As someone who lives in the equivalent of what is Washington State in the Hip Hop Nation, or on the fringes, I can give you insight into what caught my attention about him. I think I know the "hit" song from all of his previous albums, and I liked them okay, but I never knew who the rapper WAS. Then I heard the Sixth Sense, which blew me away, but again, I did not know who that rapper WAS, until I saw him on Tavis Smiley on BET. I was like, "Wow! That's whose song this is?" Tavis showed the CD on BET, along with Let's Get Free, and had a very intelligent conversation with Common, Dead Prez, and Kevin Powell from the Real World. I went out and bought LWFC the next day. Been in love with the Brothah ever since. He is deep. In short, what blew Common up is exposure. There is no beating getting your message out there to the masses via that tv box. That is why it's so disappointing that the Nike/Mos Def commercial version of "Umi Says" is altered, or shortened. His full message is being missed by the masses. Tavis Smiley said that LWFC was "critically acclaimed". That, and hearing Common speak for himself was enough to convince me to purchase that CD, and believe you me, I donot purchase music lightly, because CDs and tapes are expensive.





"Don't Hate the PLAYA Boy...hate the GAME," Granddad Freeman of the Boondocks(7-11-99)

*Twenty-three percent of women are "autoerotic singles" — they prefer to achieve sexual satisfaction alone(source-bet.com)