This month we’re delving into Common and Pete Rock’s The Auditorium Vol. 1. There have been times throughout history that the human race didn’t know how much we actually needed certain super combinations (individually doing well on their own, but even better with the perfect match). Salt & pepper, fish & chips, milk & cookies, David & striped t-shirts.
Much like the aforementioned, both Pete Rock and Common have had long heralded music careers spanning over 30 years which individually are eye watering. Both have had multi generational successes in the underground and mainstream. From Pete Rock’s historic track T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You), production with Nas on Illmatic, Run DMC, House of Pain, and Kendrick Lemar there is a constant Pete Rock essence throughout music culture constantly. Common has released 15 albums to date. A mainstay within the (new) native tongues, Common has been a long time collaborator with the likes of De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Talib Kweli, Black thought, etc. whilst also maintaining muse stature of some of the best producers in hip hop; No ID, J Dilla, Kanye and of course Pete Rock. You can add three Grammy Awards, and Academy Award a Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Award to his achievements (did I mention he is also a pretty good actor?)…..Whilst writing this I wonder to myself if these two need any introductions at all?
Not resting on their laurels, they continue a steady output of creativity within hip hop and beyond. If you want some insight to the history of both Common and Pete Rock and their respective parts within hip hop’s story I encourage you to listen to them on Drink Champs (though you’ll need a spare 4 hours), it’s not only entertaining but mind blowing how involved they are within the cultures history. One key thing that shines through in the interview is not only each artist’s deep history within hip hop, but their love of the music and the culture. This is evident throughout The Auditorium Vol. 1.
As you can imagine, there was a lot of buzz in the build up to the albums’ release. Since world of the album broke in late 2023, expectations were high for the project being released from two of hip hop’s most respected sons. Drenched with inspiration from the golden era of hip hop (the 90’s), the album delivers arguably some of the best music both artists have released their heralded careers. Differing from recent hip hop albums we have discussed, this offering isn’t as dense. Pete Rock’s well-orchestrated laid back beats compliment Common’s welcoming narrative flow.
From the get go, all that is good in hip hop shines through on the lead track Dreamin.
There is a lovely sprinkling of soul throughout the album. Tracks like This Man, Fortunate and Now and Then not only compliments Common’s laid back story telling —-(flow)— but also highlights Pete Rock’s sample prose and highlights why he has been long heralded as one of the best beat makers in hip hop for both his production and ear to match the perfect beat with the MC he’s working with. Not forgetting their roots, they delve into the boom bap on tracks like Wise Up, Chi-Town and Stellar, reminding that a strong sample and well executed scratching can be all you need for the perfect hip hop track matched with one of Hip Hop’s most consistent MC’s is a wonderful thing.
A smorgasbord of exception tracks, the stand out for me is All Kind Of Ideas. Sliding in with its subtle bass line and clinical scratch of Rakim’s ‘all kinda ideas’, we’re welcomed by a rare 18 bars from Pete Rock ‘I’m soul brother uno, black from the future. Make beats on the table if I break my computer and still make hits like I used to. Keep your top five, I’m god’s favourite producer’. One for the hip hop heads, the song instantly puts a smile on my face.
Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s T.R.O.Y. is one of my favourite songs of all time, and Common’s Resurrection is one of my favourite albums of all time. There was a high bar for this album in my mind. Has it been met, yes and more. The Auditorium Vol. 1 is super accessible. It’s the kind of album that people that ‘sort’ of like hip hop will love whilst giving everything you want out of a positive conscious hip hop album. Common’s positive lyrics and Pete Rocks refreshing beats have served up an album that is a ray of light. I’m still early into this album, but it’s already one of the stand outs for 2024 for me.
thisisnothappening.net 
Here we are, hip-hop and me. Never quite the firm bedfellows, even though I love so much of it. And other great album from Nolan from someone steeped in hip-hop for me to get my teeth into for the first time. A tale as old as time itself, eh.
So what do I know of Pete Rock and Common? I know of them, of course. I have certainly listened to a bunch of Pete Rock productions, perhaps not knowingly but having listened to this I can see why his work with Tribe crosses over so much of what I love. As for Common, I’m not sure I’ve knowingly listened to a track of his. So I was approaching it with interest but trepidation, because what if it wasn’t for me?
First listens are always important, and this just flowed over me. Rock’s jazz and soul palette is right up my street. So much goodness – samples I knew, like Aretha on Dreamin’. Kanye on Chi-Town Do it, and many more I don’t (hi, WhoSampled, where I’ll be if anyone needs me) – gave it a sonic richness and dusty feel that really chimes with the acts of the genre I love – from the likes of De La and Tribe through to Danger Mouse’s work, who feels like a real kindred spirit (to me, at least). And Common’s flow was so accomplished, as you’d expect from someone with his body of work.
It doesn’t try too hard, not at all. There are so many nudges and references to so many things, from the scene and its luminaries, which on something like Ab-Soul sounds forced, but on here it just rolls forward. His flow is rich and clever, but it doesn’t have the energy of some of his contemporaries, so there’s a risk that over time it doesn’t feel as memorable. And while that wasn’t the case for the first half a dozen listens, it is starting to fade into one somewhat.
As ever, it’s hard to listen to this as much as so many other genres. Even without much cussing, I can’t really play this with the family, or in the car (unless I’m on my own) and with work it drags my brain away from the task at hand so it’s not got the opportunities others have. The walk with the album did me wonders, as did Genius (much of the lyrics aren’t on Spotify, which seems to be happening more and more). And there are some real stand-outs, from Chi-Town Do It, its horizontal jazz hooks and Kanye’s distinctive sample. We’re On Our Way, its Curtis Mayfield sample and the rich picture of rap and black culture, Wise Up, which is one of the few tracks which feels it ups the energy, along with Stellar, and the bumping All Kind Of Ideas. I also have a real soft spot for When The Sun Shines Again with Posdnous, with a great version on Jimmy Fallon: See here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFYHRupfarU)
You can sense there’s a but coming….. It should be an album I love but it hasn’t quite clicked for me. And I suspect the issue is length. It’s not that it’s an hour plus by default that makes it an issue. Its that the tracks do start to feel long. There’s a good 30-60 seconds on every one with no flow, just beats. In some cases, they stop and another beat kicks in. It’s sonically fantastic – make no bones about it, Pete Rock is a genius – and right in my wheelhouse, but when it repeats over the course of an hour, you start to feel there’s a 50 minute, tight, brilliant record in there trying to get out. I’d go so far as to say it feels like – with their legendary status – who’s there perhaps asking Pete if every track needs that treatment? There’s a fine line between showcasing expertise and overdoing it. And I think this falls over that line. Which is a shame as I can’t think of a single track (perhaps one) I would leave off and it sounds awesome. The flow is great, the the lyrics too, and even if I am up against the weight of history of two greats of the game I don’t know that well, it doesn’t quite explode like I hoped it would. I would take Cheat Codes over this every day. Twelve Songs, 38 minutes, perfect.
As good as it evidently is, sometimes you can have a bit too much of a good thing.
Thanks for choosing this, Nolan, it’s an interesting album and one that perhaps could have passed me by. I am of course pretty familiar with both artists – Common’s album Be from 2005 is one of my fave early 00s rap/RnB albums, and indeed, T.R.O.Y. is one of the THE all-time classics.
In many ways, this is a rap album right in my wheelhouse – soul heavy samples, a classic, timeless feel, a lot of conscious rapping and political thought in amongst the beats. It feels classy and heavyweight – but I think that timeless feel is both a strength and a weakness, because despite spending a fair bit of time with the album, it hasn’t *quite* got its hooks into me, and I’m puzzled to work out why that might be.
I think, as Guy mentioned, the length is a factor to some degree – there are definitely times it outstays its welcome, and there are perhaps too many tracks around the 4-5 minute mark that could have been a bit tighter. But I don’t think it’s just that – I think that, at times, I’m missing something that feels fresh and new. The sounds is rich, it’s heavy, it sounds great in a car or on headphones, but too often I zone out half way through the album and realise I’ve missed several tracks. I wonder if the issue is perhaps a lack of real standouts. They’re all decent tracks, but between fantastic opener Dreamin’ and the best track on the album by miles, Wise Up, there’s a run of three tracks that feel to me like have a very similar tempo and sound, and I struggle to distinguish them at times.
I wonder if the sound is SO steeped in hip hip history, and you can hear so much of these two great artists’ past work in the sound that its struggling to be its own new voice in 2024 – especially when you compare it to the likes of boundary pushing artists like Kendrick and the like. Perhaps that doesn’t matter – plenty of artists plunder their own sound and their own past throughout their musical lives, and it’s not like either Common or Pete Rock have anything to prove at this point in their careers. But, for one reason or another, it hasn’t taken off for me yet, and I honestly don’t know if that will change or not. I’ll keep trying, anyway, because it’s certainly enough of a pleasure to spend time with.
Ah shit! I forgot how tough it is when you go last on the responses, my bad, apologies for my tardiness …
Usual bullets for brevity, clarity and time honoured time efficiency;