Subject: Common (Rapper)

• Original Style

  The Roots makes rap come alive live

  March 11, 1999

• Rick Mitchell Pops His ACL Cherry

  September 17, 2007

• Five Songs for MLK Day

  January 21, 2008

• Aftermath: Common and N.E.R.D. at Verizon Wireless Theater

  September 10, 2008

• No Pimps Allowed

  Common and Black Eyed Peas dare to raise the artistic standards of hip-hop

  November 16, 2000

• Great Scott

  The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

  August 2, 2001

• Turning the Screw: B L A C K I E, Dizzee Rascal, X-Clan & Bun B, Eminem, Pitbull, T.I., Common, Snoop Dogg and More

  Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off's weekly rap post. It probably won't rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: B L A C K I E, "I Write On Money" Wire To Wire Dizzee Rascal was released from custody following a road rage incident. The report says that Dizzee was in possession of "an offensive weapon." That's an odd phrase to use, "offensive weapon." Perhaps the baseball bat he was carrying was shouting a

  December 15, 2008

• Press Picks

  April 21, 1994

• Turning the Screw: Dustin Prestige, Lupe Fiasco, Katy Perry/Travis McCoy, Dr. Dre, DJ AM, Lil' Kim, Damon Dash/Jay-Z, Talib Kweli and More

  Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off's weekly rap post. It probably won't rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: "Funny Valentine," Dustin Prestige Wire To Wire Lupe Fiasco, whom you'll remember recently announced his retirement, is rumored to be putting out rock music as British-accented Percival Fats, lead singer of Japanese Cartoon. (Listen here; it's actually pretty good.) The band denies such claims, s

  January 5, 2009

• Artist of the Week: Small Sounds

  Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to introducingliston@gmail.com. It seems contradictory, but sometimes you've got to listen to a band a bunch before you realize that they, in fact, are not crappy. And a lot of times, once you've made your way through the "These Guys Are Wack" phase, you b

  January 7, 2009

• 10 Records for the Thinking Hardcore Fan

  The 2008 release The Chemistry of Common Life, by the shadowy experimental punk band Fucked Up, took the indie rock world by storm, prompting some critics to call it a breath of fresh air from the moribund depths of hardcore. This Friday, Super Unison brings Fucked Up to Houston, and in celebration of the sure-to-be-mind-expanding show, we offer the following listening program for the hardcore fan who wants to use their head for something besides banging. Not that there's anything wrong with tha

  January 30, 2009

• Roy Hargrove Quintet

  March 19, 2009

• Common: Universal Mind Control

  January 8, 2009

• Motor City Mellow Men

  Slum Village plays catch-up to the White Stripes and Eminem

  November 14, 2002

• Lupe Fiasco

  Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

  January 10, 2008

• Common

  Finding Forever

  September 6, 2007

• Glazed Tracks

  This sweet party is Dee place to be

  February 2, 2006

• The Essence of Soul

  Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige and more hit H-town

  June 29, 2006

• Squirreling Away the 'Nuttz

  H-Town's most prominent hip-hop DJ crew heads back for the underground

  July 5, 2007

• Don't Fear the Reaper

  The annual return of the Greil Marcus Rock Death Meter

  December 21, 2006

• Comeback Clips

  A music-video renaissance is afoot -- but it's strictly on the download

  December 29, 2005

• Hip-hop, Year Two AJ

  Still no Jigga, but Kanye, some lovable limeys and a great Beyoncé substitute held it down

  December 8, 2005

• Reform School

  The College Dropout rethinks his stance on education in the year 2010

  November 24, 2005

• Encore or Bust?

  Stressing about the 'Stros begins anew

  April 7, 2005

• Serenity Now!

  The night is white at Suchu Dance's Maximal Schnapper

  March 31, 2005

• Mouse Rap

  Okayplayer -- the Roots' home on the Net -- is more than just a Web site. For some hip-hop heads, it's a way of life.

  May 13, 2004

• The Class of '03

  Grab your gift certificates and trade in your white elephants -- here's what you really wanted for Christmas

  December 25, 2003

• Black Gold

  A gusher lay beneath the surface, but you had to drill deep

  December 26, 2002

• Lazy Arrow

  Blackalicious takes its sweet time moving from underground to overground

  August 15, 2002

• X-ecutioners' Song

  Four New York turntablists redefine the art of deejaying

  October 12, 2000

• Welcome to the M-Machine

  April 13, 2000

• Ask a Rapper: Soulbrotha

  The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​ This Week's Rapper: Soulbrotha Listen to "Life Is Crazy" This Week's Subjects: The "Christian rapper" oxymoron; Bushwick Bill's conversion to the gospel; how much it would cost to sel

  July 28, 2009

• Distant Early Warning: Archie Bell, Cannibal Corpse, Maxwell, Scott H. Biram, Titus Andronicus, etc.

  ​The 69 Eyes, Dommin, The Becoming: Sun., Oct. 11. Meridian. All Time Low, Hey Monday, We The Kings, Friday Night Boys: Wed., Oct. 28. House of Blues. "Oldies Fest" With The Allen Oldies Band, Roy Head, Archie Bell, Barbara Lynn: Sat., Sept. 5. Continental Club. Billy Squier: Sun., Oct. 4. Warehouse Live. Black Congress (7" Release Show), Balaclavas: Fri., Sept. 11. Mango's. Cannibal Corpse, Hatebreed: Thu., Nov. 19. Meridian. Cartel, This Providence, The Dares, The Summer Set: Sun., Nov. 22.

  August 11, 2009

• Maybe Miley Would Be Better Off Dead Like Selena, Kurt and These Others...

  In case you missed it - and if you value your immortal soul, we're sure you did - Hannah Montana star/future tell-all memoir author Miley Cyrus unveiled a newer, more "mature" look last weekend at the only venue appropriate for such things: the Teen Choice Awards. Nothing says "successful transition from 'tween idol to grown-up entertainer" like booty shorts and pole dancing, and we here at Rocks Off hope the 16-year old is prepared for the coming decades, which will likely be spent drinking ma

  August 13, 2009

• Fall In

  October 1, 2009

• Alamo Heights

  October 1, 2009

• Aftermath: Common and The Roots Crew's Private Engagment at the Corinthian, With Special Guests (Cough, "Nite and Day")

  Photos by Larami Culbertson​ 9:10 p.m.: We pull up to the front of The Corinthian and hand the car off to the valet. He says, "It's $20 plus tip." Oh, so it's $20, then? Got it. Thanks. 9:20 p.m.: Common just walked in. He's way more stout than we imagined him to be. His skin is also less clear than we were anticipating. Not sure which one is more surprising, or even why we feel the need to write this down. Is this what our life has become? Taking notes about the girth of someone's chest and t

  October 6, 2009

• Inside the Rappers Studio

  October 8, 2009

• A Quick and Easy Guide to Distinguishing Maxwell from Samwell from Rockwell

  [Ed. Note: Maxwell's pianist and bandleader, Missouri City native Robert Glasper, plays the official afterparty with his trio at Meridian, 1503 Chartres.] Maxwell is headlining Tuesday's R&B feature at the Toyota Center with support from Common and newcomer Chrisette Michele. But Rocks Off wonders why there's such a preponderance of R&B (we use that term loosely) artists who's names end with -well. Below, a handy-dandy guide to keeping them all straight. Name: Samwell Noted For: Be

  October 13, 2009

• Ask a Rapper: Karina Nistal Loves Common, Mike Jones Not So Much

  The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com. This Week's Rapper: Bilingual Latina femmestress Karina Nistal This Week's Subject(s): Rappers switching genres; Rappers getting that money. Sadia Zubair​Ask A Rapper: Okay, we might be

  October 20, 2009