Like Water for Chocolate (album)
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| Like Water for Chocolate | ||
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| Studio album by Common | ||
| Released | March 28, 2000 | |
| Recorded | Electric Lady Studios, New York City; Studio A, Dearborn Heights, Michigan | |
| Genre | Conscious Hip hop, Hip hop | |
| Length | 77:58 | |
| Label | MCA Records | |
| Producer(s) | ?uestlove (executive) Common (co-executive) Derek D. (co-executive) Jay Dee James Poyser DJ Premier D'Angelo Karriem Riggins |
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| Professional reviews | ||
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| Common chronology | ||
| One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997) |
Like Water for Chocolate (2000) |
Electric Circus (2002) |
Like Water for Chocolate is a critically acclaimed album by rapper Common, released on March 28, 2000. It was a considerable commercial breakthrough for the rapper, selling 70,000 copies in its first week.[1] The album was certified Gold on August 11, 2000.[2] The video for "The Light" was frequently shown on MTV, adding to Common's exposure.
The album also marked the coming together of the Soulquarians; a collective composed by ?uestlove (of The Roots), the late Jay Dee (formerly of Slum Village), keyboardist James Poyser, bassist Pino Palladino among numerous other collaborators. This group of musicians would also be featured on Common's next album, Electric Circus.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Like Water for Chocolate is notable for its afrocentric themes. It borrows from the Afrobeat genre on the track "Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela)", the Tony Allen-sampling "Heat" and the Slum Village-assisted "Nag Champa (Afrodisiac For The World)".
MC Lyte and Mos Def join Common for the amusing "A Film Called (Pimp)" and "The Questions," respectively. In the former Common sends up his own "conscious" image with a skit depicting him as a hypocritical woman-beater.
Like Common's previous two albums, Like Water for Chocolate closes with spoken word recited by Common's father Lonnie "Pops" Lynn. A slightly altered version of the album was released after its success on the charts, with the Macy Gray-assisted of "Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)" replacing the original.
The album cover photo, Drinking Fountain by Gordon Parks, is a 1956 photo of a young black woman in Alabama, dressed for church, drinking from a "Colored Only" drinking fountain.[3]
[edit] Conception
Following 1997's One Day It'll All Make Sense, Common moved to New York City where he collaborated with the Soulquarians at Electric Lady Studios. It was there that Ahmir Thompson (?uestlove) who oversaw the album's production, introduced Common to D'Angelo. Thompson had been doing a great deal of producing there with several members of the Soulquarians, including D'Angelo. The track "Geto Heaven Part Two" was originally supposed to be a track on D'Angelo's 2000 album Voodoo, was but traded to Common in exchange for "Chicken Grease," a track which Common had intended to include on the Like Water for Chocolate release.[4][5] ?uestlove on "Chicken Grease":
| “ | By mid '99 the Soulquarians were in full swing (D, Me, Jay Dee, James Poyser) and we were working on Common's Like Water for Chocolate when we came up with this lethal jam. It was so good that D pulled me to the side and said 'I ain't no indian giver....but I ain't lettin Com walk off with this song..'
He called me 3 times that morning begging to ask Com for that track. Com agreed, and we named it 'Chicken Grease' after a phrase that Prince uses when he wants his guitarist to play a 9th minor chord while playing 16th notes.[6] |
” |
[edit] Title Significance
The title Like Water for Chocolate comes from the 1989 Laura Esquivel novel Like Water for Chocolate, made into a movie in 1993.[7][8] The phrase "Like water for chocolate" is of Spanish origin (translated, como agua para chocolate). In many Latin American countries, hot chocolate is made with water rather than milk. The phrase refers to someone who has reached their boiling point, like water ready to be used to make chocolate. In an interview with Combustible the Poet, Common compared the main character, Tita de la Garza's passion for food with his passion for music:
| “ | Actually the album is named after a movie of the same title. In the movie the main character was a really good cook. She would always be cooking for people. Whenever she would cook, she would really put a lot of emotion into it. So when people would eat her cooking, they were able to feel the same emotions she felt while cooking it. You feel me? So this is the same thing. I put all my heart, my mind and my rawness into these tracks. So I hope that people can feel that when they listen to the album.[9] | ” |
[edit] Lyrical Content
The subject matter discussed in Like Water for Chocolate is significant in that it is of a socially conscious nature. Typically, conscious hip hop's greatest following is underground, and conscious hip hop artists do not achieve great mainstream success.[5][10]
- Common "Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela)" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- 27 second sample from Common's "Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela)."
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Yet despite being Common's first commercially successful album, Like Water for Chocolate maintains the same level of concern and social responsibility that had previously been seen in Common's first three albums. The album contains significant afrocentric elements which are particularly evident on "Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela)" and "Time Travelin' (Reprise)." Both tracks discuss the ills of modern society and are a tribute to Fela Kuti, a pioneer of Afrobeat music and a prominent human rights activist. Track 2, "Heat" samples Tony Allen, Fela Kuti's one-time fellow band member and co-founder of the Afrobeat genre. Also unique are "Payback is a Grandmother" and "A Song for Assata." "Payback is a Grandmother" is similar to the series of "Stolen Moment" songs that appeared on One Day It'll All Make Sense, whereby Common weaves a fictional tale in which he pursues the thugs who have robbed his grandmother. Amidst an intricate caper, the song emphasizes the importance of family values. "A Song for Assata" chronicles the arrest, trial, incarceration and Cuban political asylum of Assata Shakur, a member of the Black Panther Party after the 1973 murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster.
[edit] On "Nag Champa"
| “ | When I was working on Like Water for Chocolate I would go to Detroit like two to three times a month. When we would go to Jay Dee's basement we would always burn nag champa incense, that's where I got that title from. I was listening to Slum Village a lot, so I was influenced by them. With "Nag Champa," which was either the first or the second song for Like Water for Chocolate, we had it for a long time with no chorus. We kept trying but there wasn't nothing good coming out. I took T3 and them to the studio to work with me on the chorus; T3 started chanting something, he didn't finish, but he had a little idea. Jay Dee heard and started really singing it and got it together. Jay had an incredible voice-he actually was going to do a singing album. We used to talk about that when he would stay in LA.[11] | ” |
[edit] Production
Although ?uestlove was the album's executive producer, a large deal of the production work was handled by Jay Dee of Slum Village. Common and Jay Dee both hailed from the Great Lakes region (Jay Dee from Detroit and Common from Chicago) and were good friends. The track "Thelonius" was even placed on both Like Water for Chocolate and Slum Village's 2000 release Fantastic, Vol. 2.
Common also wanted to work with DJ Premier, citing Gang Starr as one of his favorite groups to listen to. In an interview with New Jeru Poet, Common described his motivation to work with DJ Premier:
| “ | Like you said, being that he is one of the most respected producers, I really loved his music throughout the time. Gang Starr has always been one of my favorite groups. I've always wanted to work with him. It was time. I connected with him and seen him in a couple of places. I told him that I wanted to work with him. It took a little time to get up with him but eventually, we got up. That was the last song I recorded for 'Like Water For Chocolate'. We released 'Dooinit' first and then the single and video for 'The 6th Sense'. Then, we followed it up with 'The Light'.[12] | ” |
[edit] Reception
Like Water For Chocolate received positive reviews from music critics such as Rolling Stone's Kris Ex, who called Common "A hip-hop MC willing to actually examine himself through his art." [13] Spin Magazine gave it a rating of 8/10 calling it "His most aggressive and powerful record yet."[14] The Wire called it his "best album", and Mojo chimed in with "most user-friendly contribution so far to the wave of 'conscious' rap".[14] NME called him a "great storyteller" who is "Equal parts philosopher and documentarian".[14] In 2004, PopMatters' Marc L. Hill named the album his personal favorite, writing:
| “ | To me, a favorite album isn't necessarily the best album in the collection. A favorite album is the one that you wrap yourself in when you're feeling happy, sad, angry, lonely, or nostalgic. A favorite album is the one that you feel personally connected to in ways that are difficult to explain. For me, that album is Common's Like Water For Chocolate.[11] | ” |
The album's hit single, "The Light" received a 2001 Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance.
[edit] Later albums
Common's next album, Electric Circus featured the Soulquarians more prominently than Like Water for Chocolate, but was not nearly as successful because of its more eclectic vision, and relatively poor promotion from MCA Records.
[edit] Track listing
Track listing and production credits are taken from the album's liner notes.
[edit] Original Release
| # | Title | Time | Performer(s) | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela)" | 6:37 | Common, Vinia Mojica, Roy Hargrove, Femi Kuti | Lonnie Lynn, Michael Archer, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser, James Yancey (Jay Dee) | D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser and Jay Dee of the Soulquarians | |
| 2 | "Heat" | 3:41 | Common | Lonnie Lynn | Jay Dee |
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| 3 | "Cold Blooded" | 4:58 | Common, Rahzel, Roy Hargrove, Black Thought | Lonnie Lynn, Ahmir Thompson, Michael Archer, Rahzel Brown, Tariq Trotter, Kelo Saunders | D'Angelo, ?uestlove, Kelo and The Roots |
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| 4 | "Dooinit" | 3:37 | Common | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey | Jay Dee | |
| 5 | "The Light" | 4:21 | Common | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Bobby Caldwell, Norman Harris, Bruce Malament | Jay Dee |
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| 6 | "Funky For You" | 5:55 | Common, Bilal, Jill Scott | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Poyser, Bilal Oliver | Jay Dee and James Poyser | |
| 7 | "The Questions" | 4:09 | Common, Mos Def | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Poyser, Dante Smith | Jay Dee and James Poyser | |
| 8 | "Time Travelin' Reprise" | 1:33 | Common | Lonnie Lynn, Michael Archer, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser, James Yancey | D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser and Jay Dee | |
| 9 | "The 6th Sense" | 5:19 | Common, Bilal | Lonnie Lynn, Bilal Oliver, C. Martin, Kejuan Muchita, Albert Johnson | DJ Premier |
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| 10 | "A Film Called (Pimp)" | 6:05 | Common, MC Lyte | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Bilal Oliver | Jay Dee | |
| 11 | "Nag Champa (Afrodisiac For The World)" | 5:10 | Common | Lonnie Lynn and James Yancey | Jay Dee | |
| 12 | "Thelonius" | 4:41 | Common, Slum Village | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Titus Glover, R. Altmani | Jay Dee | |
| 13 | "Payback Is A Grandmother" | 4:30 | Common | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Brown, Fred Neslay, John Starks | Jay Dee |
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| 14 | "Geto Heaven Part Two" | 5:18 | Common, D'Angelo | Lonnie Lynn, Michael Archer, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser, Peter Lord, Sandra S. Victor, Vernon Smith | D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser |
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| 15 | "A Song For Assata" | 6:48 | Common, Cee-Lo | Lonnie Lynn, James Poyser, Thomas Burton | James Poyser | |
| 16 | "Pop's Rap III... All My Children" | 5:09 | Lonnie "Pops" Lynn | Lonnie Lynn Sr., Erykah Badu, A. Scott, Karriem Riggins | Karriem Riggins |
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[edit] Alternate Version
| # | Title | Time | Performer(s) | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela)" | 6:37 | Common, Vinia Mojica, Roy Hargrove, Femi Kuti | Lonnie Lynn, Michael Archer, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser, James Yancey Jay Dee | D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser and Jay Dee of the Soulquarians | |
| 2 | "Heat" | 3:41 | Common | Lonnie Lynn | Jay Dee |
|
| 3 | "Cold Blooded" | 4:58 | Common, Rahzel, Roy Hargrove, Black Thought | Lonnie Lynn, Ahmir Thompson, Michael Archer, Rahzel Brown, Tariq Trotter, Kelo Saunders | D'Angelo, ?uestlove, Kelo and The Roots |
|
| 4 | "Dooinit" | 3:37 | Common | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey | Jay Dee | |
| 5 | "The Light" | 4:21 | Common | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Bobby Caldwell, Norman Harris, Bruce Malament | Jay Dee |
|
| 6 | "Funky For You" | 5:55 | Common, Bilal, Jill Scott | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Poyser, Bilal Oliver | Jay Dee and James Poyser | |
| 7 | "The Questions" | 4:09 | Common, Mos Def | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Poyser, Dante Smith | Jay Dee and James Poyser | |
| 8 | "Time Travelin' Reprise" | 1:33 | Common | Lonnie Lynn, Michael Archer, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser, James Yancey | D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser and Jay Dee | |
| 9 | "The 6th Sense" | 5:19 | Common, Bilal | Lonnie Lynn, Bilal Oliver, C. Martin, Kejuan Muchita, Albert Johnson | DJ Premier |
|
| 10 | "A Film Called (Pimp)" | 6:05 | Common, MC Lyte | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Bilal Oliver | Jay Dee | |
| 11 | "Nag Champa (Afrodisiac For The World)" | 5:10 | Common | Lonnie Lynn and James Yancey | Jay Dee | |
| 12 | "Thelonius" | 4:41 | Common, Slum Village | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Titus Glover, R. Altmani | Jay Dee | |
| 13 | "Payback Is A Grandmother" | 4:30 | Common | Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Brown, Fred Neslay, John Starks | Jay Dee |
|
| 14 | "Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)" | 5:08 | Common, Macy Gray | Lonnie Lynn, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser | ?uestlove and James Poyser | |
| 15 | "A Song For Assata" | 6:48 | Common, Cee-Lo | Lonnie Lynn, James Poyser, Thomas Burton | James Poyser | |
| 16 | "Pop's Rap III... All My Children" | 5:09 | Lonnie "Pops" Lynn | Lonnie Lynn Sr., Erykah Badu, A. Scott, Karriem Riggins | Karriem Riggins |
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[edit] Album singles
| Single information |
|---|
"The 6th Sense"
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| "The Light" |
| "Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)" |
[edit] Chart Positions
[edit] Album Chart Positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 2000 | Like Water for Chocolate | #16 | #5 |
[edit] Singles Chart Positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Rhythmic Top 40 | ||
| 2000 | "The Light" | #44 | #12 | #13 | #21 |
| 2000 | "The 6th Sense" | — | #87 | #14 | — |
| 2001 | "Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)" | — | #61 | — | — |
[edit] Accolades
Information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net.[15]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addicted to Noise | USA | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #19 |
| Aftenposten | Norway | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #33 |
| Amazon.com | USA | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #61 |
| Barnes & Noble.com | USA | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #54 |
| BigO | Singapore | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #4 |
| Dagsavisen | Norway | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #13 |
| Ink Blot Magazine | USA | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #3 |
| Iguana | Spain | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #24 |
| Intro | Germany | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #2 |
| Les Inrockuptibles | France | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #21 |
| Sean Mattson | UK | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #1 |
| Musik Express/Sounds | Germany | Albums of 2000 | 2001 | #28 |
| Muzik Magazine | UK | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #10 |
| Natt & Dag | Norway | Albums of the Year | 2000 | — |
| Nöjesguiden | Sweden | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #2 |
| Trax | France | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #62 |
| OOR | Netherlands | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #45 |
| Rock de Lux | Spain | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #6 |
| Spex | Germany | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #9 |
| The Village Voice | USA | 2000 Pazz & Jop Poll | 2000 | #24 |
| Wall of Sound | USA | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #17 |
| Zundfunk | Germany | Albums of the Year | 2000 | #6 |
[edit] References
- ^ Moore, Morris. Common Releases Song On The Internet. www.allhiphop.com. Retrieved on January 19, 2007.
- ^ Gold & Platinum (Database). Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on January 19, 2007.
- ^ http://archive.salon.com/media/col/marc/2000/04/17/marcus18/print.html
- ^ DeRogatis, Jim. Just plain Common sense. www.jimdero.com. Retrieved on January 19, 2007.
- ^ a b Thompson, Ahmir. D'Angelo Voodoo. ?uestcorner Reviews. www.okayplayer.com. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ Thompson, Ahmir. D'Angelo Voodoo (Online Review). www.okayplayer.com. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ Bonyata, Tony. Common's Uncommon Hip-Hop. www.concertlivewire.com. Retrieved on January 19, 2007.
- ^ Dorston, A. S.. Common, Like Water For Chocolate (MCA) 9+ (Music Webzine). Retrieved on January 19, 2007.
- ^ Everything2.com (Online interview). Retrieved on November 10, 2006.
- ^ Brown, Roxanne L. "Todd Boyd’s Lessons on the Rise of Hip Hop: Move Civil Rights and Historical Context Out of the Way" (PDF). The Center for Black Diaspora. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
- ^ a b Ducker, Houghton, Eric, Edwin. The Stories Behind Some Of The Late J Dilla's Great Productions (Online interview). Stones Throw Records. Retrieved on January 19, 2007.
- ^ Todd, Jones. Common (Online Interview). www.hiphop-elements.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2007.
- ^ Like Water for Chocolate.
- ^ a b c Common - Like Water For Chocolate [PA] (2000). Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- ^ Like Water for Chocolate at Acclaimed Music. Retrieved on January 21, 2007.
| Common |
|---|
| Discography |
| Studio albums |
| Can I Borrow a Dollar? (1992) | Resurrection (1994) | One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997) | Like Water for Chocolate (2000) | Electric Circus (2002) | Be (2005) | Finding Forever (2007) |
| Singles |
| "Take It EZ" | "Breaker 1/9" | "Soul by the Pound" | "I Used to Love H.E.R." | "Resurrection" | "The Bitch in Yoo" | "Retrospect for Life" | "Reminding Me (Of Sef)" | "All Night Long" | "One-Nine-Nine-Nine" | "Car Horn" | "The 6th Sense" | "Funky for You" | "The Light" | "Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)" | "While I'm Dancin'" | "Come Close" | "The Food" | "The Corner" | "Go!" | "Testify" |
| See Also |
| Soulquarians | Native Tongues Posse | Lonnie Lynn | GOOD Music | List of Common songs | Smokin' Aces | American Gangster |
