Common Post. Trust me on this one.

I'm pretty sure everyone knows who Common is by now. Rapper, actor, activist, and generally cool guy, Common is someone I'd look up to if I was trying to get famous. Common has been gaining respect in the rap game since 1992. His last album, 2008's Universal Mind Control was a disappointment. His upcoming album, The Dreamer, The Believer, on the other hand is shaping up to be one of the best rap albums of the year in this writer's opinion. I posted the first single, "Ghetto Dreams," recently and the second single continues to deliver satisfying, conventional hip-hop. Blue Sky features classic Common vocals. In a rap world ruled by metaphors and double entendres in every line, Common takes it back to the 90s (again) with a more straight forward style of rhyming. The production is flawless and No I.D. is to thank for that. Listen for yourself. I'll be waiting patiently for it to get the radio play it deserves.

In addition to a new album, I learned last night that Common is going to be one of the stars in the upcoming AMC series, Hell on Wheels. The title refers to the world surrounding the building of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. Common is playing a recently freed slave in the series and has been giving 2nd to top billing, not bad. I'm a little weary of his acting talents. He hasn't really had all that much responsibility as an actor in anything that turned out good. That's not to say he ruined anything though, Just Wright was probably screwed from the get go. I guess when the series premieres on November 6th, we'll have a good indication of his acting chops. TV acting isn't as demanding as film acting so he should be alright. Here's the trailer to the show in case you're interested.

The farthest off of Common's known projects is his collaborative album with equally-skilled rapper, Nas. Apparently after "Ghetto Dreams" the two decided to record a full LP that they're calling Nas.Com. Get it? I don't see any reason that album shouldn't be absolutely fantastic. Whenever it comes to light (currently scheduled for some time in 2012), I'm sure it will put all of these pop-minded, radio friendly rappers to shame.

That's all I wanted to say. November could be the month where Common becomes a household name. I've been a fan of his since Be in 2005. He's worked with some of the greats in the entertainment industry from J. Dilla to Ridley Scott. He's earned the love his new show and album may very well get him. This post is just me saying good luck & fingers crossed. Chyeah!