Kanye West is not rapping much. According to some reports, and as shown on the single “Love Lockdown,” [click to view] West is giving up the rhymes to show off his singing chops [click to read]. The emcee/producer is keeping many of the album’s secrets on lock, but Common recently spoke on what he’s heard from 808’s and Heartbreak.
“I love it,”Common told MTV of Kanye‘s latest LP. “Let me tell you, as an artist, you wanna be free. You gotta do what you feel. You can’t just cater to the audience. You gotta say, ‘Hey, y’all, this is where I’m at.’ For him to do an album called 808s and Heartbreak, you know that’s where he is at this moment. I heard some songs, and I think it’s fresh. I think the people are ready for it.”
Aside from bigging up his fellow Chicagoan, Common has also been working on his own album, Universal Mind Control.
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“Last couple of albums, I felt a little more free. I just wrote whatever comes to me. [In the past], I would over-think things. I’d be like, ‘OK, I did a song for the ladies, so I shouldn’t do that again.’ I was at a point where I was like, ‘Man, I want to make people move and enjoy the music.’ “
He is also working on a newest installment in the Terminator series with Christian Bale. When asked if fans may see him giving up music for film, he said he has no concern about that criticism.
“I’m not concerned with it. I feel I’ve established who I am as a hip-hop artist. I think people respect that people are multitasking. If you’re doing both passionately and do them well, people can respect them. I’mma do my best at that. I’mma create my music. Overall, I feel that both [my professions] sharpen each other.”
Earlier this month, Common spoke a bit more about his album, saying he mainly worked with The Neptunes, a change from the usual “Com/Kan” connection.
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“I felt that I made the change because it came real natural. I was talking to Pharrell about working, and we went into the studio — me, him and Chad [Hugo]. When I make albums, I like to focus on maybe one or two producers. Pharrell, we both was making that magic. I was like, ‘Let’s keep going.'”
“I feel like me and ‘Ye, we always gonna make music together,”Common added, noting they did have a song where they rocked together for the latest LP. “It’s a good change of pace for us. On the same token, you wanna keep people on their toes. I don’t wanna be predictable.”
Common‘s album, Universal Mind Control is set to hit stores in November, as well.
