''Finding Forever'' is the seventh studio album by
Common, released on July 31, 2007, on
GOOD Music
GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...
and
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
. Like Common's previous album, ''
Be'' (2005), ''Finding Forever'' is primarily produced by
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
. The album debuted at the number one on the
''Billboard'' 200, selling 155,000 units in the first week, becoming Common's first chart-topper. Selling over 500,000 units in the US, it has been certified
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
. ''Finding Forever'' was nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories ...
, losing to
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
's ''
Graduation'' at the
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies ...
.
Conception
Background
Common explains that "''Finding Forever'' really means to find a place in music where you can exist forever. Music can be forever if you make it from the heart, if you make it from the soul and it’s good. And I look at music like
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
's or
Marvin Gaye's or
Stevie Wonder's or
A Tribe Called Quest's, that's forever music. And I’m continuing on the quest to make forever music."
Common also says: "And now with the death of
J Dilla
J, or j, is the tenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual name in English is ''jay'' (pronounced ), with a now-uncommon vari ...
and other things, you start thinking about forever lasting for real through music
..Jay Dee will last forever through his music and hopefully generations down the line will know about Common through his music. And it's also saying: I been doing this for a nice period of time, so I'm trying to find the place where I can keep existing in the game and make music I love."
Recording
Common began working on the album in early 2006, recording it throughout the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, and Spain with
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
. Most of the album was recorded while he was filming his roles in ''
American Gangster'' and ''
Smokin' Aces
''Smokin' Aces'' is a 2006 American action comedy film written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The film centers on the chase for Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant Robert 'Buddy Aces' Israel (Jeremy Piven), on whom a one-million-dollar bounty ...
''. Common explained that "if you working on a movie or something ...
here is
Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to:
Software
* Here Technologies, a mapping company
* Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here
Television
* Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...
less weight on writing the songs... At a certain point, as an artist, you go through things like, 'Man, I gotta make something better than what I did before.'
utI didn't feel like that this time, like I got to make this better than ''Be''. I wanted to make a better album... I definitely felt freer."
[Rodriguez, Jayson (April 11, 2007)]
Kanye West, Lily Allen Finding Something in Common
MTV. Accessed June 13, 2007. Kanye West described the recording sessions as "a real easy environment".
Music
Production
Common said that on some tracks, Kanye tried to chop the samples in a similar way to Dilla as a way of honoring him. It has also been said that Kanye West attempted to bring back a really soulful feel to the album. "It's gonna be like ''
College Dropout'' and ''
Be'' and ''
Illmatic
''Illmatic'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records. After signing with the label with the help of MC Serch, Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Re ...
'' all combined together".
[
]
Rapping
"Sometimes you forget to just rap," Common explained when going back over a few of his past missteps. "I've been doing albums so long, so I look for new challenges. I spit so much on the first albums – and not to say I was the ultimate spitter, but I did it so much that I was looking for new things to do as a writer. I think that's where that stems from, me not really going hard on the rhymes. 'Cause I wanted to take on new subject matters and different things so I could grow and keep it interesting for me. But then you do get to the essence of what you are here for. And I love to rhyme. It does come out ..
Singles
Common and Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
debuted "Southside Super Bowl" on VH1's Super Bowl Pre Bash. The track is remade for ''Finding Forever'' under the alias "Southside".
Released on May 22, 2007, "The People
The ''Sunday People'' is a British tabloid Sunday newspaper. It was founded as ''The People'' on 16 October 1881.
At one point owned by Odhams Press, The ''People'' was acquired along with Odhams by the Mirror Group in 1961, along with the ...
" featuring a chorus by Dwele
Andwele Gardner (born February 14, 1978), better known by his stage name Dwele, is an American R&B singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan.
Biography
Gardner was raised on the west side of Detroit in a musical fam ...
is the first single on ''Finding Forever'', and produced by Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
. On the track, Common name-checks J Dilla and DJ Premier, rapping, "My daughter found Nemo/ I found the new Primo." He added that "The People" "is really a declaration of who I am right now."[
The first video shot for the album, as well the second single for this album is " The Game." It contains free associative lyrics and a 1990s style boom bap beat. The duo brought in ]DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop du ...
to scratch a chorus out of lines from "Half Good, Half Sinner" by O.C.
The third single is "Drivin' Me Wild
"Drivin' Me Wild" is the third single from Common's 2007 album ''Finding Forever''. The song was produced by Kanye West and features British singer Lily Allen. It contains samples of "Love Has Fallen on Me" by Rotary Connection. It released as fir ...
", which features Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...
. Its video premiered on YouTube on September 1, 2007.
The fourth single was " I Want You", mixed by Dylan "3-D" Dresdow and produced by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. The music video was co-directed by Kerry Washington
Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...
.
Reception
''Finding Forever'' received mainly positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, it was given a score of 73 out of 100 based on "generally favorable reviews".[ '']Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' criticized it for being "tired".[ '']Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' similarly criticized it for being boring at times (though they gave a generally positive review).[ '']Vibe
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...
'' gave it a score of four out of five stars and said it "captures Common maturing gracefully into his--and hip hop's--middle age at a time when many peers are either talking retirement or being forced into it." ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
'' gave it a favorable review and said, "Common delivers the expected--political, lover-man, and battle rhymes told with wit and complexity over street-commercial beats--in spades." '' XXL'' gave it a score of XL (four out of five) and said, "Once again, Common makes timeless hip-hop seem easy." About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
also gave it four stars out of five and called it "a must have" and "a taut, concise composition. There is no need to stop, pause or fast-forward over anything. Listen to it many times to catch the clever lyrics and absorb the multi-layered sound. J Dilla would be proud."
''NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' gave it a score of 7 out of 10 and said that the rest of the album "is soulful and intelligent where 'intelligent' is not exclusive to 'good beats and rhymes.' Which is what it's all about." ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave it a B+ and said, "It's tight, cohesive, devoid of filler, refreshingly brisk (at 50 minutes long), and sonically and lyrically focused." '' Spin'' gave it a score of 9 out of 10 and called it "livelier, grittier and better." ''The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'' gave it four out of five and said it was Kanye West's skill "in embellishing a sample and his unerring eye for a soulful hook that is consistently bringing the best out of his mentor-turned-protege." Canadian magazine ''Now
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Now ...
'' gave it three out of five and said, "If you can stomach the contrived slow jams and the sensitive soul-baring, there are a couple of decent joints produced by West."[
Despite some minor criticisms, ''Finding Forever'' was well-received, yet did not reach the same respect as his previous album '' Be''. The album has since been certified gold by the RIAA as of October 25, 2007. This album was No. 15 on '']Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
s list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.
Grammy Nominations
''Finding Forever'' was nominated for three 2008 Grammy Awards:
* Best Rap Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories ...
, for ''Finding Forever''
* Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group was awarded between 1991 and 2011, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance.
The award was discontin ...
, for "Southside" (featuring Kanye West) (from ''Finding Forever'') WON
* Best Rap Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2011, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously, a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance.
In 2003, this award was split into separate a ...
, for "The People" (featuring Dwele
Andwele Gardner (born February 14, 1978), better known by his stage name Dwele, is an American R&B singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan.
Biography
Gardner was raised on the west side of Detroit in a musical fam ...
) (from ''Finding Forever'')
Track listing
Information is based on the album's liner notes.
Sample credits
* "Start the Show" contains a sample from " The Windmills of Your Mind", as performed by Dorothy Ashby
Dorothy Jeanne Thompson (August 6, 1932 – April 13, 1986), better known as Dorothy Ashby, was an American jazz harpist, singer and composer. Hailed as one of the most "unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950s" and the "most accomplished ...
, written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...
.
* "The People" contains elements of "Long Red
"Long Red" is a song recorded by Leslie West for his first solo album ''Mountain'' (1969). He performed it with his band Mountain at Woodstock
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held dur ...
" by Mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...
and samples from "We Almost Lost Detroit", written and performed by Gil Scott-Heron.
* "Drivin' Me Wild" contains samples from "Love Has Fallen on Me", as performed by The New Rotary Connection, written by Charles Stepney
Charles Stepney (March 26, 1931– May 17, 1976) was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and musician. Stepney is noted for his work with artists such as The Dells, Ramsey Lewis, Rotary Connection and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Career
He ...
and Lloyd Webber.
* "I Want You" contains samples from " Feel Like Makin' Love, as performed by Bob James, written by Gene McDaniels
Eugene Booker McDaniels (February 12, 1935 – July 29, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter. He had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s, reaching number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart with "A Hund ...
.
* "Southside" contains excerpts from "If There's a Will There's a Way", written by Don Covay.
* "The Game" contains samples of "Tezeta", as performed by Seyfu Yohannes, written by Soul Ekos.
* "U, Black Maybe" contains samples from "Black Maybe", as performed by Syreeta
Syreeta Wright (February 28, 1946 – July 6, 2004), who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for her music during the early 1970s through the early 1980s. Wright's career heights we ...
, written by Stevie Wonder.
* "So Far to Go" contains samples from "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)
"Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)" is a 1980 soul and quiet storm record by the Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint. The track was released as the first single from their 1980 platinum album, '' Go All the Way''.
Song backg ...
", as performed by The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...
, written by Ernie Isley
Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician, best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley.
Biography
Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers for ...
, Marvin Isley
Marvin Isley (August 18, 1953 – June 6, 2010)
– accessed June 2010 was the youngest member of the family music grou ...
, O'Kelly Isley Jr., Ronald Isley
Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.
Early life
Born in 1941 to Sally ...
, Rudolph Isley
Rudolph Bernard Isley (born April 1, 1939 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of The Isley Brothers.
Life and career
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rudy began singing in church at a youn ...
, and Chris Jasper
Christopher Howard Jasper (born December 30, 1951) Allmusic biography/ref> is an American singer, composer, and producer. Jasper is a former member of the Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley and is responsible for writing and producing the ...
.
* "Break My Heart" contains samples from "Someday", written and performed by George Duke.
* "Misunderstood" contains samples from "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott and Sol Marcus for the American singer-songwriter and pianist Nina Simone, who recorded the first version in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been co ...
", as performed by Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...
, written by Bennie Benjamin
Claude August "Bennie" Benjamin (November 4, 1907 – May 2, 1989) was a Virgin Islands-born American songwriter. He had particularly successful songwriting partnerships with Sol Marcus, with whom he wrote "I Don't Want To Set The World On F ...
, Gloria Caldwell, and Sol Marcus Sol Marcus (October 1, 1912 – February 5, 1976) was an American songwriter and pianist.
Born in New York, he began working as a songwriter with Bennie Benjamin and Eddie Seiler (1911–1952) in the mid-1930s.[50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the second single from his fourth studio album, '' Still Crazy After All These Years'' (1975), released on Columbia Records. Backing vocals on the singl ...]
", written and performed by Paul Simon.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Personnel
Technical credits[ Credits )))">allmusic ((( Finding Forever > Credits ))) Allmusic. Accessed October 31, 2007.]
*Engineers – Brian "B. Kyle" Atkins, Neil Baldock, Anthony Kilhoffer, Dylan Dresdow, Phil Strong
*Assistant – Dave Paul
*Mixing – Andrew Dawson, Mike Dean, Dylan Dresdow
*Illustrations – Nigel Evan Dennis
*A&R – Don-C
*Marketing – Tim Reid
*Photography – Nabil Elderkin
Nabil Elderkin is an American-born Australian film and music video director and photographer, who is of Iranian and American descent. He is mononymously credited as Nabil in his videos. Elderkin has directed videos for musical artists such as: ...
*Production Coordination – Cliff Feiman
Release history
References
External links
Common's official site
*
{{Authority control
2007 albums
Common (rapper) albums
Geffen Records albums
Albums produced by Kanye West
Albums produced by will.i.am
Albums produced by Devo Springsteen
Albums produced by J Dilla
GOOD Music albums