The Rundown: Common, Nobody's Smiling

A song-for-song breakdown of the Chicago MC's tenth album.

The Rundown: Common, Nobody's Smiling - Veteran Chicago emcee Common returns with his tenth album, Nobody's Smiling, which also marks his Def Jam Records debut. Reconnecting with his long-time producer No I.D. for the majority of the project, Common uses this album to bring light to the war zones and gang violence running rampant through his native city. Peep this track-by-track look as The Dreamer/The Believer details why Chiraq is so somber. — Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photo: ARTium, Def Jam)

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The Rundown: Common, Nobody's Smiling - Veteran Chicago emcee Common returns with his tenth album, Nobody's Smiling, which also marks his Def Jam Records debut. Reconnecting with his long-time producer No I.D. for the majority of the project, Common uses this album to bring light to the war zones and gang violence running rampant through his native city. Peep this track-by-track look as The Dreamer/The Believer details why Chiraq is so somber. — Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photo: ARTium, Def Jam)

"The Neighborhood" feat Lil Herb & Cocaine 80s - The more things change, the more they stay the same. Common and Lil Herb kick off the album trading verses of growing up in the Chi from two different generations, but the one thing that remains is Chicago's gang violence and the continuous loss of Black youth. "The Neighborhood" takes a look at the urban graveyard as Lil Herb spits realness like, "Where it ain't no conversation they just let them heats ride/Can't nobody stop the violence, why my city keep lying?/N----s throw up peace signs but everybody keep dying."(Photos from Left: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for OurTime.org, Rahav Segev/Getty Images)

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"The Neighborhood" feat Lil Herb & Cocaine 80s - The more things change, the more they stay the same. Common and Lil Herb kick off the album trading verses of growing up in the Chi from two different generations, but the one thing that remains is Chicago's gang violence and the continuous loss of Black youth. "The Neighborhood" takes a look at the urban graveyard as Lil Herb spits realness like, "Where it ain't no conversation they just let them heats ride/Can't nobody stop the violence, why my city keep lying?/N----s throw up peace signs but everybody keep dying."(Photos from Left: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for OurTime.org, Rahav Segev/Getty Images)

"No Fear" - Common takes a look at the life of shorties growing up in the hood with "No Fear" and how the "I don't give a f--k" mentality came to be. "The fortune of a King, long live his reign/He do it for a son, he do it with a gun/Whatever he do, yo, he do it till it's done/A team full of hitters, so they hit and run/The priest even want none."(Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

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"No Fear" - Common takes a look at the life of shorties growing up in the hood with "No Fear" and how the "I don't give a f--k" mentality came to be. "The fortune of a King, long live his reign/He do it for a son, he do it with a gun/Whatever he do, yo, he do it till it's done/A team full of hitters, so they hit and run/The priest even want none."(Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

"Diamonds" featuring Big Sean - Common and Big Sean keep their G.O.O.D. Music bond flowing as they remember the days of their come up in the industry and encourage you to live life to the fullest because tomorrow isn't promised. Repping for the homies who ain't here, Com shines as he rhymes, "I pour it out for my man who made his transition/Wars about paper, p---y, pride and ego/Born to fly, call me the bald eagle/Open shows at the Regal for Daddy Kane and Eazy-E, though."(Photo: John Ricard / BET)

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"Diamonds" featuring Big Sean - Common and Big Sean keep their G.O.O.D. Music bond flowing as they remember the days of their come up in the industry and encourage you to live life to the fullest because tomorrow isn't promised. Repping for the homies who ain't here, Com shines as he rhymes, "I pour it out for my man who made his transition/Wars about paper, p---y, pride and ego/Born to fly, call me the bald eagle/Open shows at the Regal for Daddy Kane and Eazy-E, though."(Photo: John Ricard / BET)

"Blak Majik" featuring Jhené Aiko - Com teams up with Jhené Aiko here as they explore the art of turning nothing into something. With a successful acting career, The Chi-town spitter lets it be known that he creates music to feed the people and not his pockets. "I done made enough, I don't have to rap no more/Tell the truth, that ain't what I'm rapping fo'/Got a whole lot so we can have some mo'."(Photos from Left: Lee Celano/Getty Images for Grey Goose, Roger Kisby/Getty Images)

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"Blak Majik" featuring Jhené Aiko - Com teams up with Jhené Aiko here as they explore the art of turning nothing into something. With a successful acting career, The Chi-town spitter lets it be known that he creates music to feed the people and not his pockets. "I done made enough, I don't have to rap no more/Tell the truth, that ain't what I'm rapping fo'/Got a whole lot so we can have some mo'."(Photos from Left: Lee Celano/Getty Images for Grey Goose, Roger Kisby/Getty Images)

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"Speak My Piece" - No I.D. releases Common's inner B-Boy, who breaks loose over a sample of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize." Enjoying a day filled with beautiful women, Chi-town's finest may be a smooth fellow, but don't take him for weak as he warns on "Speak My Piece." "I'm iller than most, sick with it, feeling the dose/In a butter soft leather but I'm still with the toast." (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Motorola Mobility)

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"Speak My Piece" - No I.D. releases Common's inner B-Boy, who breaks loose over a sample of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize." Enjoying a day filled with beautiful women, Chi-town's finest may be a smooth fellow, but don't take him for weak as he warns on "Speak My Piece." "I'm iller than most, sick with it, feeling the dose/In a butter soft leather but I'm still with the toast." (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Motorola Mobility)

"Hustle Harder" featuring Snoh Aalegra and Dreezy - Common pays homage to the females who hustle hard and gets his Chi-town sister Dreezy to ride shotgun as he spits, "The way she walk in them pumps/Talking 'bout taking over the world while holding a blunt/She hold her man down when her man get locked up."(Photo: Dreezy via Twitter, Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images, Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

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"Hustle Harder" featuring Snoh Aalegra and Dreezy - Common pays homage to the females who hustle hard and gets his Chi-town sister Dreezy to ride shotgun as he spits, "The way she walk in them pumps/Talking 'bout taking over the world while holding a blunt/She hold her man down when her man get locked up."(Photo: Dreezy via Twitter, Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images, Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

"Real" featuring Elijah Blake - R&B vocalist Elijah Blake and Common smooth it out with this cut. Common puts his pimp down with lines like, "I can give a f--k if it's real or a weave/I tell you when you look good and keep it right there/I'm as important to the Chi as my n---a Mike Air."(Photos from Left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, James W. Lemke/Getty Images for BET)

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"Real" featuring Elijah Blake - R&B vocalist Elijah Blake and Common smooth it out with this cut. Common puts his pimp down with lines like, "I can give a f--k if it's real or a weave/I tell you when you look good and keep it right there/I'm as important to the Chi as my n---a Mike Air."(Photos from Left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, James W. Lemke/Getty Images for BET)

Common featuring Vince Staples - Common, featuring Vince Staples, delivers "Kingdom," which tells the story of a hustler trying to survive Chicago streets. It's nominated in the Impact Track category.(Photos from Left: Tan Cressida/Columbia Records, Joe Kohen/Getty Images for the New Yorker)

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"Kingdom" featuring Vince Staples - Common connects with the young gun Vince Staples to shed light on the Chi-town underworld with this tale of the road to destruction that has Com dropping gems like, "Shots ripping through his True Religion denim/These streets was my religion/I stood over him, his life is over then/Now these keys got me locked up with older men/Thought these was the keys for me to roll a Benz/They ended up being the keys for my life to end."(Photos from Left: Tan Cressida/Columbia Records, Joe Kohen/Getty Images for the New Yorker)

"Rewind That" - Common takes it back down memory lane to reminisce about his friendship with the late J Dilla and take blame for his split from his original crew, No I.D. and Twilite Tone. "Did Like Water for Choc, that album changed a lot/But my man who I started with, wasn't a part of it/And his presence I didn't even acknowledge it/Knew I was wrong, he shoulda at least had a song/It wouldn't be me without No I.D. and Twilite Tone."(Photo:  J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)

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"Rewind That" - Common takes it back down memory lane to reminisce about his friendship with the late J Dilla and take blame for his split from his original crew, No I.D. and Twilite Tone. "Did Like Water for Choc, that album changed a lot/But my man who I started with, wasn't a part of it/And his presence I didn't even acknowledge it/Knew I was wrong, he shoulda at least had a song/It wouldn't be me without No I.D. and Twilite Tone."(Photo:  J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)

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"Out on Bond" featuring Vince Staples - Common and Vince Staples speak on the constant revolving prison door and the pressures to play in the game no matter the consequences. Vince breaks it down with bars like, "Your mind gone, life don't seem much bigger than your time zone/Broke as the rich get richer/Blunt burnt lips and a worn out liver/That's everyday livin', guns everywhere chillin'."(Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

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"Out on Bond" featuring Vince Staples - Common and Vince Staples speak on the constant revolving prison door and the pressures to play in the game no matter the consequences. Vince breaks it down with bars like, "Your mind gone, life don't seem much bigger than your time zone/Broke as the rich get richer/Blunt burnt lips and a worn out liver/That's everyday livin', guns everywhere chillin'."(Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

"7 Deadly Sins" - Common examines the death and betrayal money causes –– from the 'hood to Wall Street. "Knew some cousins that was hustling, one of em ended up busting the other/Greed is a mother, it’s greedy motherf-----s like Madoff/Cops getting paid off, greedy companies got my people getting laid off."(Photo: Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)

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"7 Deadly Sins" - Common examines the death and betrayal money causes –– from the 'hood to Wall Street. "Knew some cousins that was hustling, one of em ended up busting the other/Greed is a mother, it’s greedy motherf-----s like Madoff/Cops getting paid off, greedy companies got my people getting laid off."(Photo: Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)

Common - Rapper Common made a slow transition into acting, first being seen on Girlfriends then on the big screen in lead roles in the movies Just Wright, Luv and more. Most recently, the rapping actor has been seen on The Mindy Project and AMC series Hell on Wheels.  (Photo: John Ricard / BET)

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"Young Hearts Run Free" featuring Cocaine 80s - Common goes on a Prince-inspired psychedelic ride provided by Cocaine 80s on this trippy-sounding album closer. On a skirt-chasing mission, Com is still trying to define love and life as he raps, "Hair all done up, we can spend the summer together/But when the weather change, lady friend/You may be forever stranger lines seem to blur/Yeah, I like you but I still love her." (Photo: John Ricard / BET)