Common Expands His Musical Horizons

03/22/2000 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(3/22/00, 6 p.m. ET) - Common's visit to Cuba last year affected both his personality and his music. The Chicago rapper made the trip to meet with former Black Panther member Assata Shakur, who has been living on the island since 1986.

Shakur was sentenced to life in prison for her involvement in a 1973 murder of a New Jersey State trooper. She has steadfastly proclaimed her innocence and escaped prison in 1979. Common was inspired by her life story and wanted to meet her. While in Cuba, he says he opened his mind and began embracing other cultures and new forms of music.

Common told LAUNCH how his taste in music has changed recently. "You know, I used to have that mentality like, man I don't like that stuff," he explained. "You know, kind of block it. But as I grew older and grew a little wiser, and two, experiencing different cultures, I was like, let me open my mind to everything. And then, whatever I like, I'm going to digest it and, and enjoy it. You can't shut it down, can't shut down one like sound or whatever or area or nothing. No style of music. You can't do that."

Common's forthcoming Like Water For Chocolate album was named after the critically acclaimed, award-winning foreign film of the same name. D'Angelo, Mos Def, and Slum Village are among the guests appearing on the album, which features production from the Roots, DJ Premier, A Tribe Called Quest affiliate Jay Dee, and others.

The former Common Sense appeared on Rawkus Records' Soundbombing II compilation and the Wild Wild West soundtrack in 1999 and has toured with and appeared on the last two studio albums from the Roots. The 27-year-old artist's new collection, his fourth, is scheduled for a March 28 release.

-- Soren Baker, Los Angeles

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