Common is one of the game’s many respected lyricists, and while he’s not always included in the GOAT conversation, his track record certainly speaks for itself. For one, the emcee boasts entire albums produced by some of hip-hop’s most legendary beatmakers, including Kanye West, J. Dilla, No I.D, and The Neptunes.
Common recently took a moment to discuss some of his work with Andrew Barber, host of The Coda Collection. Though much ground is covered, some of the most interesting insight arises when asked about connecting with such talented producers.
“Dilla is the greatest as far as the hip hop producers, whose music translates in so many different places on the planet,” he praises. “No ID is legendary, one of the greatest ever to do it, and has touched so many parts of the culture. Pharrell, I’ve been listening to the Neptunes and thinking like ‘Man, they touch so many different places.’ And Kanye is a genius and one of the greatest artists and producers this planet has ever seen.”
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“I gravitate towards greatness, point-blank,” he continues. “I want to be around people who are incredible at what they do. People who I can grow from, learn from, who will elevate me. Each one of them made me better and challenged me.”
“I really zone in with somebody and really we get on the same vibration from every level, because music to me is it has so many dimensions to it,” he continues. “You creating, but you also connecting with that human being. Y’all going through different experiences, y’all sharing in whatever your vision is and what you want to create at that moment. So once I got connected with those producers at that time, it was like “Man, we just was on the same vibe.”
He also recalls a moment when Pharrell Williams took time to pay homage to J. Dilla in an amusing fashion, creating a mental picture that will likely bring a smile to many hip-hop historians. “One time we went to the studio where Pharrell was working, and me and JD went in there,” he recalls. “Soon as Dilla went in, Pharrell got down on his knees and started like bowing to him, like this is the man. And I mean, he was doing it like just paying homage. It wasn’t like he was so serious, but he was serious. And he was like just giving respect to Dilla. Like you don’t understand, all these producers from me from watching Questlove, to Pharrell, to D’Angelo, you know, they all revered JD as the god.”
For much more from Common, be sure to check out his complete interview with Andrew Barber on The Code Collection below. All things considered, do you think it’s time to start including him in the GOAT conversation?