[Opinion] Breaking Down The Truth About Common’s Misdirected Drake Diss
Before we get into this, let’s be clear that this isn’t about dissing Common. Rather, this is pointing out the facts and the irony of Common’s eyebrow raising diss of Drake sweet rappers on the song “Sweet.”
“Y’all niggas man, you soft muthafuckers. Yeah my man, muthafucker. Then come around my crib. You know where I’m from. Some ho ass niggas. Singing all around me man, la la la! You ain’t muthafucking Frank Sinatra. Uh, lil’ bitch. Yeah, this the raw right here! This the raw right here nigga. Sweet muthafucka! Sweet ass bitch muthafucka!” – Common “Sweet”
When’s the last time you seen Common go off like that? “The Bitch In Yoo” was toxic but was handled in a poetic manner that shamed Ice Cube and his Westside Connection cohorts. There’s nothing poetic about Common’s diabolical riff here. On “Dooinit” off 2000’s Like Water For Chocolate Common tossed a lyrical smallpox blanket over the jiggy era and prayed for its downfall. This isn’t the same case here either.
In between the lethal bars of “Sweet” finds Common spewing a belligerent tirade of expletives as he puffs his chest out and thumbs his nose at some of hip-hop’s more pop acts. Obviously, hip-hop’s current golden child Drake took exception to Common’s diatribe and a mildly brewing beef has bubbled to the surface. Common seems itching for a battle and is curious if Drake will stage dive into the visible bear trap by taunting him. Drake would be foolish to jump into the lion’s den and should be advised to take the high road while Common plays the role of Uncle Junior in “The Sopranos” as he struggles with the truth about his hip-hop age while staring at an emcee that is a chip off the old block. But more on the Junior Soprano/Lonnie Lynn comparison later…
The question I wonder aloud is if this is really about Drake? Or is it more about Common and burying his Hollywood persona that permeated from his Universal Mind Control album that was panned, well, universally? Is it Common atoning for his musical sins by reprimanding any and everything that comes close to being not so hip-hop? It’s apparent that Common has some internal issues that have caused him to aim and fire at everything moving. Simply put, he’s overcompensating for his perceived shortcomings.
For Common to diss a plethora of emcees for being too “sweet” is ironic coming from the man who has made some woman friendly songs himself. If Drake’s music is “sweet” overall then what was that syrupy “Sex 4 Suga” off of Univeral Mind Control or “Star *69” off of 2002′s Electric Circus? Speaking of Electric Circus, there are a glut of hip-hop fans that felt Common went the “sweet” route as he blended hip-hop, pop, rock, soul and electronic for an album that was a distinct departure from the brilliant Like Water For Chocolate. It challenged the boundaries of hip-hop in a similar fashion that many artists try to do by genre bending today. But being ahead of your time can get you burned and Electric Circus was slammed by critics and hip-hop fans alike. Nobody wanted the eccentric, Erykah Badu tainted, knit pants wearing chalk outline of Common; especially considering that he just reached his musical pinnacle by collaborating with DJ Premier on “The 6th Sense” and with “The Light” giving Common the exposure to the MTV audience that he desperately needed. Strangely enough, Electric Circus would have been warmly received if it was released in 2011 instead of 2002. Nevertheless, Common seems a little bitter at all of this and is taking it out on the seemingly helpless Drake.
There’s no denying Common place in hip-hop history. He went years as one of the finest, yet unappreciated emcees of our era until Kanye West brought him into the houses of 40-year-old soccer moms and opened the doors of Hollywood to him. It would be wrong to think that the fact that a newer emcee was the one to bring Common full circle doesn’t burn just a little bit in the back of Common’s mind. Common didn’t do anything different with Be, it was just presented to a wider audience thanks to Mr. West. After all, Drake comes from the same musical school of thought as Kanye West and that’s pretty much what Common is taking a shot at. This is about the changing landscape of hip-hop as it has become okay to be honest with yourself and wear your feelings on your sleeve. It would have gotten you slayed by your musical peers in the 90′s. But today it is accepted. It’s a generational gap that nobody really spoke of until this situation has caused us to really analyze that Common is having a hip-hop mid-life crisis.
Back to the Junior Soprano/Lonnie Lynn comparison. For all the Soprano fans reading this, you may already understand the comparison and can skip to the next paragraph. If you are scratching your head as to how the elderly Corrado John Soprano, Jr. is anything like Common, allow me to explain. Junior Soprano spent his time on the show slowly transitioning from a surrogate father simply overseeing his nephew’s growing empire and rapid ascension to being the star of a culture he helped birth to becoming stricken with dementia and consumed with bitterness towards the ones he helped get “made.” In short, Junior was a bit envious at the circumstances surrounding Tony Soprano‘s rise, not Tony himself. He’s powerful in his own right, but is seen as the old man in the wheelchair as things progress and finally conclude. The scene in the Soprano’s final episode “Made In America” finds Tony exiting Junior’s Wyckoff Facility room as he comes to grips that Uncle Junior is no longer the man he used to be. It’s symbolic of the game passing Junior by and only the elder Soprano’s dementia will allow him to let go of his past.
Common hasn’t reached that final stage but shares a frustration at the circumstances regarding Drake’s rise and isn’t necessarily upset with Drake himself. The truth is that Common sees a whole lot of himself in the younger Drake. Before Drake, Common was the emcee that could tear off a 32-bar tirade chock full of menacing punchlines and drop a smooth jam that women who dig melodies could praise in a singular breath. No, Common doesn’t sing and he’s obviously a far superior emcee as his track record has proven, but for Lonnie Lynn to act like he wasn’t himself branded as “sweet” and out of touch with his hip-hop roots is more self-damning than it is indicative of Common’s distaste for “Sweet” emcees in 2011.
This is more about Common distancing himself from what has gotten him slammed by critics and fans rather than taking shots at Drake. Washing the filthy memories of Universal Mind Control’s obvious reach for an even poppier audience and drying himself from the crashing waves of a drippy Hollywood lifestyle is priority numero uno on the artist formally known as Sense’s list. It’s too bad he had to take it out on Drake by being a lyrical bully on “Sweet.”
Common just bullied Drake. What do I mean? It’s like the high school tough guy who is best known for stealing lunch money but is criticized by his peers for taking a softer stance on geeks and nerds. So what does he do? He grabs the low hanging fruit just to prove that he’s still got it. Unfortunately, a geek that he has more in common with than those peers gets his lunch money stolen in the process. Externally, the bully has proven that his tough guy roots haven’t gone anywhere. Internally, he hates what he just did because he doesn’t have as much in common with those urging him to be the bully as they’d like to think.
Truthfully, Common feels bad about Drake getting caught in the crossfire. He likes Drake, his character and the music he makes. He simply hates the circumstances surrounding it. If you consider what Common has been through in the duration of his career, you can understand his frustration. It should have never taken this long for Common to get “made.” For him to still have to prove himself is terribly frustrating, especially when you see today’s generation of emcees get more for doing far less than he had to.
Common has every right to be bitter with an industry that doesn’t really love you until your dead or its too late. For a man who rarely shows any visible frustration thanks to his often wooden dialog and stares, it is even more alarming that Common decided to vent his pent up frustration in this manner.
I may not agree with him dissing Drake, but I understand.
I don’t know if you can really call this a diss. He didn’t say it was directly about Drake and the author didn’t provide any factual evidence that Common was targeting anyone in specific, so why Drake? Because he’s the most obvious suspect? That may be reasonable to assume, but there is no evidence supporting it. And if Common chooses to diss that kind of music, it would be illogical to do so because of internal issues, seeing as how he’s already considered a legend in hip hop.
This was very well written, however I have to disagree with you on Common’s motives. He’s a very intelligent MC, he knows exactly what he’s doing, he’s just playing cool right now. The points you have made may all be true, but Drake is 2 albums in, neither considered “hip-hop” by historical standards and has on multiple occasions boasted that he’s the greatest. He even stole a quote from Muhammad Ali on Take Care (didn’t hear a shout out, did you?). Sweet is about 1 guy and 1 guy only, the one who keeps talking slick about Common’s ex, Serena, and taking shots at his friends, Kanye and Jay (the same applies for Pusha T). These actual lyrical MCs are sick and tired of this kid from the circus, better known as YMCMB, thinking that he’s actually a good MC. Also, since when did Drake tear off a 32-bar tirade chock full of menacing punchlines?? I’ve never heard anything of the sort. In reality, he doesn’t even make songs for women, he makes songs for emotional guys and their perspective of women. Think about it. He’s a great song writer, but he’s not a great rapper… yet. He has the potential though, I won’t deny that. At the end of the day, I’m a Drake fan, I enjoy the music, however when someone asks me to recommend a rap or hip-hop track from a new artist, he’s not going to be my go to (think Kendrick Lamar or ASAP), however if someone wants to transition into rap slowly, maybe he’s the guy you would recommend. I don’t feel that Common has any regrets about his past albums, he’s always been different, he’s always been politically and socially charged since he entered the game. Common has earned the right to make any kind of music he likes, he’s put in his time. If that’s not true, then how do some critics still consider LL Cool J the GOAT, as his last few records have been pure garbage. In my opinion, these MCs are trying to toughen up the sweet and overly emotional Drake (have you ever listened to or read one of his interviews? dude can talk … a lot). This might actually be good for him, and maybe his junior and senior will be meaner.
I think you might be overreaching in your assessment of Common trying to overcompensate for “UMC.” The truth is “UMC” was a very Pop sounding album due to the music. At the same time it was Hip-Hop in that he wanted to create a “B-Boy” “Planet Rock” type album which he did. “Sweet” is directed at Drake and a lot of other newcomers who want to claim they are the greatest yet have never been put to the test. I don’t agree with the method used as well as the language that was used but I understand the mentality. Rashid comes from the era where if you say you’re that “guy” then he coming at you.
Good stuff on this blog I love it! Watch out 4 new artist Brandon Jarod, Some r saying he’s the next Jimi!
Making songs for the ladies like Star 69 and what not is one thing. Having a track after track and whole albums dedicated to women and saying things like you’re gonna check her phone when she gets up to go to the bathroom cause you don’t trust bitches (like Drake said on his last album) is some whole next level insecure sweet shit. As they say, Hip Hop is competitive. And so young or old, when competition comes knockin at your door to see if you really can hang in the game, then no one should be surprised. LL made HELLA songs for the ladies, but he had them battle joints too. Same shit to me.
P.S. More than anything, I think this may be a battle of the light skinned niggas. lol
Common just salty about Serena.
Drake is not the first dude to make emo type songs about the ladies and relationships. Matter of fact in my opinion Slug was an innovator of that type of stuff but he never came off as soft(most of the time) just real and he never said one thing on a record and another thing on another record that contradicts what he said on the first record. Slug never acted gangster while Drake has on a few occasions. You might say that its wrong for me to draw comparisons on two different artists but their subject matter is similar on many instances. Its just Drake seems a little fake, with his pseudo southern accent and its like he’s not sure if he wants to simp, be a gangster rapper or an RnB singer. At the end of the day you, I and even he knows that he’s baby thighs and that’s not just because he sings.
Damn, I don’t like that assessment of Common at all. Common paid dues in the game for years and years and even though some of those LPs were hit or miss, he has success outside of HipHop, enough to step out of the HipHop game if he so chose. Drake didn’t take Common’s spot like this article is implying. Common is irreplaceable. And HipHop isn’t some revolving door that once you turn 30 or so, your window is suddenly closed and you can’t walk back through it. It only looks like Drake is being bullied because he’s not responding, and that’s pathetic. Really your article should read “Drake Needs To Man Up” because that’s what really needs to happen now. Oh, what, I guess it’s okay for an up-and-comer like Drake to get a lil dough in his pocket and start taking subliminal shots at everybody? But it’s not okay for people like Lil Kim, Luda and Common to have anything to say about it? Oh, now they’re the ones having “mid-life crisises”? This nigga said he was the greatest. He gotta prove it. No double-standards. I feel like contacting your editor on that one. How are you allowed to write anything on the subject of HipHop when you just don’t get it? It’s not about money or fame, it’s about SKILLS, and it’s alot of wanna-bees perpetrating with ghost-writers on deck. That shit is not cool.
Oh, and on a side note: Bullies don’t bait you into traps, they whup your ass and take your lunch money-and I don ‘t see that happening…yet.
lol @ the comment above. If you’d read more carefully you’d have noticed that the author is also the founder of the site.
Anyway, regardless of how I feel about your argument Mr. Hale (honestly, it’s a stance I hadn’t considered yet), what an insightful, well-written commentary. This was my first time checking out the site, but it’s definitely going in my rotation right now. Thanks.