Common Dreams On

Album:The Dreamer/The Believer

Artist:Common

Label:Think Common

Release Date: Dec. 20

Grade: B-

Common finds himself in a very difficult situation in today's hip-hop landscape.

The 39-year-old veteran rapper's ninth album, The Dreamer/The Believer, hypes a return to the positive, conscious form of rap to the mainstream – a genre that is synonymous with Common.

Perhaps more than most of his contemporaries, he had the ability to retake the attention of an audience that has been lauding modern hip-hop's illusions of decadence (Kanye West and Jay-Z) and vulnerability (Drake). Common seemed like he was on the right path to doing so with the inclusion of famed author Maya Angelou, rapper Nas, and reuniting with producer No I.D. Each of them was ready to bring their strengths to the album – perhaps more so than Common himself. The Dreamer/The Believer is buoyed by its featured talent's strong contributions and strong production, but it is weighed down by the veteran's lack of focus throughout the album.

The album seemed like it could be a contender for one of the top albums of 2011 when it started. The combination of "The Dreamer (feat. Angelou)," "Ghetto Dreams (feat. Nas)," and "Blue Sky" build upon the theme of self-awareness against street knowledge that Common has presented throughout his career.

Angelou's enlightenment gives way to a rugged No I.D beat, and when Nas delivers another lethal verse (he warns "Y'all n***as in trouble, keep your girls behind closed doors/Cross your fingers, be happy I haven't chose yours"), the album is at full energy.

Then Common drops the ball. The album travels from conscientious, to bravado, and to romance before attempting to come full circle. It just doesn't work, as the emcee touches on none of those subjects well enough for anything thought provoking.

"Sweet" is a prime example. The three-and-a-half minute track is a shallow jab toward the competition, and it may be specifically aimed at Toronto rapper, Drake. He taunts in the track's outro "You should know who I am n***a/You should never want to go against me." One has to wonder why a 39-year-old veteran would see it fit to attack a 25-year-old sensation whose album was quite a bit better than his.

The most disappointing aspect of this album is that Common has shown he has the ability to create cohesive, like-minded CDs – such as Like Water for Chocolate (2000) and Be (2005). The fact that Common would suddenly try to rewind back to The Dreamer/The Believer's central theme - believing in ourselves by carrying the dreams of our ancestors – will be baffling to many.

Lonnie Lynn, Common's father and a performer on many of the rapper's albums, closes The Dreamer/The Believer by singing "See you next lifetime." That recitation was a far cry from when he first spoke it in Like Water for Chocolate, where it resonated much more.

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