While performing in Paris during the European leg of his Nobody’s Smiling tour, Common spoke with Booska-P.com to discuss fellow Chicago rapper, Chief Keef.
During the conversation, Common asserted his respect for the “I Don’t Like” artist for bringing something new to Hip Hop.
“I respect any artist that’s just doing what they do,” Common explains. “I don’t like everything. I don’t like every song that comes out, but if an artist is being themselves. I think Chief Keef brought something that nobody else was doing and he brought it raw. He brought it real. With that, I have to respect that as an artist that he has come and brought that. I don’t know all of his music. I know ‘I Don’t Like’ and I know ‘Love Sosa’ and stuff but I don’t know all his music.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Common outlined the distinctions between producers and frequent collaborators of his: Kanye West, J Dilla and Pharrell.
“Well Kanye [West] is a producer who is going to create samples — he always uses samples now but when we worked a lot he would have some dope samples,” Common says. “We’d find the sample. He might [then] have an idea about what the hook should go like and that hook could be dope and then we’d get into it. If I write a Rap [and] he don’t like the Rap, he gon’ [tell me] like, ‘Look, you need to change that,’ or, ‘Keep that take.’ He had really a strong input on it. It was like a creative collaboration.”
“J Dilla is one of the most genius producers I have ever worked with,” Common continues. “Kanye is a genius [but] Jay Dee is a musical phenomenon. He could do so much with them samples and the sounds. He was an innovator of sound. He loved music. He was one of the purist lovers of music I have ever known ‘cause he was never directed just by popularity. Jay Dee, that’s who he was.”
“Pharrell is one of the producers that has really big ideas,” Common says. “He knows how to make music that will go to the masses. He’ll give you a beat and be say, ‘Man, you could maybe kick this type of flow.’ He’ll give you some insight on which way to go. He’ll give you some direction. He’ll definitely always help with the chorus, with the hook. He is a really great song maker and songwriter.”
Common’s full interview with Booska-P.com can be found below:
RELATED: Common “Nobody’s Smiling” Release Date, Standard, Deluxe Cover Art, Tracklist & Album Stream
Et tu, Com?
Hip-hop has lost its last major defender…but someone will rise to take this backstabber’s place.
whats so bad about chief keef?
damn..forreal Common…you was one of the last soldiers left..You diss drake but u praise Chief Keef…damn, what a sad day …R.I.P hiphop
As much as we dislike chief Keef, COmmon is actuall being a good human being by not kicking one of his fellow brothers who the industry so as a cash cow, milked him dry and gave him no substance or no way. But let everyone know what “POTENTIAL” money he was signed for. HOw much did he actually get. I mean to be honest with u he put down no leg work and spent money as if he was a established artist. TDE camp is not about the superficial things. TO be honest who is going to reckognize Chief Keef 10 years from now if he is not on a VERY SUB PAR reality show.
speaking of cash cow, I smell money on common’s breath. hmm you think the reason why he’s giving chief queef so much praise is because he’s got an album on the way? most rappers kiss each other’s asses before the release of an upcoming album.
I think he’s trying to avoid the “hater label” and the backlash Lupe got. But it doesn’t matter, you’re still get labeled an old a n* rapping, bc they don’t respect anything. Only thing they value IS disrespecting. If Chief is so real, why did he stop paying his gang, and got his cousin killed bc of that. If he repped BD so hard, why didn’t he pay up. Oh bc it was fashionable to rap about.
The hell you know about BD and Chicago gang politics? NOTHING! Blood Money didn’t die because Keef didn’t pay. Where’d you even get that info from?
common is a elder. his job is not to bash all these young niggas who could be his children. if you do that, you’re just adding to the generational gap of resentment and mistrust. maybe keef an them don’t listen to him but they don’t need to be enemies either. chicago desperately needs ogs. if you wanna school the youngness you need to earn their trust first
cosign
Everybody he name are puppets sorry mr tight pants, chief keef brought pure ignorance to the rap game Kanye wearing female clothes nothing good from these clowns !
Black & Brown Unity!!! Chicago artist showing love towards each other! Yes we Can!!
I think this dude has the potential to be something special too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc2G2WfjNW0&list=UUuaD8eff7EUa9Y2tNXq8wTg&index=2
Keef represents the worst in your society. If you keep praising the worst in your society,
you will bring out the worst in your society.
I supposes we can all assume that he does not respect William Roberts aka the FAKE Rick Ross for not being real in his music.
He may be “real” but he still sucks as a rapper. Having an image doesn’t make you skilled.
You’re right, he’s real in a sense that him and his gang really do/did live that life. Chicago’s Englewood is no joke.
But he’s still pretty mediocre to below average as a rapper. He serves his particular demographic well though, whether you’re part of that or not.