A Music Review of Common’s New Single
“The turntable is now an instrument at the Smithsonian.”

Ajay Naidu

Pardon me as I take a moment to address something.

Ahem - Emcees, Rappers, People-who-make-money-by-regurgitating-hood-tales-and-fantasies! Remember the turntable? It used to get used all the time. Perhaps I’m old or something, but I remember when every Emcee had a DJ. Then again, I could also tell you why I think Zaxxon was better than Galaga, but anywho…

So I’m listening to “The Game” by Common (or really Com-Ye, it’s kind of like a badass monster from a Godzilla flick is teamed up with a more popular one that people know so the former can get some shine. No Mothra) and I realize the rarity of the “Banger”. See kids back in the day when a song was equal parts good (lyrics and production) it was called a “Banger”. This is back when giving someone $5 for gas wasn’t an insult. It was named as such because just playing one caused uncontrolled headbanging to the point that it could disturb those in close proximity. Often times one would be locked into a cycle of repeatedly playing the “banger” in question. Years later the banger can cause one to relive the memories of the time in which it was experienced by the listener. I give this joint automatic points for having Premier remind people about the DJ. I missed scratching…alot. However, bringing back something I have missed still does not qualify this as a banger. Neither does Kanye’s production playing Power Ranger to Premiers Ultraman (or Himitsu Sentai Goranger for those who really know…or are just geeks).

Don’t get me wrong this is a good song. It just doesn’t have the bite (or better yet bang) that came with “The Corner”. For real, I wouldn’t rate it as high as “Hungry” or “The 6th Sense”. All this from someone who hopes Common hits hard again. See one of the important facets of being a true banger is the instant recognition. It also should have several “did you hear what he said” moments. Common does display some lyricism on the joint but it’s kind of like someone busting a wheelie…he just doesn’t hold it long enough. The visibility of Com-Ye is something that needs to be taken advantage of. Many of my brethren will give reasons why “BE” wasn’t as good as say, “One Day It’ll All Make Sense” or “Resurrection”. To which I reply “Electric Circus” and give thanks. This song really wants to be a banger…I could imagine that if someone was categorizing the songs on an album they wanted to fit this into the banger slot. It’s just not quite robust enough to fill it out.

This is a joint I’d get, I wouldn’t spend my last for it though. In an age where mediocrity is the new dope “The Game” is still much better than a large percent of what’s out now. If I could compare this to a wardrobe purchase…it’s a white button up. You’ll always need one at some point in time, but it’s not the focal point of your outfit by any stretch of the imagination. “The People” is Irish Linen though so there’s no harm done.