It seems with each release, the brother known as Common takes another step higher, while the majority of today’s rappers are stuck in a horizontal shift or a downward spiral. As Common says on “Doonit”, they’re either “droppin’ back to back LP’s that sound the same”, or simply molding to the styles of whatever is considered “hot” at the moment. But, in essence, there is really no reason for Com to be mad at that, because that’s what separates him from the rest.

Enter Like Water For Chocolate, proof positive of Common’s upward stairway to perfection. Here again, Common has reinvented his sound, and in the process, shown even more growth and maturity. Just as One Day It Will All Make Sense was a huge step up from Resurrection, and Resurrection a step up from Can I Borrow A Dollar, Like Water For Chocolate also carries the torch to the next level. When One Day… dropped, it seemed like the perfect hip-hop album. Great production from NO I.D. and co, uncontrived collaborations that worked beautifully, and brother who could not only slaughter any fake lyricist around, but who could also open up and shed his true feelings on subjects like abortion and religion. It helped define Common as a staple in hip-hop music, and did a great job.

After listening to Like Water For Chocolate, things are put into a whole new perspective. One Day… seems like the difference between a 21 year old and a 30 year old. One notable change with the new LP is the sound. This time overseen by The Roots’ ?uestlove , and the production team of the Soulquarians (Jay Dee, D’Angelo, & James Poyser), this album separates itself from all others by it’s continual soulful vibe that is held throughout, thanks to the consistency of one production team. In retrospect, One Day… looks like an unorganized collection of songs, that seemed to go in several different directions, while this project truly seems like an album -something that is held together infinitely by its continual direction.

Common exercises his honesty as much as ever, whether he is laying down the blatant truths of the industry on “Doonit”, or by telling his girl on “The Light”, his true feelings on everything from abstinence to building a family. The album’s most powerful piece, “Song For Assata” retells the story of Assata Shakur, something that will definitely make an emotional impact on the listener. In any case, Common has the ability to make us listen to every word he says, and think about his intentions as he said them. It’s the honesty which makes Common different from all others - he’s not afraid to let the world know where he stands, and he does it with creativity and originality, like no other.

Even when the weight of the album’s subject matter is lighter, he still keeps your attention. “The Questions” is a simple duet with Mos Def, that humorously picks up where A Tribe Called Quest’s “What”, left off. “Funky For You” leaves the typical listener searching for missing words, replaced with “Oo’s” and “Uh’s”, while longtime hip-hop followers are marveling at his technique of inconspicuously throwing in classic hip-hop quotables with the words left out. Respect is also shown on “Payback Is A Grandmother”, another chapter in the “Stolen Moments” series (believe it or not), which simultaneously pays homage to both the EPMD and James Brown tunes that inspired it.

While nothing is completely perfect, this one comes damn close. “A Film Called Pimp” may have a few listeners scratching their heads as to why Common chose to showcase the lives of pimps and hoes, but as the skit preceding it clues us in, this is simply a view of the world’s oldest profession, in a cinematic perspective. Also a bit out of place is “Thelonius”, which not only dips into monotony, but also features out-of-place rhymes from Slum Village, about “dickin’ down bitches every night”, that just don’t seem to go with the rest of this album.

Nevertheless, the faults are few and far in between. Like Water For Chocolate not only shows the growth of an emcee, but also the growth of a man. It’s albums like this, among others like The Roots’ Things Fall Apart or Gang Starr’s Moment Of Truth, that show how an emcee / group, who began their career as “underground”, can evolve from rappers to an artists. While the rapper of the day suddenly can’t figure out why his fourth album didn’t sell shit, these progressive artists are respectably selling gold and platinum records, or even winning a Grammy’s, partly on the strength of their 5 to 10 year fanbases. While the investment of time in both the listening to and marketing of these artists is a factor, doesn’t feel better to support honest records like these, and watch them win in the end?