Common Explains How G.O.O.D. Music Changed Hip-Hop Forever
(By Lakin Starling 11.01.16 for Fader.com)
“It was about whatever we see, let’s create it.”
In 2004, Kanye West launched G.O.O.D. Music, his music collective and record label that helped forge new territory for all genres of music. In the early days, original members, West, John Legend, and Common collaborated on songs and released their own genre-bending, successful solo projects under the label. When Common stopped by The FADER office in September, he talked about their vision for G.O.O.D Music and how they aimed to create a new space on the spectrum of rap.
He said, "Kanye kind of brought in a thing where it was like, you could rap about getting money and Jesus walks. You could be down with Jay Z and Mos Def. Kanye started bringing together those different worlds."
Watch the video above to hear Common tell the story about how West made the instrumental for his favorite G.O.O.D. music song and the impact of label's name and mantra, "Getting out our dreams." Common's new album Black America Again is set for release on November 4.
