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Common’s “Nobody’s Smiling” is Rough, but Fantastic

common nobodys smiling

Common is back with his 10th release, Nobody’s Smiling, and it’s just as solid of a record as we’ve all come to expect from this urban poet. Hailing from Chicago, Common places his hometown as the focal point of this album, and to add to the local flavor, he’s recruited fellow Chicagoans, No I.D., Lil Herb, Dreezy, and Malik Yusef as guest artists and producers. Kanye and Big Sean also make appearances on the record, though those players are there merely as star power and do not add to the regional theme.

As you probably know, large swaths of the Windy City are brutally violent, and throughout Nobody’s Smiling, Common & Co paint a vivid picture of life in the streets. On the opening track, “The Neighborhood,” Common samples Curtis Mayfield’s “The Other Side of Town,” — a throwback meant to illustrate the long history of violence and urban decay the city has endured for decades. It’s a somber way to open an album, but it sets the tone for what may be one of Common’s darkest records to date.

While the themes found throughout Nobody’s Smiling are rough, the music is not. Common is a master lyricist (so talented, in fact, that the President of the United States calls himself a fan) and his expertise is on full display on this release. Tracks like “Kingdom,” “Speak My Piece,” and “Rewind That,” are reason enough to purchase this effort, and once you give it a spin, you’re not likely to listen to much else for a while. It’s deep, it’s dark, and it’s deft — do yourself a favor and pick it up.