Common occupies a fairly unique lane in the Hip-Hop scene. He’s at once an acclaimed actor, a lyricist of the highest order, and emcee of substance as well as style. Respected by both the bourgeoisie and the boulevard. With a catalogue that spans over a decade, he’s gone through many stylistic changes and has plenty of ammo for a show. It’s under this umbrella that Common took the stage at Generations Nightclub in the heart of the French Quarter. Backed by both a live band and two turntables, Common took the stage sans hype man. A minimalist set in an intimate venue that held roughly 250 people.
To the beat of the Finding Forever intro, Common prefaced his performance with a short speech on taking the crowd for a journey. There was a noticeably lower than usual sausage ratio and from the gate you know that Common’s status as progressive sex symbol is in full effect. He may do it for the people, but on this trip he’d definitely play to the ladies.
The show immediately gets in full gear as “Go” blares from the speakers, with the band playing live while the DJ mixes in “Apache” in a true B-boy blend. The older crowd certainly understood what was going on and bounced feverishly. It’s clear that Common is in his moment. Ladies saying “owww” brothers yelling “hooooo.”
From there he segues into “Testify.” For this venue, it was not a really good song choice because only the fans know it. The crowd milled around until the actor in Common took center stage. The music stopped after the first verse, and Common delivered the second verse as spoken word almost like a theatrical piece. After a dramatic stage performance of the second verse the beat returns and the change of pace brings the crowd back. A true veteran move.
After a brief endorsement of Barack Obama, Common exploded into “The People,” which was easily the hardcore moment of the night complete with the crowd bouncing, everybody rapping along with him. Hands were waving side to side and every section was representing. The frenetic pace of the beat was broken up staccato at the end and then it was back to b####### with “Driving Me Wild.” He continued to cater to the female heavy crowd with songs like “Come Close To Me,” and “How Beautiful.” He spoke of love and threw a little jab at fellow ‘Go emcee Kanye who in Common’s words “loves himself a lot.” A good natured jab but sure to raise a couple eyebrows.
The highlight of the performance was an old school medley in which Common paid homage to those that came before him. Commen went thru “Paid in Full,” “Top Billin,” “Stop The Violence,” the Tribe classic “Bonita Applebum,” “Juicy,” “I Need Love” and few other classics. Keeping true to his inner B-Boy he broke out the Wop, the Roger Rabbit and the Biz Dance.
He did a few of his classic joints including “I Used To Love H.E.R” and it’s part II verse from Badu’s “Love of My Life,” then kicked an off the top rhyme over the beat to “Resurrection” which included the mention of getting his shot in the celebrity All-Star game blasted by a girl earlier that evening. The real Hip-Hop was certainly over there
In a nutshell, a Common show is the perfect place to take your wife or your girl and have them satisfied while you get a lil taste of the boom bap. It ain’t rough rugged and raw and Timbs are definitely not appropriate, but at the end of the day it’s about love and you’ll get your money’s worth. Common’s performance was a dash romance, a sprinkle of Shakespeare in the park, a little history lesson, and a pinch of that heat. Hip-Hop gumbo for the Big Easy. And oh yeah rappers take note; Common was on time to his performance.