As well as music, Common has worked as an actor, on films such as 'Smokin' Aces' (as Sir Ivy) 'American Gangster' (as Turner Lucas), 'Wanted', and 'John Wick: Chapter 2'. He may also be seen in cameo roles in films such as 'Brown Sugar'.
His debut was the 1992 album Can I Borrow A Dollar, but he achieved little critical or commercial success until 1994's Resurrection, an instant classic. He produced several more albums, notably Like Water For Chocolate and the highly experimental Electric Circus, before releasing the Kanye West and J Dilla-produced Be in 2005, which was his first album to receive widespread mainstream appeal and radio playtime.
Common is considered a "cred" artist, which has lead him to collaborations with the likes of De La Soul, Jadakiss, T.I, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Kanye West, Lily Allen, Erykah Badu, and Fort Minor.
The 2007 album Finding Forever was produced mainly by long-time collaborator, Kanye West. Common released his eighth album Universal Mind Control in 2008, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album but lost to the Eminem album Relapse. He released his ninth album The Dreamer/The Believer in 2011. Nobody's Smiling, his tenth album, was released in 2014. The concept of the album was inspired by his troubled hometown of Chicago.
The Food
Common Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yo, yo yo yo, yo, yo, yo, yo
Check it, yo
You say a one for the trouble, two for the time
Come on y'all, let's rock that, uh
(I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk)
Check it
I come to grips that a lot of mic users is dikes
I come to grips with the likes of Fred Hampton
Cold, so I'm lampin', with no need for spotlight
When I got light like an intersection, you talk
But you came to my town with protection
Election year, had the block hot
I scream fuck the world for having a baby girl sorta cock block
I write rhymes like I come from the windy city
With my crew, I click like simply, stand midi with reality
Casually, I walk through these war games
Some claim say but then they take on whore names
If that's the way your sex drives, stay in your lane
If you're a man, I can't tell like if the door rang now
Now, to the ladies in the house when you come in the place
It ain't a bunch of niggas all up in your face
The music is thumpin' and you're feelin' the bass
What you want to do girl (wanna shout)
To the brothas when you come in a jam, it ain't a bunch of niggas
It ain't high tech and ain't got free liquor
You jackin his name and stick to make you jones get thicker
What you want to do man?
Yo, check it
Some niggas be on the mic, sounding like dikes
Allow me to get on and bust like Spike (uh)
Lee, I'm in the majors with no rotation
Through stations of bullshit, I see through like a pager
In the age of Aquarius, various things
Is gonna carry us in intellect and what have you
Street astrologists interpret point stars and half moons
Then end up on garages or walls in bathrooms
Every black moon, a rap tune move me
The rap sun, I rain more than Rudy, that unruly shit is played
It don't stop
It's time to get it, get it made
I got my mind made up like Foxy Brown's face
I know how the underground tastes
I want a crib from the ground up, rooms spin at a round pace
Get down based on true story, through Corey, came close to the teachers
Colder as the Iceman, posted before it start wrinklin'
Linkin' with cats, who don't react to change in the years
Fulfill prophesies in rooms full of emptiness, now
Now, to the ladies in the house when you come in the place
It ain't a bunch of niggas all up in your face
The music is thumpin' and you're feelin' the bass
What you want to do girl (wanna shout)
To the brothas when you come in a jam, it ain't a bunch of niggas
It ain't high tech and ain't got free liquor
You jackin' his name and stick to make you jones get thicker
What you want to do man?
(I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk)
(I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk)
Yo, yo, yo yo yo yo yo, yo check it, check it
I came through the corridor, with the aura
Raw Chicago mora, scope the horror
Read between the lines and know the border
Some pop wines for juice, I wait in the water
Waitin' for you Big Willie niggaz to have a show at The Crib
We gon' get with your glamour, long as we know where it is
Tell you ain't a player by your sweater doused with wack feather
The crib got the gangsta playa shit patent like black leather
I rap better than you, you, or maybe him
But I am like a tree and every lyric is a timb
Spilled brews and greasy foods got my car smelly
Some be so high, they believe they fly like R. Kelly
But then they fall off, dusted niggas is gettin' sawed off
They fall soft, my mental lift is for me to haul off
Now, to the ladies in the house when you come in the place
It ain't a bunch of niggas all up in your face
The music is thumpin' and you're feelin' the bass
What you want to do girl (wanna shout)
To the brothas when you come in a jam, it ain't a bunch of niggas
It ain't high tech and ain't got free liquor
You jackin' his name and stick to make you jones get thicker
What you want to do man?
(I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk)
(Makes me want to shout, want to shout)
(I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk)
(Makes me want to shout, want to shout)
(I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk)
(Makes me want to shout, want to shout)
(I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk)
(Makes me want to shout, want to shout)
(I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk) (I can feel the funk)
The lyrics of Common's song The Food, which features Kanye West, revolve around the struggles of their lives and the challenges they face in their bid to make ends meet. Common sets the tone by noting that everybody needs to eat and goes ahead to detail his challenges. He explains that he has two children and his baby mama is running late, leaving him with no option but to take on extra jobs to earn more money. He goes to work at night until the law enforcement arrives, a clear indication that he is engaged in some illegal activities. However, he admits that the money he is making is coming in slowly, but he is still better off than having nothing.
Common then introduces Kanye West, who goes on to provide his perspective on the challenges of life in the City of Wind. He notes that young people in Chicago contend with the challenges of the streets, the hustle, and the allure of material wealth, and women who are intent on riding with them to keep up appearances. Kanye speaks of young people who have no idea how to navigate the dangers of the streets, where pimp minds collide with a system that already sees them as victims. He describes his friend's situation and concludes by pointing out that shorties are playing a game with no instructions to assemble, and the future looks bleak.
The overall message of The Food is that life can be challenging, and to survive, people have to do what they have to do. Common and Kanye West provide their perspectives on surviving the mean streets of Chicago, and while their lyrics may come across as somewhat tragic, they both seem to be asking their listeners to appreciate the resilience of people living in challenging environments.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah (Common Sense), it's Common Sense
Common Sense is the performer, Common.
Kanye West on the Dave Chappelle Show
Kanye West is also performing on the show.
Everybody gotta eat right, y'all?
Life is about survival and finding ways to make ends meet, and everyone can relate to that.
It's "The Food", baby
The song is titled The Food.
I walked in the crib, got two kids
And my baby mama late (uh oh, uh oh, uh oh)
So I had to did what I had to did
'Cause I had to give (dough, dough, dough)
I'm up all night gettin' my money right
Until the blue and whites (po-po, po-po, po-po)
Now the money coming slow, but at least a, know
Slow motion better than (no-oh, no-oh, no-oh)
The artist has two children and his partner is running late, which means he has to work harder to provide for his family. He is staying up all night to handle his finances and avoid police involvement while acknowledging that making money slowly is still better than not making it at all.
Yo, yo, you love to hear the story, again and again
About these young brothers, from the City of Wind
Like juice and gin, in the city we blend
Amongst the hustle, titties and skin, fifties and rims
Y'all know the Sprewells and trucks that's detailed
Heartless females that wanna ride in 'em
Felt the Southside venom in raw hides and denim
Pimp minds collide with 'em, a system that tries victims
We livin' in, my man in the fast lane pivotin'
On the block, is sellin' like Eminem
On the block it jump off like Kim and 'em
On the block it's hot, you can feel it in your skin and then
Shorties get the game with no instructions to assemblin'
Eyes bright, it seems like the fight is dim in 'em
Call my man cuzzo like I'm kin to him
He tryna stay straight, the streets is bendin' him
The singer tells a story about life in Chicago and how people try to survive in a world that tries to victimize and exploit them. The neighborhoods are full of flashy possessions, shallow people, and dangerous situations that those who live there are just trying to navigate.
It's all good in the hood, like rats and gyms
Throwbacks and Timbs, Blacks and rims
Whether on ball courts, attires of all sorts
We never fall short, with us it's all force like Air 1's
Some waves, some air guns, the days of the fair one is over for
Cats is colder than four below, with self I go toe to toe
Wonderin' if it's for the art or for the dough
Though I know to grow a, gotta learn to let go
Though I know the dough I gotta bring back to the ghetto
Arrows on Tarot cards pointin' to the grind
Po' livin' in more prisons, pointin' to my mind, shine the light up
Clench my fists tight, holdin' the right up
Freedom fight in dark gear for the years to get brighter
Situations, and jaws get tighter
My man tryna get his weight and height up, come on
The singer is acknowledging the state of their environment, where people have to fight to survive while trying to figure out what is truly meaningful. It's a daily struggle, and the stress of life in poverty can make people feel trapped and tense. Despite the harsh circumstances, people try their best to keep pushing forward and envision a better future with hope and determination.
Ayo, I, I know I could make it right (sing it, yeah)
If I could just swallow my pride (uh, come on)
But I can't run away or put my gun away
You can't front on me
I, no, I can't let it ride
No, no, not tonight
No, I can't run away or put my gun away
You can't front on me
The artist understands that they have to make things right, but they can't let go of their pride or their defenses. The world is full of people who are trying to take advantage or get the best of them, so they have to be strategic and assertive in order to survive.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ernest Dion Wilson, Lonnie Rashid Lynn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hankscorpio3917
Chapelle introduced me to Common , Talib and Tribe Called Quest. Salute
@brentcampbell6788
He put me on to yasin bey
@bosssavage7768
I miss the Dave Chappelle show I'm watching it rn
@Duzz14
I used to love that mos def car freestyle. Black Star and the GZA performance
@twinktoiletsbestfriendsmomscan
I was already into them, but being on Chappelle made me love them even more!
@matta1528
Amen.
@ceosantanagloc1714
i remember when i was a kid watching this on Dave chapelle
@frankthetank2284
PrettyBoy Flizzy same bro
@johnjohn-we6eb
same glad i watched it because i got introduced to awesome stuff like this
@MrKOOLGUY818
PrettyBoy Flizzy haha just finished watching that episode!! you know I had to go on YouTube and bump it!!