Maps of Music

Nobody's Smiling (2014)

Where the lyrics of Nobody's Smiling take you, and where it was really made.

The album's two covers show Common scowling on one and two up-and-coming Chicago rappers, Lil Herb and King L, on the other.

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Nobody's Smiling: tenth studio album by American hip-hop recording artist Common
Released July 22, 2014 by Def Jam Recordings
Connected to No I.D.'s label ARTium Records through a recording contract with Def Jam
Production handled entirely by longtime collaborator No I.D.
Title and concept drawn from the violence and high crime rate in Chicago, Illinois
Guests: G Herbo, Big Sean, Jhené Aiko, Snoh Aalegra, Dreezy, Elijah Blake, Vince Staples, Cocaine 80s
Three singles: "Kingdom", "Speak My Piece", "Diamonds"

Followed The Dreamer/The Believer (2011), after which Common took a hiatus from music
In 2013 he returned to the studio to begin the tenth album
February 2013: announced for a September 2013 release, with a Kanye West feature and production from West and No I.D.
September 2013: the release was moved to early 2014
January 6, 2014: title Nobody Smiling announced, with production entirely by No I.D.
June 4, 2014: recording contract with Def Jam Recordings and ARTium Records announced
Common said the concept came from the violence in Chicago and that similar violence happens around the world

No I.D. produced the album, as he had on the previous effort
'Kingdom' was co-produced by James Poyser
Track list includes samples from Curtis Mayfield, Voices of Conquest, Trevor Dandy, The Fabulous Three, The Notorious B.I.G. and Adrian Younge

June 25, 2014: the concept and two album covers were revealed
One cover shows Common scowling; the other shows the faces of Chicago-based rappers Lil Herb and King L
Common said the covers were a way to give back and bring attention to artists less known outside Chicago

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, born March 13, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois.
Began rapping in the late 1980s at Luther High School South in Chicago.
Formed the rap trio C.D.R., which dissolved by 1991.
Debuted as a solo artist in 1992 under the name Common Sense, later shortened to Common after a lawsuit from a reggae band of the same name.

Released Can I Borrow a Dollar? (1992), Resurrection (1994), and One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997) on Relativity Records and then MCA Records.
Gained mainstream success through the Soulquarians collective, especially with Like Water for Chocolate (2000), produced largely by J Dilla.
Electric Circus (2002) was experimental and less commercially successful.
Signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music; Be (2005) and Finding Forever (2007) followed, with Finding Forever debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Won Grammys for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Southside" and Best R&B Song for "Love of My Life" with Erykah Badu.
Later albums The Dreamer/The Believer (2011), Nobody's Smiling (2014), Black America Again (2016), and A Beautiful Revolution Pts. 1 and 2 (2020–2021).
Won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Glory" from Selma (2014) with John Legend.
Acting career includes Hell on Wheels, Wanted, Date Night, John Wick: Chapter 2, and Silo.
Won a Primetime Emmy for "Letter to the Free" from the documentary 13th.
Made his Broadway debut in Between Riverside and Crazy (2023).

Metacritic: average score 78 from 21 reviews, indicating generally positive reviews
AllMusic (Andy Kellman): the album's use of a 1970 Chicago song is an acknowledgment that inner-city struggles are a constant
HipHopDX (Jay Balfour): the album is defiant and full of commanding musicality, one of Common's best since he started
Exclaim! (Del F. Cowie): though not flawlessly executed, it arguably restores some of the relevance Common may have lost on his last couple of albums
Rolling Stone (Simon Vozick-Levinson): the album has some of Common's tightest storytelling in years
XXL (Reed Jackson): nostalgia shines through, especially on Rewind That, a tribute to J. Dilla
Consequence of Sound (Sheldon Pearce): a well-rounded discourse on gang violence and inner-city plight in Chicago, described as a warning
Paste (Stephen F. Kearse): a negative view, saying Common set out to depict contemporary Chicago but ended up making another Common album

Billboard 200 debut: number six, 24,000 copies in the opening week
Third top ten on the chart for Common, and his highest-charting album since Finding Forever debuted at number one in 2007
Second week: number 29, 8,000 copies
Third week: number 56, 4,978 copies, total 37,581 copies
United States sales: 64,000 copies as of November 2016

Common said the covers were a way to give back to Lil Herb and King L, who may not be as well known outside Chicago.
Speak My Piece contains a sample of Hypnotize, performed by The Notorious B.I.G.
Rewind That contains a sample of Telegram by Eleanore Mills and of Still Shining from J Dilla's Documentary, a tribute to J. Dilla.
In March 2014 Common appeared on the mixtape Catch the Throne, presented by HBO to promote the new season of Game of Thrones.
The album was mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering and mixed at YG Mixing House.