Customer Rating: 
Summary: Stellar CD by Common
Comment: It's very hard to find fault with this CD. I just wish I had bought it a year ago. There really isn't a subpar song on here. In fact, my least favorite song might be "The People," which was the first single.
My three favorite songs are "Drivin' Me Wild," "The Game," and "I Want You." "The Game" and "Let's Start The Show" have a great, old-school vibe that are perfect for Common's rhymes. I'm not a huge fan of "Southside"; I find the chorus to be a little annoying. But it's still decent. Truly, you can pop this CD in and listen for an hour without skipping a track. There's a very manageable number of tracks on here and there's a nice mixture of songs. Let's face it -- Common rapping over Kanye beats is a winning formula.
The reason I won't give it five stars is that there's no amazing track that this album will be remembered for. I like "Finding Forever" better than "Be," but I think "The Corner" is the best song on either album. Still, "Finding Forever" is one of my favorite rap albums in a while.
Customer Rating: Summary: Hip Hop Review #2
Comment: Common is one of the few people that I can come to, to hear "hip hop". Mostly people don't see a difference in what is hip hop and rap music. But common is definitely hip hop. I can't seem to tell people how long I was looking for an album just like this, without buying a 1990's hip hop album. Common really delivered. On the first song "Start the Show", Common is obviously talking about the presence of hip hop. In one quote, he states "Many have come but few have been chosen to be a true MC, you sing along with it, inside you knowin' its wack." That quote is too true; this statement goes for my everyday life. How I hear a song and say oh well there nothing else. The beat is also beautiful; it reminds me of a different kind of beat that has creativity poured into it. I also like that way the beat changes for Kanye when he speaks and it's different when Common raps.
The second song "The people" brought me back, I always thought Common was underrated but this song should have showed people how he could pull out a song like this, but I don't think he could of pulled this song off without Kanye's beat. This song texture back to when I use to love every song that came out back in the day. "The Game" reminds me of reminds me a little of "The People" because of the older sound, but to also say that "The Game" is better than "The People".
In conclusion if you want to hear mature hip hop and not hip pop, here you go. This is the album you can play that wont have you feeling bad about what your listening to because you know a long time ago you wouldn't dare listen to songs that have came out now.
Customer Rating: Summary: Good to the last track
Comment: I was throughly pleased with my choice to purchase this item. From the first track to the last I was grooving. Common has not lost a step in my eyes and Kanye's production was full of life once again. In my eyes Common is one of the great lyricists in hip-hop at this time. His lyrics are full of content and his rhymes on Finding Forever are clever, funny, passionate, and dynamic. A seamless follow-up to "Be" and a necessary addition to the library of any hip-hop enthusiast.
Customer Rating: Summary: Love this CD!
Comment: One of my favorite cd's! Just as good as his previous cd "Be". He is a great hip hop artist and lyrist. If you looking for music with quality that makes you think this is the cd. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
Customer Rating: Summary: What Happened?
Comment: Fans of Common's earlier work will not be pleased with this release. From a lyrical perspective, I've always thought Com was just a bit sloppy with his wording, but he's definitely written plenty of good, clever rhymes throughout his career, and the subject matter of his music has been commendable to say the least. The lyrical content on Finding Forever is a far cry from the socially conscious, culturally relevant music we've all come to expect from Common. It sounds as though he locked himself in a room with a television set and watched VH1 for an entire weekend. Pop culture references like "Ryan and Reese" will leave you dumbfounded. I'm not one to throw around terms like "sellout," but it practically goes without saying on this album. A few catchy beats here and there are all this album has going for it in my opinion. I might recommend downloading some of the better instrumentals (I'm partial to "Break My Heart") and sparing yourself the painful realization that Common has developed a taste for mainstream recognition and there is no turning back.
