| One Day It'll All Make Sense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Common | ||||||||||
| Released | September 30, 1997 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1995-1996 | |||||||||
| Genre | Conscious hip hop, Chicago hip hop | |||||||||
| Length | 70:10 | |||||||||
| Label | Relativity | |||||||||
| Producer | No I.D., Spike Rebel and Rob Carter, Karriem Riggins, Lauryn Hill, Ynot, Dug Infinite | |||||||||
| Common chronology | ||||||||||
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One Day It'll All Make Sense is the third studio album by rapper Common, September 30, 1997 on Relativity Records. It was the follow-up to his critically acclaimed album Resurrection and the last Common album to feature producer No I.D.. Until 2011, Common stated No I.D. produced most of his The Dreamer, The Believer album.
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The album's recording was put on hold for up to a year as Common was busy becoming a father. After the birth of his child, Common returned to finish the album, albeit with a newer sense of responsibility, which he relates to his transformation from bachelor to father. He recorded "Retrospect For Life", with Lauryn Hill, as a dedication to his first child Omoye Assata Lynn. The song became the second single to be released from the album, and was accompanied by a video (directed by Lauryn Hill), as were "Invocation", "Hungry", and the album's first single "Reminding Me (Of Sef)" (a eulogy to a close, deceased friend of Common's). The album's cover is a picture of an 8 year old Common with his mother, Dr. Ann Hines, at an airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica in 1980.
The multi-talented Cee-Lo, who at the time was still a member of Southern Hip hop group Goodie Mob, provides the vocals for the spiritual "G.O.D." (which stands for "Gaining One's Definition"). Rapper Canibus makes an early career appearance on the track "Making A Name For Ourselves", as do veterans De La Soul on "Gettin' Down At The Amphitheater". Other guests include Black Thought, and Q-Tip on "Stolen Moments" Parts "II" and "III" respectively, and Common's future love interest Erykah Badu, on "All Night Long", which was produced by The Roots. Chicagoan poet Malik Yusef, waxes lyrical about his hometown on "My City", and as usual Common's father Lonnie Lynn closes the album out with some words of wisdom on "Pop's Rap Part 2 / Fatherhood".
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Robert Christgau | (B+)[2] |
| City Pages | (favorable)[3] |
| The Independent | [4] |
| RapReviews | (7.5/10)[5] |
| Rhapsody | (favorable)[6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
| The Source | [8] |
| Spin | (8/10)[9] |
| Sputnikmusic | [10] |
Although One Day... was better received by record buyers than the rapper's previous album, it was criticized by some longtime Common fans, mainly for its slightly more conventional production. Despite receiving generally favorable criticism, the album was a Billboard flop, like his previous album, Resurrection, which only sold 2,000 copies. One Day It'll All Make Sense only sold 250,000 copies. Some felt that producer No I.D.'s scaled down contribution was a factor in this. After the release of One Day..., Common would relocate to New York and begin working with the Soulquarians for his next studio effort, Like Water for Chocolate.
| # | Title | Length | Performer(s) | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Introspective" | 1:36 | Common | Lonnie Lynn Ernest Wilson |
No I.D. | |
| 2 | "Invocation" | 2:14 | Common | Lonnie Lynn Ernest Wilson |
No I.D. |
|
| 3 | "Real Nigga Quotes" | 5:24 | Common | Lonnie Lynn Doug Thomas |
Dug Infinite | |
| 4 | "Retrospect for Life" | 6:23 | Common Lauryn Hill Vere Isaacs (bass) |
Lonnie Lynn James Poyser Ernest Wilson Stevie Wonder Syreeta Wright |
James Poyser No I.D. |
|
| 5 | "Gettin' Down at the Amphitheater" | 5:18 | Common De La Soul (Posdnuos and Trugoy) |
Lonnie Lynn David Jolicoeur Kelvin Mercer Ernest Wilson |
No I.D. |
|
| 6 | "Food for Funk" | 4:10 | Common | Lonnie Lynn Ernest Wilson |
No I.D. | |
| 7 | "G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition)" | 4:47 | Cee-Lo Common |
Lonnie Lynn Ernest Wilson Cornell Newhill Thomas Burton |
No I.D. Spike Rebel |
|
| 8 | "My City" | 5:07 | Common Malik Yusef Alvin Rogers (saxophone) Demetrions Kelly (bass) |
Malik Yusef Cornell Newhill |
Spike Rebel | |
| 9 | "Hungry" | 2:33 | Common | Lonnie Lynn Ernest Wilson |
No I.D. |
|
| 10 | "All Night Long" | 7:35 | Common Erykah Badu |
Lonnie Lynn James Poyser Erykah Badu Ahmir Thompson |
The Roots |
|
| 11 | "Stolen Moments, Pt. 1" | 2:02 | Common | Lonnie Lynn Ernest Wilson |
No I.D. D-True |
|
| 12 | "Stolen Moments, Pt. 2" | 2:57 | Black Thought Common |
Lonnie Lynn Ernest Wilson |
No I.D. D-True |
|
| 13 | "1'2 Many..." | 3:12 | Common | Lonnie Lynn Doug Thomas |
Dug Infinite |
|
| 14 | "Stolen Moments, Pt. 3" | 3:13 | Common Q-Tip |
Lonnie Lynn Ernest Wilson |
No I.D. D-True |
|
| 15 | "Making a Name for Ourselves" | 4:53 | Canibus Common |
Lonnie Lynn Germaine Williams |
No I.D. |
|
| 16 | "Reminding Me (Of Sef)" | 4:55 | Chantay Savage Common Spike Rebel (keyboards) |
Lonnie Lynn Anthony Craig |
Ynot |
|
| 17 | "Pop's Rap Part 2 / Fatherhood" | 3:49 | Common Lonnie Lynn Alan Jay Palmer (piano) Billy Johnson (bass) Karriem Riggins (drums) |
Lonnie Lynn Karriem Riggins |
Karriem Riggins |
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | ||
| 1997 | One Day It'll All Make Sense | #62 | #12 |
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
| Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | |||
| 1997 | "Reminding Me (Of Sef)" | #57 | #9 | #21 | |