Common & Pete Rock
The Auditorium Vol. 1
Concord Music Group
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I don’t know if it’s the lingering glow of the #HipHop50 celebrations, but “legacy” artists are running 2024. Snoop Dogg now owns Death Row Records and the label is releasing a new album by Tha Dogg Pound. LL Cool J and Q-Tip plan to deliver their long germinated collaborative album later this year. And Common and Pete Rock have come together to put together one of the year’s best albums with The Auditorium Vol. 1.
A Common and Pete Rock team-up makes so much sense that it’s a little odd that two of hip-hop’s most respected veterans have worked together so infrequently in the past. Pete Rock produced Common’s “Bitch In Yoo,” one of the best dis tracks of all time, back in the mid-1990s, and Common dropped a verse on “Verbal Murder 2” from Pete’s Soul Survivor (1998). Now, with each legend more than three decades into their respective careers, they collaborate with a natural ease, creating amazing music together.
Both Common and Pete Rock have built storied careers in their respective fields. Common has been remarkably consistent for over three decades. Sure, his discography has a bump or two, but he’s released solid “late career” entries in his discography, such as Nobody’s Smiling (2014) and Black America Again (2016). Meanwhile, Pete Rock has never really fallen off. He doesn’t work as frequently as he used to, but he’s done both spot production for emcees like the members of Griselda and Kool G Rap and has handled really dope full projects with Smoke DZA (2016’s Don’t Smoke Dope) and Skyzoo (2019’s Retropolitan).
The Auditorium isn’t a “throwback” album per se. Common isn’t rapping over vaulted 1990s Pete Rock track. Pete Rock isn’t reaching to recreate his vintage sound like Mecca and the Soul Brother (1992) or The Main Ingredient (1994). Nor is Common trying to resurrect the squeaky-voiced twentysomething that first entered the industry in the early 1990s. Both have grown as artists and bring their advanced knowledge coupled with seasoned experience to this project.
That being said, the pair certainly bring back certain hallmarks of the early 1990s era. There are a good amount of third verses, which have been scarce for at least a decade-and-a-half. Songs have extended outros, often with Pete Rock-provided scratches. There are instrumental interludes, featuring beats just as good as anything Common raps to on the project.
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Overall, Pete Rock is the star of The Auditorium. As stated earlier, he’s remained strongly consistent throughout his career, and this may be the best-produced album of the year. The track for “Chi-Town Do It” is complex, layered, and soulful, demonstrating that Pete Rock is still the best beat-maker at integrating horns into his creations. Songs like “Fortunate” and “This Man” showcase his ability to unearth and manipulate ideal samples for his musical partner. “We’re On Our Way” is among the best tracks that Pete has ever orchestrated, as he expertly chops a sample of Curtis Mayfield’s live version of “It’s Only Just Begun,” incorporating well-timed vocal shouts and yelps.
For his part, Common plays to his own strengths. He brings an undeniable “sober minded” earnestness to his contributions to Auditorium, reflective about his past and optimistic for his future, and wistful for what’s been lost. He may occasionally sound a step or two slower when delivering some of the punchlines, but he makes up for it in authenticity and sincerity.
On “Dreamin’,” Common envisions a paradise not only populated by good friends and family, but also deceased elders and peers. He describes feeling battle hungry and eager to team with longtime musical cohorts, rapping, “Me and Yasiin was holding rappers at bay / One-two check the n****s like back in the day.”
He converses with personifications of Destiny, Faith, and Hope on “So Many People,” looking to each for advice on helping him surmount the obstacles that he faces in life. He speaks to the importance of wisdom on “Wise Up” and spirituality on “A GOD.” On the latter, he fills his verses to Biblical references while backed up by the vocals of superstar Jennifer Hudson (his current flame).
The Auditorium really finds an extra gear during its back-half, as Common locks in on the mic. “Stellar” serves as the battle-rhyme fest that Common provides at least once an album. Here he’s in prime form, transforming himself into a force of nature as he raps, “God emcee, I came in a man’s form / When I return to dust, it'll be a sandstorm.” Pete Rock matches Common’s ferocity behind the boards and the turntables, rearranging sections of an Italian prog rock song, while providing furious and precise scratches.
Pete Rock shares mic time with Common on “All Kinds of Ideas,” the pair’s dedication to the power of creativity. The producer has definitely grown as a rapper, delivering what’s likely the best verse of his career. Pete invokes the divine with his rhymes, rapping, “I still make hits like I used to / Keep your top five, I’m God’s favorite producer.” Meanwhile, Common, a.k.a. “The Black Moses that’s light-skinned,” boasts that “I un-jail souls like Harriet / Spitting chariots of fire through the wire and live barb fences / I murder MCs, some say that it's senseless.”
“Lonesome” is the most heartfelt song on the album, with Common reflecting on the feelings of solitude and loss that characterized his upbringing. For the third verse, he addresses his daughter, Omoye, praising her for the person she’s grown to be, and recognizing that frequent touring prevented him from spending as much time as he’d like with her. Recognizing her annoyance, he raps, “Even when I'm gone, you’re not alone.”
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There are scant few guest appearances on The Auditorium, making the appearance of De La Soul’s Posdnuos on “When the Sun Shines Again” feel special. The beat for the song was originally intended for De La, possibly for the album they were looking to record with Pete Rock and DJ Premier. Posdnuos gave Common his blessing to use it late during the recording process for the album. Common happily accepted, then requested Pos also appear on the track.
Pos lends his thoughtful presence to the song, with both he and Common delivering solid verses over a Fela Kuti-esque piano sample. Pos speaks on his efforts to stay humble, rapping, “When you tally the assessment on where lyrically best win, it's me on all fours / So they say that I'm a GOAT, but that I do ignore.”
The project’s title The Auditorium Vol. 1 suggests that this is just the first installment from this pairing. I would certainly hope that’s the case, as the pair have an undeniable chemistry inside and outside the studio. Both clearly had a blast during the album’s roll-out, and early concerts they’ve performed together are receiving positive buzz. I don’t expect this duo to produce six volumes of music, like Nas and Hit Boy, but I would love to hear what magic they can continue to make if they allow this partnership to grow.
Notable Tracks: “All Kinds of Ideas” | “Lonesome” | “Stellar” | “We’re on Our Way” | “When the Sun Shines Again”
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