New Common Mixtape

Minneapolis producers K-Salaam and Beatnick released, as a follow-up to the disastrous Universal Mind Control, an upbeat and pleasantly festive mixtape of many of Common's greatest hits called S.T.O.R.Y. (Stories Told Over Remixed Years). They swap the sparse Kanye and Primo beats with production that includes a lot more flavor. Gone are the dirty piano samples and throwback drum loop, replaced by wailing guitars, electro beeps, funky wah bass, and some cleaned-up percussion. Thankfully, they leave the vocals untouched; staying true to the words that made them classic songs in the first place. The sound is definitely not conventional Common, but even as a Common purist, I consider this mixtape to be a successful experiment.

Download it here