About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Once again, Common has teamed up with fellow Chicagoan and producer extraordinaire, Kanye West, for his newest single, "The People."

Pros

• Common's characteristically smooth flow
• Insightful lyrics
• Tight production
• Overall formidable lead single

Cons

• Potentially polarizing and self-righteous lyrics

Description

• Lead single from Common's seventh album, Finding Forever
  
• Signature Kanye West production.

• Consistent rhymes.

Guide Review - Common - "The People" (Geffen)

Few things could be more refreshing for the summer than a new single from Common. For those who were hungry for some new stuff after 2005's Be, this single is a tasty appetizer before the main course. In the space of a three-minute and thirty-one second track, Common rhymes about survival, enlightenment, a Grammy Awards snub, and a chance encounter with Stevie Wonder. No region is excluded as he represents globally and locally: "From Inglewood to a single hood in Botswana...Standing in front of the judge with no honor/I'm about to ignite the people like Obama."

Lyrics on the races' priorities and "the struggle" have the potential to be polarizing and self-righteous. That aside, "The People" is sure to leave fans eager with anticipation.