The Dreamer/The Believer

The Dreamer/The Believer
Studio album by Common
Released December 20, 2011[1]
Recorded 2009-2011
Genre Alternative hip hop, Conscious hip hop
Length 50:46
Label Warner Bros., Think Common Music Inc.
Producer No I.D. (also exec.)
Common (co-exec.)
Derek Dudley (co-exec.)
Mike Chavez (co-exec.)
Common chronology
Universal Mind Control
(2008)		 The Dreamer/The Believer
(2011)		 Nas.Com
(2012)
Singles from The Dreamer/The Believer
  1. "Ghetto Dreams"
    Released: July 6, 2011
  2. "Blue Sky"
    Released: October 4, 2011
  3. "Sweet"
    Released: Novermber, 2. 2011
  4. "Celebrate"
    Released: November 21, 2011
  5. "Raw (How You Like It)"
    Released: December 13, 2011
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllHipHop (9/10)[2]
Allmusic [3]
Chicago Tribune [4]
HipHopDX [5]
The Independent [6]
Passion of the Weiss (favorable)[7]
Rolling Stone [8]
Slant Magazine [9]
XXL [10]

The Dreamer/The Believer is the ninth studio album by American rapper Common. It was released on December 20, 2011, through Warner Bros. Records; longtime friend and collaborator No I.D. handled production and co-wrote the entire album.[11]

Contents

Background and development

Recording sessions for the album began in 2009, and was originally due for a spring release, but was not completed because Common wanted to concentrate on acting. The album was scheduled for an April 2011 release, but was pushed back to late 2011. The first single was "Ghetto Dreams" featuring Nas. It was released on iTunes July 6, 2011. In preparation for the album's release, Common spoke with The BoomBox about how the LP was taking shape and that he and No I.D. were crafting the album in a more positive direction: "It's going to be positive hip-hop. Hip-hop that can really generate good spirit, the spirit of the music and just good energy. I'm excited about the album 'The Dreamer, The Believer'. I feel blessed that I got to work with No I.D. I'm enthused to do hip-hop, which is something that I have to do when I feel it. It's the spirit and energy of hip-hop that made you just enjoy it and love the music and not feel like, 'Man, is this gonna sell?' or 'I sold this many.' It's stuff that made you feel something, it's stuff that you can use that inspired your life. I think about hip-hop like Brand Nubian and KRS-One and N.W.A. and Rakim, that stuff inspired my life. Those things really shaped who I am." The Target Exclusive Edition comes with two additional tracks.
The second single off the album was "Blue Sky" which was officially made available on iTunes October 7, 2011.[12]

Commercial Performance

The album debuted at number eighteen on the US Billboard 200 chart, with 69,000 copies sold in its first week in the United States.[13]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "The Dreamer" (featuring Maya Angelou) Marguerite Johnson, Lonnie Lynn, James Fauntleroy II, Ernest Wilson 5:53
2. "Ghetto Dreams" (featuring Nas) Lynn, Nasir Jones, Eddie Hazel, Wilson 3:54
3. "Blue Sky"   Lynn, Makeba Riddick, Wilson 4:03
4. "Sweet"   Lynn, Wilson 3:36
5. "Gold"   Lynn, Fauntleroy, Wilson 4:19
6. "Lovin' I Lost"   Lynn, Wilson 3:51
7. "Raw (How You Like It)"   Lynn, Sidibe, Riddick, Wilson 3:55
8. "Cloth"   Lynn, Fauntleroy, Wilson 4:34
9. "Celebrate"   Lynn, Fauntleroy, Wilson 4:03
10. "Windows"   Lynn, Fauntleroy, Wilson 4:00
11. "The Believer" (featuring John Legend) Lynn, John Stephens, Wilson 3:43
12. "Pops Belief" (featuring Lonnie "Pops" Lynn) Lonnie "Pops" Lynn 4:55
Sample credits

Ghetto Dreams

Blue Sky

Sweet

Gold

Lovin' I Lost

Celebrate

Personnel

Credits for The Dreamer/The Believer adapted from Allmusic.[14]

  • Jason Agel – Engineer
  • Maya Angelou – Composer, Poetry
  • D. Burton – Composer
  • Mike Chavez – A&R, Executive Producer
  • George Clinton – Composer
  • Common – Executive Producer
  • Blake Douglas – Assistant Engineer
  • Derek Dudley – Executive Producer, Management
  • James Fauntleroy – Composer
  • James Fauntleroy II – Vocals
  • Kaye Fox – Vocals
  • Kenny Gamble – Composer
  • Larry Graham – Composer
  • Eddie Hazel – Composer
  • Derrick Hodge – Bass
  • Leon Huff – Composer
  • Bob James – Composer
  • Rob Kinelski – Engineer, Mixing
  • David Kutch – Mastering
  • John Legend – Vocals
  • Cara Lewis – Booking
  • Sam Lewis – Assistant Engineer, Vocals
  • Kenny Loggins – Composer
  • Omar Loya – Assistant Engineer, Engineer
  • Lonnie Lynn – Composer, Poetry
  • Jeff Lynne – Composer
  • Curtis Mayfield – Composer
  • Percy Mayfield – Composer
  • Matt Morris – Vocals
  • Laurence Naber – Mixing Assistant
  • No I.D. – Executive Producer, Producer
  • Omoye – Vocals
  • James Poyser – Keyboards
  • Kevin Randolph – Keyboards
  • Makeba Riddick – Composer, Vocals
  • Hannah Sidibe – Composer, Vocals
  • Chris Time Steele – Vocal Engineer
  • J. Stephens – Composer
  • Todd Sullivan – Sample Clearance
  • Steven Taylor – Photography
  • The Twilight Tone – Scratching
  • Anna Ugarte – Assistant Engineer, Mixing Assistant
  • Steve Wyreman – Bass, Composer, Guitar, Wurlitzer
  • Danny Zook – Sample Clearance

References

  1. ^ Eximius Theme by dkszone.net (2011-11-04). "Common Announces December 20 Release For ‘The Dreamer, The Believer’". MuziksMyLife. http://muziksmylife.com/2011/11/common-announces-december-20-release-for-the-dreamer-the-believer. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  2. ^ Jon Garcia. "Album Review: Common’s “The Dreamer, The Believer”". AllHipHop.com. http://allhiphop.com/2011/12/20/album-review-commons-the-dreamer-the-believer/. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  3. ^ Kellman, Andy. "The Dreamer/The Believer". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-dreamerthe-believer-r2308578/review. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  4. ^ Greg Kot Music critic 9:52 p.m. CST, December 18, 2011 (2011-12-16). "Common album review; The Dreamer/The Believer reviewed". chicagotribune.com. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/turnitup/chi-common-album-review-the-dreamerthe-believer-reviewed-20111218,0,62643.column. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  5. ^ by Alvin aqua Blanco. "Common - The Dreamer, The Believer | Read Hip Hop Reviews, Rap Reviews & Hip Hop Album Reviews". HipHop DX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/album-reviews/id.1815/title.common--the-dreamer-the-believer. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  6. ^ Andy Gill (2011-12-16). "Album: Common, The Dreamer/The Believer (Warner Bros) - Reviews - Music". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-common-the-dreamerthe-believer-warner-bros-6277921.html. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  7. ^ Jonah Bromwich (2011-12-27). "The Dreams of Lonnie Lynn". Passion of the Weiss. http://passionweiss.com/2011/12/27/the-dreams-of-lonnie-lynn/. Retrieved 2012-1-3. 
  8. ^ By Jody Rosen. "The Dreamer/The Believer | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-dreamer-the-believer-20111220. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  9. ^ "Common: The Dreamer/The Believer | Music Review". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/common-the-dreamer-the-believer/2706. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  10. ^ "Common, The Dreamer/The Believer". Xxlmag.Com. http://www.xxlmag.com/reviews/2011/12/common-the-dreamerthe-believer/. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  11. ^ No I.D. To Produce The Entirety Of Common's "The Dreamer, The Believer"
  12. ^ "Connecting to the iTunes Store". Itunes.apple.com. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blue-sky-single/id471509901. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  13. ^ Caulfield, Keith (December 28, 2011). "Michael Buble Remains No. 1, Adele's '21' Has Best Sales Week Yet". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/michael-buble-remains-no-1-adele-s-21-has-1005744752.story. Retrieved December 28, 2011. 
  14. ^ The Dreamer/The Believer (2011): Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-12-15.
Common
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
Featured singles
"Confusion" · "Respiration" · "Jam" · "Hurricane" · "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" · "Where I'm Going" · "Wouldn't You Like to Ride" · "SupaStar" · "Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now" · "Make Her Say"
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