Album Review: The Auditorium, Vol. 1 by Common & Pete Rock
Common and Pete Rock have come together for their first highly-anticipated collaboration. Their careful partnership resulted in Pete’s signature production style and Common’s varied talents.
With a career spanning 15 albums, Common has evolved through numerous phases, shedding multiple identities, including a few different rappers and even a bit of a rockstar persona. Even now, he remains an impressive rapper, though his style has become simpler. His lyrics have become more positive and safer. He relies on his signature flow, yet he remains graceful. He can still craft clever wordplay and phonetic patterns. His words can unravel complex thoughts elegantly, invoking empathy in the listener.
However, at times, he resorts to odd comparisons, like likening himself to a metaphorical cake, to maintain the structure of his rhyme schemes. Sometimes, he raps to inspire love; other times, he does it for the sheer joy of rapping. These motives can blur, but more often than not, he is deliberate in his approach. Kareem Riggins produced his last four albums (outside of Black American Again in terms of quality), spawning mixed results. But since last year, Common teamed up with a legendary Pete Rock, who produced two underrated incredible albums in the previous few years with Skyzoo (Retropolitan) and Camp Lo (80 Blocks from Tiffany’s II), to record their highly-anticipated The Auditorium, Vol. 1.
As soon as it opens up with the Aretha Franklin-sampled “Dreamin’,” you know you’re in for a vintage Common project. He uses a masterful interplay of reverie and reality, where the artist reflects on a spectrum of cultural and historical icons through the lens of a dream. The narrative unfolds with vivid imagery, such as J Dilla—his late friend and collaborator—illuminating the path (“What made it realer, J Dilla was there in the light”). Common bridges the temporal divide by invoking legendary figures like Prince, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali, blending their legacies with his introspections on music and life. Furthermore, the dialogue with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (“He told me to dream in ways that the prophets dream”) elevates Common’s reflections to a philosophical plane, intertwining personal aspiration with broader sociopolitical struggles.
In the hard-hitting “Wise Up,” Common crafts a narrative juxtaposing poetic eloquence with street wisdom, highlighting the duality of his upbringing and the philosophical evolution it fostered behind an MC Shan backdrop. The track is steeped in rich metaphors and insightful commentary; for instance, the three wise men who bring “gifts with the southside blend” resonate as harbingers of street culture and self-reflection, bridging the material and the spiritual. The recurring motif of wisdom is beautifully encapsulated in lines like “Wise like the old man wit’ food in his beard, And when he cry freedom, it’s jewels in his tears,” where tears symbolize profound truths birthed from lived experience.
Pete Rock’s production fits at home with Common’s rap style, making him sound even more invigorated than ever. With one of the album’s standout cuts, "We’re On Our Way,” Common’s reverence for wisdom and spiritual guidance, encapsulated in “The Lord spoke, I listened to the vision I was given/It’s the second comment, I'm risen with the wisdom of the elders,” intertwines his faith with the legacies of ancestral sages over Rock’s smooth beat. “Stellar” is an all-out bar fest as Common’s layering of his thoughts is evident in “Helmet of salvation power pads on my shoulder/Third eye for time but I never blow over,” juxtaposing physical armor with spiritual preparedness.
Rapping over The Feminine Complex’s “Are You Lonesome Like Me” flip, the aptly-titled “Lonesome” explores love, loss, and familial wisdom. Sure, it is a typical Common track, but he and Pete Rock’s chemistry shines through (there are many scratches on this album, too), including “Chi-Town Do It” mixing “All Falls Down.” His Common’s nuanced poetry on “This Man” seamlessly oscillates between personal anecdotes, metaphysical musings, and social commentary (“And chocolate supported that on stage, my daughter rap/She was an infant, now she see infinity”). He also portrays moments of redemption and enlightenment in “Now and Then” as he affirms his roots by stating, “My name is Common though I tell a different story,” while showcasing his role as a conscious storyteller committed to truth.
As a featured artist, Pete Rock’s self-assuredness is evident as he proclaims himself “soul brother uno… God’s favorite producer,” underscoring his creative agility (and a throwback to Mecca and the Soul Brother) and timeless appeal on “All Kind of Ideas.” Common showcases his intellectual and philosophical depth and critique of the superficiality in the industry—“Them monkeys been programmed, at them, I throw wrenches”—demonstrates a call for authenticity and ingenuity. Even Jennifer Hudson sounded good on “A GOD (There Is),” showcasing their chemistry as artists, and it wouldn’t be a Common project without Bilal. He shows up on “So Many People,” as well as additional vocals on the soul-heavy “Fortunate” and “Where the Sun Shines Again.”
With “Where the Sun Shines Again,” Common sets the scene as stalwart, unbothered by monetary temptation, making it clear with “Money ain’t swaying me, that’s the day that me.” This stoic integrity contrasts the superficial shots from rivals, hinting at his thick-skinned nature:
“Some took shots over bars they ain’t grazing me.”
Posdnous, from the legendary De La Soul, meanwhile, balances humility with grandeur in his verse. He declares himself not the boisterous “life of the party” but rather the “spine to the cause,” subtly yet powerfully aligning himself with deeper, more substantial principles than fame. His reflection on the potential vulnerability of being labeled a “goat” cleverly juxtaposes ephemeral glory with lasting substance.
Common’s second verse builds on authenticity and fidelity to one’s roots, painting vivid scenes with his past struggles and triumphs, from “I sat in the wind and knew not to pretend” to “I go hard like it is to say goodbye.” The intensity of Common’s delivery in The Auditorium, Vol. 1 is so profound that one can almost visualize the strain in his neck. Its potency stems from what appears to be a rekindled awareness: Common isn’t merely a constructed image but a genuine, pulse-having individual.
The record’s staying power, which does indeed linger, comes from this renewed connection to Common and Pete Rock’s humanity. It’s as if he’s been jolted back to the realization that his art springs from lived experience, not a carefully crafted persona. This authenticity breathes life into the music, making it resonate with listeners on a deeper level.
Great (★★★★)
Favorite Track(s): “We’re On Our Way,” “Stellar,” “When the Sun Shines Again”