I Used To Love H.E.R.," "Retrospect For Life," and "High Expectations." CD art © Sony BMG
  • Comments (18)
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Comments

October 24, 2007 at 1:20 pm
(1) Common Fan says:

This CD actually comes out on Nov. 27th and I cant wait for it. Now I can hear all my joints on one CD

It shoulda had some remixes on it though!

Oh yeah 1st beaaoottches!

October 24, 2007 at 1:22 pm
(2) The Chosen One says:

YEAAAHH - thats what im talking about right there.

October 24, 2007 at 1:27 pm
(3) Ivan says:

This CD is a good look for Common and Hip-Hop. Most people only started listening to Comm’ after GO! came out, and this should be a nice introduction for all the clueless white girls who bought BE for the pop songs.

October 24, 2007 at 2:00 pm
(4) ian says:

No “Bitch in Yoo”??

October 24, 2007 at 3:12 pm
(5) Dsuper says:

Looks good.I’m definitely buying this. I wish Nas would take notes of how to make a best of.

October 24, 2007 at 5:51 pm
(6) james says:

makes me wonder… if t.i. goes to jail for a while will they release a greatest hits for him? henry, thoughts?

October 24, 2007 at 5:53 pm
(7) BNasty says:

common is still weak….good flow…good material…he overendulges in it though and it gets old after awhile hearin about all the knowledge garbage…

October 25, 2007 at 7:22 am
(8) ian says:

^ it gets old after awhile hearin about all the knowledge garbage…

wow! yeah, maybe he should spend more time rapping about the ig’nant goodness instead, right? F-ckin’ idiot….

October 25, 2007 at 7:50 am
(9) Henry says:

^Hahaha…Ian snatched the words right out of my mouth.

October 25, 2007 at 8:47 am
(10) Shiban says:

u can’t take a guy by the name of “BNasty” seriously anyway…. good greatest hits album, though i wish he could put “b***h in you in it, it’s still overall very good, man nas does needto take some notes from em for greatest hits cd, too bad his sucks…

October 25, 2007 at 7:21 pm
(11) dj. says:

where is “the light” … me n my girl’s theme song. … what a shame!

October 25, 2007 at 7:22 pm
(12) dj. says:

ohh yea … i jus realized that they didn’t get anything from his “like water for chocolate” album .. but still how can you forget about the light.

October 26, 2007 at 1:43 am
(13) Keith Irwin says:

A little over a decade ago, Lonnie Lynn was a relatively obscure rapper from the south side of Chicago.

Say what now? Common got signed in 1991. That’s 16 years ago. That’s more than a little over a decade. He dropped his first album in 1992. “I Used to Love H.E.R.” was 1994. I know that you just needed an intro, but come on, man, get your time-line straight.

October 26, 2007 at 8:46 am
(14) Cache 22 says:

I remeber seeing Common Sense rocking at th Congress theater in Chicago back in 94. My man Steve got kicked in the head by Common. Must of been the bitch in you days….

October 26, 2007 at 3:45 pm
(15) Shiban says:

i think what Henry meant by that was Common wasn’t that famous a decade ago, and THEN started gettin famous when he released “one day it’ll make sense” which was i think exactly a decade ago im not sure, but what im saying is that album made commercial fans , and fans from other genre’s recognize him better and all that, even if “Resurrection” was waaaay better, so yeah he got famous after a little less than a decade ago, mayb that’s what Henry means, but im not sure maybe i’m wrong and he just made a mistake in his column or sumthin…lol

October 26, 2007 at 3:52 pm
(16) Shiban says:

o nd by the way he said “a little over a decade ago” which probably meant 11-13years .. by the time he released his second album in 94′ tht was like 13 years ago, am i rong, that could be a little over a decade ago, nd yo tht other guy is right whjy isn’t “the light” on here, damn i can’t believe i forgot about that songs, nmo doubt w\one of the best hip hop love songs ever, has a real feelin to it, and wheres “6th Sense”… WHERE IS IT?!? i can’t believe he didn’t put that song in either, my god i can’t believe i forgot about those two songs the lasty time i posted! man his greatest hits just ain’t the same without those two songs man, seriously

November 1, 2007 at 12:09 am
(17) ian says:

Wow, never mind no “Bitch in Yoo” - I didn’t even catch that. No “The Light” or “6th Sense” but “Reminding Me (Of Sef)” (even though I actually kind of liked that song, personally)?? Unless this tracklisting is inaccurate (?), this pkg. is officially WACK! Sorry, Geffen….

November 3, 2007 at 5:56 pm
(18) Phil Watts, Jr. says:

No “The Light” or “6th Sense” but “Reminding Me (Of Sef)” (even though I actually kind of liked that song, personally)?? Unless this tracklisting is inaccurate (?), this pkg. is officially WACK! Sorry, Geffen…

This compilation ONLY highlights his years with RELATIVITY RECORDS–not Geffen, so you’re not going to hear “The Light”, “6th Sense”, or any of his J-Dilla, Soulquarian, or Kanye material in it.

Frankly, I’m glad that this only focuses on this particular period. Not only does this show the many sides of Common (back then, he wasn’t dead serious all the time) but his work with No ID on the boards counts as some of his best. Plus, since most of y’all only know Common from his Geffen years, this shows you that he did have a career before he signed there.

However, knowing Geffen, they’ll probably put out their own best-of Common set with all those songs in it.

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