Common Says Media Outlets Play It Safe

04/18/2000 7:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(4/18/00, 7 a.m. ET) - Common has long been a critically acclaimed but commercially overlooked artist, but that changed somewhat with the March release of his album Like Water For Chocolate, which debuted as the No. 16 album in the country. However, the Chicago rapper still says that a number of talented artists get lost in the shuffle because they make music that differs from the norm. Common told LAUNCH why he thinks quality artists tend to get overlooked until they cross over.

"We got a harder struggle as artists, trying to do something different that ain't bringing the mainstream sound," he said. "From record labels to magazines to radio stations to video stations, a lot of them don't want to try new things too much. I mean, a majority as a whole don't want to try new things, so when they're hearing something new and you coming with a whole new flavor, they're, like, 'Aw, man.' It's like you've got to break a certain point, then they start recognizing."

Common's Like Water For Chocolate was named after the critically acclaimed, award-winning foreign book and film of the same name. D'Angelo, Mos Def, and Slum Village are among the guests appearing on the album, which features production by the The Roots (Rap), DJ Premier, A Tribe Called Quest affiliate Jay Dee, and others. The 27-year-old artist's new collection, his fourth, was released on March 28.

-- Soren Baker, Los Angeles