Thou said: Why didn’t this make it onto Finding Forever?

Common Feat. John Legend – “Strange Fruit” (Produced By Kanye West)

featuring: john legend
produced by: kanye west

click here to listen/download

Nothing special, just had the urge to post this video. I was listening to the original sample and it made me want to look this up and post it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Be was such a good album by the way.

This song was scrapped from Finding Forever but it is still a classic track from the original G.O.O.D. Music trio. With Common on the verses, Legend on the hook, and Ye on the production, it really doesn’t get much better than this. Common is back in the studio with No ID and kanYe for his upcoming album The Believer, so expect some more classics in the future.

[Download]

Click here to download

Via Semtex

Common and John Legend are two artists I highly appreciate. On one side Common with his unique voice and very comfortable to hear flow and on the other side John Legend with his undenieable skills as piano player and songwriter.

Now they both teamed up for the song Strange Fruit which contains a Nina Simone sample – very nice !

Lonnie Rashid Lynn on his side is a well known rapper and actor, famous for appearances in movies like Smokin’ Aces, American Gangster, Wanted, Street Kings and Terminator Salvation.

I especially appreciate him for his Finding Forever album, but he is also recognizable for his Soulquarian area music.

John Legend, real name John Stephens,  has played piano for Lauryn Hill’s Everything is Everything; has led his voice for diverse Kanye tracks and has won several Grammys.

Common Feat. John Legend – Strange Fruit

Rich Boy a.k.a. Maurice Richards is most known for his hit Throw Some D’s but I appreciate him for the hole album Rich Boy.

He was discovered by mega producer Polow Da Don and is also signed on his imprint Zone 4. He is about to release his next album in 2010, named Buried Alive.

Richard Butler, also known as Rico Love, is  signed on Usher’s label US Records .He has written lyrics for artists like Flo Rida, Taeira Marie, The Pussycat Dolls, Cassie, Natasha Bedingfield, Ciara, Keri Hilson, Chris Brown, Donell Jones etc.

Rich Boy Feat. Rico Love –  We Like It

Common – “Strange Fruit” (Ft. John Legend) (prod. by Kanye West)

All epically great music videos should contain at least eight of the following:

- Political incorrectness

- Weird juxtapositions

- Obscure and symbolic (NOT direct) references to at least one taboo sexual perversion or drug

- Mythical archetypes turned into high camp

- At least one prominently sparkly thing, even if it’s a B&W video (remember those Flock of Seagulls videos? That, but maybe less).

- Sunglasses. Or some type of interesting spectacles.

- Some tie-in with the lyrics, but not so much it becomes over-literal and fussy.

- Creative storyline (think Common and Mary J. Blige’s “Come Close to Me,” where Common proposes marriage to his deaf girlfriend he’s just had a fight with, by standing on her lawn drawing a cue-card rebus to go with the song lyrics)

- At least one tastefully tongue-in-cheek phallic or sexual symbol (my favorite: Devo’s “That’s Good”… that repeated cartoon of a french fry going into a doughnut)

- Twisted, campy references to classic films, novels, comics or anything that permeates our cultural consciousness

- At least one caricatured angry authority figure (parent, teacher, cop etc) (The Kinks, “Come Dancing”… Beastie Boyz, “Fight for your Right (to Party)”… this was more popular in the 80’s I think…)

- Exaggerated gestures and facial expressions (think anything Van Halen), or, conversely… studiously understated “cool” gestures (think Digable Planets, Snoop Dogg)

- Art that comes to life (optional)

- Food that comes to life (optional)

- Musical instruments that come to life (optional)

- Musical instruments that combust (please, just one is enough per video)

- At least one child, often cast into an ambiguously appropriate and ironic adult role (I love Jill Scott’s video for “Gimme,” where she’s a sexy nurse followed by sick children who suddenly can get up and dance)

- Awesome choreography (ALL MJ videos)

- References to insanity (Bjork “Violently Happy,” David Bowie “Look Back in Anger”)

- Irony, even unwitting irony

- Big hair, no hair, long hair, blue hair… some kind of hair extreme going on

- Disturbing visual imagery (optional, depending on song)

- Humor (less optional)

- Both of the above at once

- Dreamlike, smooth transitions between scenes

- Special effects only to fit the mood/narrative.

What is NOT necessary for a good music video:

- Booty close-ups

- Gratuitous sexuality

- Gratuitous and overdone special effects

- Maudlin, heavyhanded political memes and themes

- References to drugs and top-shelf sexual perversions without the slightest trace of irony

- Excessive instrument/hand close-ups

- Anything where the band plays on a beach, on top of a tall building, a mountain, a boat… (yawn… cliché alert… although I did love U2’s “Gloria” and Duran Duran’s “Rio” videos back in the 80’s)

- Choppy, jarring transitions

- Zooming in and out repeatedly (excuse me, some of us are epileptic)

- Words superimposed unnecessarily on footage, as if to provide visual Cliff’s Notes to the action (you’ll see a lot of this in French and African videos…)

- Excessive food references (I am still haunted, to this day, of that horrible Wall of Voodoo video from the 80’s where everyone is drowning in baked beans… not to mention INXS’s “The One Thing”)

- Any, any, any form of pixelized or other cheesy image fades… except when done to create a mock 80’s effect.

- Too many women in one video… destroys the narrative effect

- Humans morphing into ferocious wild animals… biggest video cliché on the planet (think Sade)

- Sentimentality or over-seriousness about romance… unless you’re making karaoke videos (think Alicia Keys)

- Any form of leopard-skin print clothing, Greek columns (unless used ironically, as in Soft Cell’s magnificent, insanely perfect video for “Tainted Love” which contains just about every video “DO” listed above)

- Any visual imagery so completely disgusting or disturbing that people can’t even watch it. That differs for everyone… for example, I think Aphex Twin’s “Rubber Johnny” and “Come to Daddy” videos are fantastic, but they disturb me too much to watch them. I get nightmares.

- Over-selfconsciousness, narcissistic imagery (most rap videos…)

- Over-fixation on the symbols of luxury and wealth (ditto, although many 80’s videos were guilty of this distraction from good-video content as well)

- Over-repeated samples

- Distasteful focus on death or body functions

- Meaningless, weird or random stock photo footage that doesn’t fit the mood of the song

- Footage that is very obviously stock footage

- Special effects that can quickly be named by anyone who knows the editing software

- Destroying more than two cars, three guitars, or one building… kids are starving in Africa, man. Do you really need to blow up four guitars??

- Obviously underage girls (or boys) in sexually compromising situations

- Cheesy metaphors for sexual body parts (think Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”)

Anyone want to add to this list?

In honor of Black Friday, we are doing something different. I’m looking for music you haven’t heard and wont hear on any other website. I’m showing love like it is supposed to be shown!

Download: Jadakiss feat. Mansion T.U.T.T (Poppin And Lockin)

Download: Whizkid feat Joe Young (Run Around)

Download: Lil Twist (On To The Next One Freestyle)

Download: Common feat. John Legend (Strange Fruit)

Download: T-Boz feat. Too Short (Get It Girl)

Download: Jae Millz (Uptown Snippet prod. by Dame Grease)

Download: Jadakiss (Pain)

Download: J. Holiday (She Got It)

Hopefully you guys enjoy….. For a first week run we doing good here….

check it out: “strange fruit by common feat. john legend“

Leftover from Com’s 07 classic, Finding Forever.  Kanye West on the track.

cuffed from Nahright

Kanye West produced this track. I’m really feelin’ this song. Click here to download.

Better late than never right?!

Be thankful for this … Okay!

P.S Its about to get serious …

LUPE MIXTAPE DOWNLOAD HERE

Kanye West – Im So Appalled DOWNLOAD HERE!

Lupe Fiasco – Turnt Up DOWNLOAD HERE!

Common feat John Legend (Produced by Kanye) – Strange Fruit
DOWNLOAD HERE!

Trey Songz ft Busta Rhymes – Say Aah remix
DOWNLOAD HERE!

Ensimmäisessä kokoontumisessa puhuttiin mm. Commonwealthin ja sen kirjoittajien taustasta, biovallasta ja biopolitiikasta, sukupolvikokemuksista ja -kapinoista, Bolivian yhteiskunnallisista kamppailuista esimerkkinä “commonismista” ja luokkataistelun suhteesta sukupuoleen ja kansallisuuksiin liittyviin konflikteihin. Samalla ihmeteltiin Hardtin ja Negrin kirjoitustyyliä, kirkkoisä Augustinukselta lainattuja malleja sekä ensimmäisen luvun ylimääräisiltä tuntuvia Kant-viittauksia. Jotkut oudoksuivat myös kirjan tapaa iskeä pöytään Imperiumin ja multituden kaltaisia käsitteitä, joita ei vaivauduta selittämään (täällä on muutama määrittely-yritys).

Eniten keskustelua taisivat herättää “commonsien” määritelmät ja käytännön sovellukset. Commonsit määritellään kirjassa kahdella tavalla. Ensiksi on materiaalista yhteisvaurautta, kuten vettä, maata ja ilmaa. Toiseksi on sosiaalisesti ja yhteiskunnallisesti tuotettuja commonseja, kuten kieliä, koodeja, tunteita ja kuvia. Kirjan mukaan commonsit tulevat ennen yksityisen ja julkisen vastakkainasettelua, koska koko jaottelu perustuu commonseihin. Voitaisiinko myös julkisesti tuotetut sosiaalipalvelut, kuten perustulo, käsittää commonseiksi? Mitä muuta commonsien kanssa voi tehdä kuin suojella ja varjella niitä kapitalismilta?

Imperiumin käsite synnytti aikoinaan paljon yhteiskunnallista liikehdintää, se koettiin jotenkin hyödylliseksi ja uutta avaavaksi. Minkälaista liikettä commons-käsitteen ympärille voidaan rakentaa?

Tapaamisessa huomautettiin myös kirjan nimen monimielisyydestä. Commonwealth viittaa yhtäältä yhteisvaurauteen, siis yhteisiin resursseihin, ja toisaalta poliittiseen yhteisöön (tasavaltaan). Ajatus yhteisöstä tuntuu hankalalta, jos mietitään Hardtin ja Negrin trilogiassa vastarintaa tekevää toimijaa, multitudoa, eli epämääräistä väen tai rahvaan “moneutta”.

Keskusteluun kytkeytyviä linkkejä:

YLE Silminnäkijä: Bolivian oppi. Hardt & Negri puhuvat Boliviasta alueena, jossa sekä käydään taistelua commonseista (esim. yritykset yksityistää vettä ja aidata maata) että organisoidutaan commonsien avulla (“the struggles of the multitude are based in common organizational structures, where the common is seen as not a natural resource but a social product, and this common is an inexhaustible source of innovation and creativity”).

Wall Street Journalin hupaisa arvio Commonwealthista. Lehti paheksuu kirjaa mm. perhearvojen murentamisesta. Lukupiirissä käytiin läpi perheen ja kansan kaltaisia yhteisöjä, jotka ovat Hardtin ja Negrin mukaan rakkauden korruptoituneita muotoja, koska niillä on tapana kahlita rakkautta.

Vertaistaloutta rakentamaan. Verkkolehti Revalvaation julkaisema poliittisen commons-keskustelun esittely.

Koska kirja päättää Imperiumi-trilogian, aikaisempien osien käsittely kiinnosti monia. Tässä vielä pari vanhempaa kirjoitusta Commonwealthin edeltäjistä:

ECN.org: Luetaan Empire

Peltokoski: Moninaisuuden vastaisku

Common feat. John Legend – “Strange Fruit” prod. by Kanye West

Unreleased Common track featuring John Legend and produced by Kanye. This was intended for the Finding Forever album, but you may have heard it as a Cassidy track. This is the original version and Common > Cassidy anyways.

Common ft. John Legend – Strange Fruit

G.O.O.D. MUSIC IS IN THE BUILDING.

this is a leftover from the finding forever sessions with yeezy behind the boards and john legend doin’ the hooks? this is the type of shit i’m thankful for. also, this is my official cry for common to return to the soulful dealings of yesteryear. you had your fun with UMC, now it’s time to make good music. pun heavily intended.

download:

common – strange fruit f. john legend [prod. by kanye west]

-grizzly

Here is an unreleased track from Common. The song was originally attended to appear on Finding Forever. Why it didn’t appear on the album is beyond me. But here is the funny thing the beat made its way to Cassidy hands instead. Anyway enjoy this piece of music which wasn’t meant to see the day of light outside the G.O.O.D. Music circle.

Shouts to Marty.

DOWNLOAD: Common – Strange Fruit f. John Legend (prod. Kanye West)

André Wright est un touche-à-tout du Hip-hop. Réalisateur de film,  producteur de musique,  le garçon est aussi photographe. Depuis de nombreuses années, il photographie tout ce qui constitue la culture Hip-hop US. Il s’apprête à sortir prochainement un livre regroupant les divers travaux qu’il a effectués aussi bien pour la mode, que la presse magazine ou bien encore le monde de la musique. Cet ouvrage,  baptisé « Color of life » (du nom de sa société multi-activités) rassemble également une fabuleuse collection de polaroids. Des clichés plus personnels, des portraits décalés d’icônes de cette scène : Wale, Jeremih, Common, Mel D. Cole, Flavor Flav … On aime.
www.myspace.com/coloroflife

Public Enemy_ Rebel Without A Pause

COMMON_ Universal Mind Control

mAdaMe qUi ?

Listen & Download

An unreleased track from Finding Forever, produced by Mr. West.

Meant for 2007’s Finding Forever, but somehow Cassidy got his hands on the beat

Common ft. John Legend – Strange Fruit (prod. Kanye West)

Via: Marty

Spotted at nahright.com

This was apparently meant to be on Commons “Finding Forever”, but it fell in to Cassidy’s hands.

Download – Common ft. John Legend – Strange Fruit (prod. Kanye West) | Mediafire