Common has classics. The Chicago emcee has managed the rare feat of staying relevant across multiple decades, and part of why he's been able to do so is his ear. Common picks great producers to work with, and the results usually speak for themselves (with the occasional Universal Mind Control hiccup). This is why his comments regarding his upcoming album are so exciting. Com Sense revealed that he's been in the studio with Pete Rock, and the stuff they're cooking up is evidently up there with the best music of their respective careers.
Common divulged this exciting development during a MusiCares panel in Santa Monica on April 22. He appeared alongside fellow Chicago luminary Lupe Fiasco, and was asked to rank his three best albums. Common's answers were dead on as far as general consensus goes. He chose Be (2005) and Like Water for Chocolate (2000) as the top two, but he paused before picking the last one.
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His rationale was that his upcoming album contains some of his favorite music ever. "Y’all gon’ think I’m just talking," he prefaced. "But [I want to pick] this new Pete Rock joint. I’ma see y’all when I come back, whenever I’m back, and y’all can tell me if I’m bullsh*ttin’ or not." Com went on to say that the untitled album has received stellar feedback from the few who have heard it. "It’s in my top,” he asserted. “I’ve had a couple people coming in saying, 'Yo, this is one of your best albums.' So I’m excited about it." Since the new one isn't out yet, Common relented and picked Resurrection (1994) as his third best album.
Common and Pete Rock haven't crossed paths as often as one would assume. They collaborated on "Tha Bizness" off De La Soul's 1996 album, and "Verbal Murder 2" off Rock's 1998 joint Soul Survivor. Their most famous song together, however, is 1994's "The B*tch In Yoo." It was a diss record aimed at Ice Cube, and remains one of Common's most lyrically aggressive showcases. Common and Rock are both at different points in their career, but their track record proves they have great chemistry.