While Lonnie “Common” Lynn wasn’t the first rapper out of Chicago to make noise on a national level (Twista, then known as Tung Twista, would do it a year or so prior), he is definitely one of the early pioneers of Midwest hip-hop and a vital piece in putting Chicago on the map.

Common (then going under the alias of Common Sense) got his first break when his demo was featured in the October ’91 issue of The Source’s “Unsigned Hype” column. This once coveted cosign would help land Common a deal with Relativity, where he would release his debut album Can I Borrow A Dollar? (the original pressing of the album has his full stage name, “Common Sense,” which he would later be forced to change to simply, Common, as a rock group already had the name Common Sense trademarked; I personally think Common sounds better anyway).

Common would stay true to his Chicago brethren that helped get him his deal, by letting The Twilite Tone and Kanye West’s mentor, No I.D. (who when CIBAD was released was still going by the alias of Immenslope, until The Twilite Tone convinced him to change it to his government name [Dion] spelled backwards, which flows off the tongue a lot smoother ), produce the entirety (except one song that will discuss a little later) of CIBAD.

CIBAD is the cornerstone of what would become a very successful music career for Common, despite not having a huge hit record in his catalog. Not only is he still releasing music, but the dude has gone on to lecture at colleges, write books, date some of the baddest chicks on the planet, star in movies, and even has an Oscar under his belt. All that and he’s still regarded as one of the greatest lyricists of all time.

I’m willing to bet that he’s made enough money to never have to ask to borrow a dollar again.

A Penny For My Thoughts – CIBAD opens with a jazzy No I.D.-produced instrumental built around a loop of Eddie Kendricks’ “Intimate Connection,” while Common wields his unpolished lyrical sword and underdeveloped flow all over it (coincidentally, Common refers to the voice of the subject of my last post, MC Eiht, in one of his lines). Common’s flow (which was full of the stuttering style made popular by Das EFX) sounds dated, but No I.D.’s sick instrumental is timeless.

Charms Alarm – This is one of my favorite songs on CIBAD. No I.D. hooks up a smooth backdrop for Common, which he uses to call out those who make “intentionally pop” hip-hop, specifically taking shots at Kriss Kross and Rico Suave. Common’s flow on this one sounds a lot stronger than the previous song, and I still love this backdrop.

Take It EZ – This was the lead single from CIBAD. The Twilite Tone and No I.D. hook up a sick Rasa loop (with some smooth live saxophone provided by Tony Orbach) for Common to drop more of his animated flow and punchlines over. Boy, am I glad Common dropped the whole screechy thing (i.e., his very first word in the song). That shit gets annoying quick. Still love this instrumental, though.

Heidi Hoe – The Beatnuts get their only production credit of the evening, and it’s one of the more unimpressive moments in their legendary production catalog. Common uses this hot garbage to disrespect a garden tool of a woman for her promiscuous ways, which, in retrospect, is a clear display of the maturation of Lonnie Lynn, as he would never make a song like this during the prime years of his career. This was not good.

Breaker 1/9 – Another group that could have made a fortune off of hip-hoppers for sampling their music over the years is the Isley Brothers. As a matter of fact, they could have made a fortune off the “Between The Sheets” sample alone. No I.D. would be one of the first hip-hop producers to loop it up for this ode to cock blockers, which come in all shapes, colors, genders, and objects. The remix version (used in the video) of this song uses the same “Between The Sheets” loop with a slightly different flip, and Common changes his rhymes a bit as well. I’m more a fan of the album mix.

Two Scoops Of Raisins – No I.D. steps from behind the boards (but only after he produces this track) and joins Common on the mic. The two exchange underwhelming rhymes over a forgettable instrumental (that briefly uses the same Billy Cobham sample used for CMW’s “Duck Sick” suite and gives me an excuse to mention CMW for the second time in this post). I’m not a fan of this song.

No Defense – This brief interlude marks the beginning of the second half of the album. I still remember having to flip the cassette to side B before the ingenious invention of auto-reverse.

Blows To The Temple – Common comes out in battle mode over a dope up-tempo Twilite Tone produced backdrop. That’s all I got.

Just In The Nick Of Rhyme – The Twilite Tone loops up Bobbi Humphrey’s “Harlem River Drive” for this wonderfully produced instrumental that Common uses to spit more freestyle rhymes over. This song exposes the holes in Common’s flow and his early tendency to overstuff his bars with words, resulting in poor enunciation from the Windy City native.

Tricks Up My Sleeve – Over a solid and slightly devious No I.D. instrumental, our host discusses the art of macking honies. He leaves the last verse for guest female rapper, Rayshel (whose rhymes were clearly penned by Common, as she even adapts his annoying screech during her verse) to offer a rebuttal to all of Common’s game.

Puppy Chow – The Twilite Tone borrows the second Isley Brothers’ loop of the night for the backdrop on this one. Common once again shows his age and immaturity as he rejects the whole notion of being a gentleman and objectifies women in his verses. He and his crew chant “just dog the bitch” while female vocalist Tarsha Jones sings ever so beautifully, “I never been dogged like this before” over the fellas’ chant on the hook. This would have been the perfect song for cameo appearances from Willie D and Too Short, both experts on misogyny.

Soul By The Pound – This is arguably the most well-aged song on CIBAD. After boasting about how dope he is on mic (“I’m as bad (bad), as Leroy Brown (Brown), I’m pro (pro) without a noun (noun)”), Common calls out the Caucasian culture vultures that he believes are trying to steal soul music, specifically naming Marky Mark (who I just saw along with Common in the terrible Entourage movie) and his Funky Bunch of “Uncle Thomas’s” and Anthrax (who joined PE on the rock remix of “Bring The Noise”). No I.D. hooks up a simple but sick backdrop, and I absolutely love the bridge that incorporates a piece of DeBarge’s “I Like It” during Common’s first verse. Like “Breaker 1/9,” this song would also be remixed and used for the single and video, which ironically strips all the soul out of the song.

Pitchin’ Pennies – The Twilite Tone’s instrumental teeters back and forth between sounding breezy and animated, as Common spits a quick verse before closing the song with a long piss and a Sinbad soundbite. And with that, we’re done.

It’s always interesting to look back at the maturation process of an artist. Common is one of the emcees that I have followed since the beginning of his career, and boy, has he evolved. On his debut, Can I Borrow A Dollar?, Common shows flashes of the great lyricist he would soon become, but overall sounds like a young man looking to find his footing, voice, and style, made apparent by his gimmicky stutter flow, an annoyingly animated screech, and juvenile content. Thankfully, while Common was still soul-searching, Twilite Tone and No I.D. were very much in tune with their own and pouring it into the album’s production.

CIBAD is far from a classic album. Most of the production has aged well and still sounds great, while Common’s underwhelming (sometimes embarrassing) performance has aged like milk. Thank God for second chances.

-Deedub