Common's New Album "Invincible Summer"

As some of you might know Common has plans for a new album to drop in June. How he managed to find time inbetween his acting gigs I don't know, but "Invincible Summer" (not sure why he named it the same thing as k.d. lang's album) is dropping soon. In this interview with HipHopDx Common tells us a little about it.

DX: You working on the next album after Finding Forever?

C: Yeah, the new album is called Invincible Summer. It will be out in the later part of June. The music sounds new. It’s really developing. I’m really happy about it. It feels good. It’s not really heavy. The Neptunes are producing a lot of it. Also a producer named Mr. DJ [is on the project]. He did a lot of work with OutKast. He did “Bombs Over Baghdad” and “Ms. Jackson.” These cats are really giving me some new, fresh sounds. I’m taking it somewhere vocally that I haven’t been before. I’m enthused. I’m really excited. I think it’ll be a great summer album. I wanna make people smile and enjoy life. As much as I wanna make them think, it’s important that they smile, too.

When he says the music sounds "new" I shudder a bit, scared that Electric Circus sounded "new" as well. Common and the Neptunes don't quite mesh when I try to imagine it in my head, but hopefully they surprise me and it comes out sounding good together. Mr. DJ is a good addition, seems like he could fit Commons style, and I'm glad that he's trying to take the lyrics to new heights, go behind what he has lately. Not that it's been bad, but nothing mind-blowing. Sounds like it has the makings to be a summer joint I pop in.

DX: So, there will be a couple of club tracks in there?
C: When I went on the Kanye West Glow in the Dark Tour in Europe, I was overseas and just saw people partying overseas. Seeing the music that they were partying to was just a good feeling. I was like, “Wait, none of my songs are being played over here!” What am I missing in my music repertoire? You never stray away from [positive] music. You always need music that’s uplifting and conscious, but you also sometimes wanna relax and party. At a party, you might not wanna hear those things at that time.

A lot of the backpackers and underground heads may not like the sound of "club tracks," but unlike other people I can see Common giving us something that bumps, but still having that sense of lyricism and completeness behind it. As far as Europe goes, I would much rather have him feeling mainstream Europe stuff than the stuff they bang in clubs here. It could be a little on the odd side, but he could pull good, creative things out of it.

DX: Common, why didn’t you mention Kanye’s name as a producer for this new CD?
C: With Kanye, point blank, I’m on G.O.O.D. Music. We’re always going to collaborate. If he’s not producing it, he’s gonna executive produce it and say, “Yo, Rash, we need to do these things with it.” He’ll always be a part of it, but right now he’s focusing on getting his tour together, this Glow in the Dark Tour. I always go with the flow of things. This is what I’m doing for this album. On the next album, Kanye and I will be working on it with some other new artists. But I think this will give it something fresh and it’ll give it more spice when Kanye and I get back together. Who knows? He may do something for this album, too, because I’m not finished.

Kanye of course will be part of it, but I think it's a good change after two albums to have Kanye being more of an over-seer (lol) than making the tracks. While not bad, Kanye's on some other shit right now, that I don't see mixing with Common too well either. Overall I think he'll bring good ideas to the table.


DX: What are your thoughts about artists who strictly record for the purpose of selling ringtones?
C: For me, a lot of rappers have come from places where they didn’t get to appreciate the artform. They didn’t feel Hip Hop when it was just so pure and it was like a thing of just fun. It wasn’t about business. Now they approach Hip Hop from a business perspective. It’s much more than that. You gotta let the art be the art and let the business take care of that afterward. Of course, I’m not one who approaches music and goes into the studio saying, “I’m going to make this so it can be a corporate song. This is going to make this person’s ringtone.” I’m not really a supporter of that, but if a person chooses to do it and that’s what they want their career to be, that’s for them. I’m thinking more from a longer term and just being an artist and an actor.

Glad to hear that, if Common had said anything else right there I would have been real dissapointed. The interview also talks about Com writing children's books, his probable role in a Justice League movie, and his other acting ventures so check it out.

Theme Song: Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince- "Summertime"