Common noted that this album's title references Eric B.
& Rakim's "In the Ghetto" -- more specifically, the song's recurring sample from the duo's "I Ain't No Joke." More symbolic, if beneath the surface, is the use of Curtis Mayfield's grim and pointed "The Other Side of Town" on album opener "The Neighborhood." While Nobody's Smiling was inspired by the tragic condition of Common's hometown of Chicago, its incorporation of a relevant-as-ever song from 1970, recorded by a Chicagoan in Chicago, is an acknowledgment of how inner-city struggles are a constant, not a trend.
The rapper/actor's geographic and economic distance can be cited as a reason to approach Nobody's Smiling with a cocked brow.
Common, to the contrary, once again works closely with fellow Chicago native No I.D., and he also makes room for a clutch of local artists -- including Dreezy, Lil Herb, and Malik Yusef -- who are also shown throughout the booklet, along with other Chicago figures, cast in the same slight light as him.
Likewise, through character sketches and an otherwise grounded perspective, Common places himself on their level instead of acting as a sage.
Fervent throughout, Common deals out some of his hardest and heaviest rhymes.
No I.D. strengthens his partner's work with rigid, reverb-heavy productions -- from the mechanical pings of "Speak My Piece" to the juddering drums and probing keyboards within the title track -- without approaching the harshness of the Yeezus tracks to which he contributed.
On "Kingdom," something like a weathered "Jesus Walks," the rapper and the producer are at their most moving, with the protagonist attending a funeral and plotting revenge, unable to connect with the concept of faith: "My whole life I had to worry about eatin'/I ain't have time to think about what I believe in." Common places the most directly biographical track, "Rewind That," at the end of the album's standard edition.
The second half, where he traces his friendship with J Dilla, involves some brilliant storytelling, and perhaps the only moments during the album's sessions when Common cracked a smile while recording.
It's a touching finish to the rapper's best album since Be.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The NeighborhoodJames Fauntleroy, Lonnie Lynn, Curtis Mayfield, Ernest Wilson, Herbert Wright | Common | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | No FearLonnie Lynn, Ernest Wilson | Common | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | DiamondsSean Anderson, Lonnie Lynn, Ernest Wilson | Common | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | Blak MajikJhené Chilombo, Lonnie Lynn, James Poyser, Ernest Wilson | Common | Play | 03:19 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | Speak My PieceRandy Alpert, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Andy Armer, Sean Combs, Ron Lawrence, Lonnie Lynn, Christopher Wallace, Ernest Wilson | Common | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 6 | Hustle HarderSnoh Aalegra, Kirby Dockery, Alexander Izquierdo, Lonnie Lynn, Leon Marcus Michels, Seandrea Sledge, Ernest Wilson | Common | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | Nobody's SmilingLonnie Lynn, Ernest Wilson | Common | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 8 | RealSean Fenton, Lonnie Lynn, Oliver Scott, Ernest Wilson, Ron Wilson, Steve Wyreman | Common | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 9 | KingdomErnest Fowler, Lonnie Lynn, James Poyser, Vince Staples, Ernest Wilson | Common | Play | 06:22 | 14 MB | 44 MB |
| 10 | Rewind ThatLonnie Lynn, James Poyser, Ernest Wilson | Common | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 11 | Out On Bond | Common, Vince Staples | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 12 | 7 Deadly Sins | Common | Play | 03:08 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 13 | Young Hearts Run Free | Common, Cocaine 80s | Play | 04:32 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 52 mins | 121 MB | |||||
| 52 mins | 329 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snoh Aalegra | Composer, Featured Artist |
| 2 | Jhené Aiko | Featured Artist |
| 3 | Randy Alpert | Composer |
| 4 | Sean Anderson | Composer |
| 5 | Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie | Composer |
| 6 | Andy Armer | Composer |
| 7 | Chris Atlas | Marketing |
| 8 | Percy Bady | Direction, Producer |
| 9 | Craig Bauer | Vocal Engineer |
| 10 | Robert Clark Betty, Jr. | Vocals |
| 11 | Big Sean | Featured Artist |
| 12 | Elijah Blake | Featured Artist |
| 13 | Mike Bozzi | Assistant |
| 14 | Brandi Brumfield | Vocals (Background) |
| 15 | Leesa D. Brunson | A&R |
| 16 | Vernard Burton | Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | Bobby Campbell | Vocal Engineer |
| 18 | Jim Caruana | Engineer |
| 19 | Mike Chavez | A&R, Executive Producer |
| 20 | Jhené Chilombo | Composer |
| 21 | Cocaine 80s | Featured Artist |
| 22 | Sean Combs | Composer |
| 23 | Common | Executive Producer, Primary Artist |
| 24 | Casey Cuayo | Assistant Engineer |
| 25 | Tyrone Davis, Jr. | A&R |
| 26 | Sandra Dillard | Vocals (Background) |
| 27 | Kirby Dockery | Composer |
| 28 | Dreezy | Featured Artist |
| 29 | Micaela Erlanger | Stylist |
| 30 | James Fauntleroy | Composer |
| 31 | Sean Fenton | Composer |
| 32 | Ernest Fowler | Composer |
| 33 | Brian "Big Bass" Gardner | Mastering |
| 34 | Alfred Golden | Vocals (Background) |
| 35 | Alex Haldi | Art Direction, Design |
| 36 | Eleanor Hampton | Vocal Ad-Libs, Vocals (Background) |
| 37 | Derrick Hodge | Bass |
| 38 | Carya Holmes | Vocals (Background) |
| 39 | Alexander Izquierdo | Composer |
| 40 | Maximilian Jaeger | Vocal Engineer |
| 41 | Tanesha Jefferson | Vocals (Background) |
| 42 | Jaha Johnson | Management |
| 43 | Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton | Mixing |
| 44 | Kingdom Voices | Vocals (Background) |
| 45 | Michael Kuzoian | Assistant Engineer |
| 46 | Paul Lane | Package Production |
| 47 | Ron Lawrence | Composer |
| 48 | Lil Herb | Featured Artist |
| 49 | Tai Linzie | Artwork, Photo Production |
| 50 | Pamela Littky | Photography |
| 51 | Lonnie Lynn | Composer |
| 52 | Terrence Marshall | Vocals (Background) |
| 53 | Curtis Mayfield | Composer |
| 54 | Meagan McNeal | Vocals (Background) |
| 55 | Leon Marcus Michels | Composer |
| 56 | Cristen Mills | Assistant |
| 57 | Francois Mobasser | Legal Counsel |
| 58 | Andrea Moore-Daly | Vocals (Background) |
| 59 | Marcus Morton | Vocals (Background) |
| 60 | Ross Neiko | Assistant Engineer |
| 61 | No I.D. | Executive Producer, Producer |
| 62 | Miriam Noelle | Vocals (Background) |
| 63 | James Poyser | Composer, Keyboards, Producer |
| 64 | Kevin Randolph | Keyboards |
| 65 | Gregg Rominiecki | Engineer |
| 66 | Oliver Scott | Composer |
| 67 | Seandrea Sledge | Composer |
| 68 | Vince Staples | Composer, Featured Artist |
| 69 | Tricia Sterling | Marketing Coordinator |
| 70 | Josh Story | Assistant Engineer, Engineer |
| 71 | Michael Law Thomas | Engineer |
| 72 | Keith R. Tucker | A&R |
| 73 | Christopher Wallace | Composer |
| 74 | Dion Wilson | Keyboards |
| 75 | Ernest Wilson | Composer |
| 76 | Ron Wilson | Composer |
| 77 | Herbert Wright | Composer |
| 78 | Steve Wyreman | Composer, Guitar |
| 79 | Kristen Yiengst | Artwork, Photo Production |
| 80 | Malik Yusef | Featured Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |