Most of the beats are great, Common is as good as ever on his storytelling ability and brings the Chicago hip-hop sound to your home with dark and touching themes. So far This album contains So far This album contains Interesting, but overall great production. This is a concept album about Common's hometown Chicago, which contains lyrics and themes about violence, crime rates, and the economy of Chicago.

The last track in the standard edition of this album contains an impressive tribute to the legendary deceased Hip-Hop producer J Dilla. This is vintage Common, so aggressive and lyrically sound.

No ID was superb on the boards and even with the deluxe tracks the album clocks in This is vintage Common, so aggressive and lyrically sound. No ID was superb on the boards and even with the deluxe tracks the album clocks in under an hour, perfect length.

Chicago can stand up and be proud! Overall, Nobody's Smiling is a solid album. It is easy to become disillusioned by those middle tracks, but the inclusion of great tracks at the end brings you back into thinking this is a good album. As a whole, Common has released better ones, but Nobody's Smiling is a solid entry into his discography that gets the job done.

I am infinitely confused why this album is getting such high reviews. Half of the standard edition is composed of mediocre, sell-out tracks I am infinitely confused why this album is getting such high reviews.

Half of the standard edition is composed of mediocre, sell-out tracks with very little of the lyrical depth Common has become known for. He definitely should've traded out three of the standard edition tracks for the three deluxe edition tracks. Common and longtime producer No I. Instead, they go for a complementary feel, with old head-friendly percussive loops and blaxploitation rhythms "Blak Majik," "Speak My Piece," "Hustle Harder".

Common's delivery has a loose, nimble quality throughout, his words tumbling out with practiced ease. His lyrics are writerly, internal rhymes focused on a history he can recall but which seems distant now: "Have you ever heard of Black Stone around Black Stones? Common's approach here is to intertwine his own story with his memories of Chicago in order to forge a connection to the next generation. It may be his most important album yet in his storied career.

I visualized a neighborhood cypher where the old and new generation meet and understand each other. The 2nd verse finds Common speaking to his daughter about the dangers of this and using his own success as an example.

In hip-hop especially now, there are more glamour shots than substance. Wish me luck! I believe that it's time to end mass incarceration so I went to Sacramento to utilize my platform to stand up for the men and women in prison and spark change in our justice system. Photos by SadeCJoseph. Common has shared the tracklist for his upcoming studio album, "Nobody Smiling". Check out the full tracklist below. The album will be available July 22nd. Rewind That Deluxe edition: After towering to the upper echelon of rap, Common finds himself with a bigger task at hand.

With little to no answer, Common has placed the burden and responsibility upon himself to help rejuvenate the Windy City. What has been the overall reception for your new album, Nobody Smiling? You know, today I was actually doing an interview and someone was comparing it to [my album] BE. They thought it was the best album I did since BE. You know This dude is actually alright. Your album was inspired by the violence taking place in Chicago. Do you feel this album could help to change the outlook for Chicago and its future?

I mean like, first of all, people respond to success and movement.