Track Listing

1. Universal Mind Control (UMC) - Common
2. Punch Drunk Love - Common, Kanye West
3. Make My Day - Common, Cee-Lo
4. Sex 4 Suga - Common
5. Announcement - Common, Pharrell
6. Gladiator - Common
7. Changes - Common, Muhsinah
8. Inhale - Common
9. What A World - Common
10. Everywhere - Common, Martina Topley Bird
11. Punch Drunk Love - Common, Kanye West

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64032 in Music
• Released on: 2008-12-08
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Dimensions: .22 pounds
• Running time: 43 minutes

CD Description
'Universal Mind Control' is the eighth album from acclaimedrapper Common. Working with producers of the highest calibre (The Neptunes, Kanye West, No ID), here the Chicago-born artist combines uplifting futuristic sounds with intelligent and aware lyrics to scintillating results. Includes the single 'Universal Mind Control' featuring Pharrell Williams.

Customer Reviews

Not for Common fans
Simply put this album is a sell out. Its made by Pharrel and has nothing of Common in it. If you have liked to any other Common album/song then avoid this album at all costs as its a huge disappointment (its not even worth downloading for free).

As a pop album its alrightish, its like Kanye's "808s and heartbreaks" album. As a Hip Hop album it signals the end of Hip Hop with one of her most influential artists having sold out.

I'm a big common fan and think that over the years he has produced some of the best and wisest tracks. If you havent already done so then purchase any of Common's OTHER albums as they are all great.

Hate to love...
without paying too much attention to reviews, I wanted to listen to this myself before making a judgement. Well, unfortunately that couldn't be helped, i was told this album was wack and the worst album since China Doll, so as you can imagine, when I put it in to listen, I was ready to diss/cuss.
What I heard took me by surprise. Lets just say by the end of it, there was only
1 or 2 songs I wasn't really feeling and thats only because I didnt think the beat and the rhyme delivery fitted together at all.

What you will find with this album is that for each song, there is something to like n hate and this is for all the 10 songs on the album:
1. UMC: The beat on this track is bananas, not really feelin the way Com is flowing tho, but the beat is ill which carries the whole song and makes it fun.
2. Punch drunk love: with Kanye is annoying coz its catchy and fun to listen to but you want to hate coz Kanye is all over it and his music is kinda annoying right now.
3. Make my day: with Cee-lo is just good and kinda sounds like a Gnarls Barkely thing but with a Common twist to it. not the sort of thing you expect Com on but it works.
4. Sex4Suga: Hated this song at first, didnt like the title or the hook as I thought it was just silly but after listening to it through my earphones, I heard the beat in a different way and the beats crazy on this, just listen to the baseline. I still hate the hook though.
5. Announcements : Best track on the album and you can't find anything to hate about this one except for the fact that they aint really saying much.
6. Gladiator: His spitting on this is ill but the beat just sounds wierd and I dont think it really works, if you listen to the lyrics and how hes spitting, you so wish it was on another beat.
7. Changes: This song is good as it kind of reminds you of 'come close' from electric circus but you want to hate this one coz it sounds corny.
8. Inhale: Another song which just sounds good and not much to hate about this one.
9. What a world: This is just another fun song but you sort of think its pointless.
10. Everywhere: Not good not bad, but interesting still.

Now people say this album lacks soul and is all about girls/partying and it doesnt do anything for the hip-hop culture as common does the very thing he speaks against which is meaningless songs and selling out and I can understand that. However, I also understand that artist do evolve and they must as it gets a bit boaring to be doing the same thing all the time. but I have to say that as far as music goes, this album is fun to listen to especially when you are not listening to it with the intent and purpose of learning something "possitive" because a lot of the tracks are just fun songs to listen to and there is nothing wrong with that sometimes, you can't always be listening to that revolutionary propaganda all the time, its good to just chill sometimes.

Oh yes, I just have to say that this album is much much better than Kanye's new album because thats just annoying and sounds the same with that auto-whatever it is he uses to sing. Common does not try to sing on
this, all he does is something different, different beats and different flow/delivery and nothing deep. just easy.

Buy this album only if your mind can transcend that hip-hop-esc barrier that defines to you what hip-hop should sound like and what YOu expect common to sound like. Its a fun album, yes its not deep at all, might not even have soul but its got mad rhythms and funky sounds. I give it 3 stars only because its an album I hate to love.

Brillient
chi-town's finest common drops another brillient album,The Neptunes as always come correct on production and so does Mr dj,the album is one of the best of the year,cant pick my favourite track cause there all exellent differint sound but works.Pick it up support real hip hop/rap