One of the highest profile hip hop releases of the year is Common’s forthcoming Finding Forever which is slated for release in late July. I can’t help but recognize Common’s attempts to market the longevity of his career, but after six solid albums shouldn’t he be allowed to do so? After rapping for The Gap he comes strong with lines like “Raise my game ain’t phased by fame,” and in the process (though hawking corporate clothing is a crime punishable by death to some) I think he reminds us of who Common is.

On the same note I cannot help but love his line aimed at MTV’s reality show Sweet Sixteen which documents the sixteenth birthday of some of our country’s wealthiest and most privileged teenagers, “They don’t know in life you gotta go the distance.” That line applies to everyone though, and I love the universality of it – I hope that I can go the distance in whatever I do…life is hard, but Common is making it work on his terms and I have to respect that.

Common: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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