Like Water for Chocolate is the fourth studio album by rapper Common, released March 28, 2000 on MCA Records. It was a considerable critical and commercial breakthrough for the rapper, receiving general favorable from major magazine publications and selling 70,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified Gold on August 11, 2000 by the Recording Industry Association of America. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold 748,000 copies by March of 2005. The video for "The Light" was frequently shown on MTV, adding to Common's exposure. The album also formally marked the formation of the Soulquarians, a collective composed of ?uestlove (of The Roots), Jay Dee (formerly of Slum Village), keyboardist James Poyser and bassist Pino Palladino, among numerous other collaborators. This group of musicians would also be featured on Common's next album, Electric Circus.

The album's cover photo, 1956 Alabama by Gordon Parks, is a photo of a young black woman in Alabama, dressed for church, and drinking from a "Colored Only" drinking fountain.

Conception

Background

Following 1997's One Day It'll All Make Sense, Common moved to New York City where he began collaborating with the Soulquarians at Electric Lady Studios. It was there that Ahmir Thompson (?uestlove) who oversaw the album's production, introduced Common to D'Angelo. Thompson had been doing a great deal of producing there with several members of the Soulquarians, including D'Angelo. The track "Geto Heaven Part Two" was originally supposed to be a track on D'Angelo's 2000 album Voodoo, but was traded for "Chicken Grease," a track which Common had intended to include on Like Water for Chocolate. ?uestlove on "Chicken Grease":

By mid '99 the Soulquarians were in full swing (D, Me, Jay Dee, James Poyser) and we were working on Common's Like Water for Chocolate when we came up with this lethal jam. It was so good that D pulled me to the side and said 'I ain't no indian giver....but I ain't lettin Com walk off with this song..'

He called me 3 times that morning begging to ask Com for that track. Com agreed, and we named it 'Chicken Grease' after a phrase that Prince uses when he wants his guitarist to play a 9th minor chord while playing 16th notes.|?uestlove|cquote

Title Significance

The title Like Water for Chocolate comes from the 1989 Laura Esquivel novel Like Water for Chocolate, which was adapted into a movie in 1993. The phrase "Like water for chocolate" is of Spanish origin (translated, como agua para chocolate). In many Latin American countries, hot chocolate is made with water rather than milk. The phrase refers to someone who has reached their boiling point, like water ready to be used to make chocolate. In an interview with Combustible the Poet, Common compared the main character, Tita de la Garza's passion for food with his passion for music:

Actually the album is named after a movie of the same title. In the movie the main character was a really good cook. She would always be cooking for people. Whenever she would cook, she would really put a lot of emotion into it. So when people would eat her cooking, they were able to feel the same emotions she felt while cooking it. You feel me? So this is the same thing. I put all my heart, my mind and my rawness into these tracks. So I hope that people can feel that when they listen to the album.

Another popular interpretation of the album title ties in the phrase with the image on the cover of the album. Using the word 'chocolate' to symbolise people of dark skin color and the words 'like water' to describe the racially provocotave concept of providing drinking water of the exact same likeness for two different races alludes to the famous image and the themes of race that are found within the lyrical content of the album.

Music

Like Water for Chocolate is notable for its afrocentric themes. It borrows from the Afrobeat genre on the track "Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela)", the Tony Allen-sampling "Heat" and the Slum Village-assisted "Nag Champa (Afrodisiac For The World)". MC Lyte and Mos Def join Common for the amusing "A Film Called (Pimp)" and "The Questions," respectively. In the former, Common sends up his own "conscious" image with a skit depicting him as a hypocritical woman-beater.

Like Common's previous two albums, Like Water for Chocolate closes with spoken word recited by Common's father Lonnie "Pops" Lynn. A slightly altered version of the album was released after its success on the charts, with the Macy Gray-assisted "Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)" replacing the original.

Lyrical content

Like previous albums from Common, the subject matter discussed in Like Water for Chocolate is of a socially conscious nature. Typically, conscious hip hop's greatest following is underground, and conscious hip hop artists do not achieve great mainstream success. Yet despite being Common's first commercially successful album, Like Water for Chocolate maintains the same level of concern and social responsibility that had previously been seen in Common's first three albums. The album contains significant afrocentric elements which are particularly evident on "Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela)" and "Time Travelin' (Reprise)." Both tracks discuss the ills of modern society and are a tribute to Fela Kuti, a pioneer of Afrobeat music and a prominent human rights activist. Track 2, "Heat" samples Tony Allen, Fela Kuti's one-time fellow band member and co-founder of the Afrobeat genre.

Also unique are "Payback is a Grandmother" and "A Song for Assata." "Payback is a Grandmother" is a continuation of the series of "Stolen Moment" songs that appeared on One Day It'll All Make Sense, whereby Common weaves a fictional tale in which he pursues a thief (on this occasion the thugs who have robbed his grandmother). Amidst the intricate caper, the song emphasizes the importance of family values. As Common says in the song's intro "I don't know what was on y'all niggaz birds to go up to the boat - and start robbin old folks". The song ends in a skit involving police officers at the scene of a crime where, breaking out of character, one of the officers can be heard saying "the skit definitely needs more added to it... Someone get Prince Paul on the phone please" - the last remark being a recognition of Prince Paul's reputation as a pioneer of the album skit.

"A Song for Assata" chronicles the arrest, trial, incarceration and Cuban political asylum of Assata Shakur (a member of the Black Panther Party, after whom Common named his daughter, Omoye Assata Lynn). The spoken word piece at the end of the track is a quote from Assata Shakur. During the album's creation, Common traveled to Havana, Cuba where he met and talked with Shakur. The excerpt used details Shakur's thoughts on what freedom is and what it means to be free. As she notes:

I know a whole more about what freedom isn't

Than about what it is, cause I've never been free.

I can only share my vision with you of the future, about what freedom is.

Working as both a battle song and self-reflection, the sensuous "Nag Champa (Afrodisiac for the World)" sees Common proclaiming himself "The Earth, Wind, and Fire of hip hop" while admitting "By Rakim and Short I been inspired" - a comment which compounds the two very contrasting rap artists. Common goes on to note:

The mind is funny, how it's spent on gettin' it [money]

I'm sittin wit descendants of Abraham

Who say the jam is "Money, Cash, Hoes"

"Thelonius" is one of a few rare occurrences in which Common's frequent collaborator, producer J Dilla takes on the role of singer. Common later explained:

When I was working on Like Water for Chocolate I would go to Detroit like two to three times a month. When we would go to Jay Dee's basement we would always burn nag champa incense, that's where I got that title from. I was listening to Slum Village a lot, so I was influenced by them. With "Nag Champa," which was either the first or the second song for Like Water for Chocolate, we had it for a long time with no chorus. We kept trying but there wasn't nothing good coming out. I took T3 and them to the studio to work with me on the chorus; T3 started chanting something, he didn't finish, but he had a little idea. Jay Dee heard and started really singing it and got it together. Jay had an incredible voice-he actually was going to do a singing album. We used to talk about that when he would stay in LA.|Common|cquote

Production

Although ?uestlove was the album's executive producer, a large deal of the production work was handled by Jay Dee of Slum Village. Common and Jay Dee both hailed from the Great Lakes region (Jay Dee from Detroit and Common from Chicago) and were good friends. The track "Thelonius" was even placed on both Like Water for Chocolate and Slum Village's 2000 release Fantastic, Vol. 2.

Common also wanted to work with DJ Premier, citing Gang Starr as one of his favorite groups to listen to. In an interview with New Jeru Poet, Common described his motivation to work with DJ Premier:

Like you said, being that he is one of the most respected producers, I really loved his music throughout the time. Gang Starr has always been one of my favorite groups. I've always wanted to work with him. It was time. I connected with him and seen him in a couple of places. I told him that I wanted to work with him. It took a little time to get up with him but eventually, we got up. That was the last song I recorded for 'Like Water For Chocolate'. We released 'Dooinit' first and then the single and video for 'The 6th Sense'. Then, we followed it up with 'The Light'.

Reception

Like Water For Chocolate received positive reviews from music critics such as Rolling Stone's kris ex, who called Common "A hip-hop MC willing to actually examine himself through his art." Spin Magazine gave it a rating of 8/10 calling it "His most aggressive and powerful record yet." The Wire called it his "best album", and Mojo chimed in with "most user-friendly contribution so far to the wave of 'conscious' rap". NME called him a "great storyteller" who is "Equal parts philosopher and documentarian". In 2004, PopMatters' Marc Lamont Hill named the album his personal favorite, writing:

To me, a favorite album isn't necessarily the best album in the collection. A favorite album is the one that you wrap yourself in when you're feeling happy, sad, angry, lonely, or nostalgic. A favorite album is the one that you feel personally connected to in ways that are difficult to explain. For me, that album is Common's Like Water For Chocolate.|Marc Lamont Hill|cquote

The album's hit single, "The Light" received a 2001 Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Accolades

Information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net.

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Addicted to Noise	USA	Albums of the Year	2000	#19
Aftenposten	Norway	Albums of the Year	2000	#33
Amazon.com	USA	Albums of the Year	2000	#61
Barnes & Noble.com	USA	Albums of the Year	2000	#54
BigO	Singapore	Albums of the Year	2000	#4
Dagsavisen	Norway	Albums of the Year	2000	#13
Ink Blot Magazine	USA	Albums of the Year	2000	#3
Iguana	Spain	Albums of the Year	2000	#24
Intro	Germany	Albums of the Year	2000	#2
Les Inrockuptibles	France	Albums of the Year	2000	#21
Sean Mattson	UK	Albums of the Year	2000	#1
Musik Express/Sounds	Germany	Albums of 2000	2001	#28
Muzik Magazine	UK	Albums of the Year	2000	#10
Natt & Dag	Norway	Albums of the Year	2000	—
Nöjesguiden	Sweden	Albums of the Year	2000	#2
Trax	France	Albums of the Year	2000	#62
OOR	Netherlands	Albums of the Year	2000	#45
Rock de Lux	Spain	Albums of the Year	2000	#6
Spex	Germany	Albums of the Year	2000	#9
The Village Voice	USA	2000 Pazz & Jop Poll	2000	#24
Wall of Sound	USA	Albums of the Year	2000	#17
Zundfunk	Germany	Albums of the Year	2000	#6

Later albums

Following the success of LWFC, Common continued collaborating with the Soulquarians for his next album, Electric Circus. It featured the Soulquarians more prominently than Like Water for Chocolate, but was not nearly as successful because of its more eclectic vision, and relatively poor promotion from MCA Records. Electric Circus was considered a commercial disappointment, selling just over 200,000 copies, whereas its predecessor sold over twice that many.

Track listing

Track listing and production credits are taken from the album's liner notes.

Original release

#	Title	Time	Performer(s)	Songwriters	Producer(s)	Notes
1	"Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela)"	6:37	Common, Vinia Mojica, Roy Hargrove, Femi Kuti	Lonnie Lynn, Michael Archer, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser, James Yancey	D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser, Jay Dee
2	"Heat"	3:41	Common	Lonnie Lynn	Jay Dee	Contains sample from "Asiko" as performed by Tony Allen Received rare promo-only video treatment
3	"Cold Blooded"	4:58	Common, Rahzel, Roy Hargrove, Black Thought	Lonnie Lynn, Ahmir Thompson, Michael Archer, Rahzel Brown, Tariq Trotter, Kelo Saunders	D'Angelo, ?uestlove, Kelo, The Roots	Contains sample from "Funkin' For Fun" as performed by George Clinton
4	"Dooinit"	3:37	Common	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey	Jay Dee
5	"The Light"	4:21	Common	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Bobby Caldwell, Norman Harris, Bruce Malament	Jay Dee	Contains sample from "Open Your Eyes" as performed by Bobby Caldwell Contains sample from "You're Getting A Little Too Smart" (Drums) by The Detroit Emeralds
6	"Funky For You"	5:55	Common, Bilal, Jill Scott	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Poyser, Bilal Oliver	Jay Dee, James Poyser
7	"The Question"	4:09	Common, Mos Def	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Poyser, Dante Smith	Jay Dee, James Poyser
8	"Time Travelin' Reprise"	1:33	Common	Lonnie Lynn, Michael Archer, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser, James Yancey	D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser, Jay Dee
9	"The 6th Sense"	5:19	Common, Bilal	Lonnie Lynn, Bilal Oliver, C. Martin, Kejuan Muchita, Albert Johnson	DJ Premier	Contains sample from "Allustrious" as performed by Mobb Deep Contains sample from "Memories Are Here to Stay" as performed by The Intruders
10	"A Film Called (Pimp)"	6:05	Common, MC Lyte	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Bilal Oliver	Jay Dee
11	"Nag Champa (Afrodisiac For The World)"	5:10	Common, Bilal	Lonnie Lynn James Yancey	Jay Dee
12	"Thelonius"	4:41	Common, Slum Village	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Titus Glover, R.L. Altman III	Jay Dee
13	"Payback Is A Grandmother"	4:30	Common	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Brown, Fred Neslay, John Starks	Jay Dee	Contains sample from "The Payback" as performed by James Brown
14	"Geto Heaven Part Two"	5:18	Common, D'Angelo	Lonnie Lynn, Michael Archer, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser, Peter Lord, Sandra S. Victor, Vernon Smith	D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser	Contains replayed elements from "Ghetto Heaven" as performed by The Family Stand
15	"A Song For Assata"	6:48	Common, Cee-Lo	Lonnie Lynn, James Poyser, Thomas Burton	James Poyser
16	"Pop's Rap III... All My Children"	5:09	Lonnie "Pops" Lynn	Lonnie Lynn Sr., Erykah Badu, A. Scott, Karriem Riggins, Fela Kuti	Karriem Riggins	Contains sample from "Next Lifetime" as performed by Erykah Badu Contains sample from "Water No Get Enemy" as performed by Fela Kuti

Alternate version

#	Title	Time	Performer(s)	Songwriters	Producer(s)	Notes
1	"Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela)"	6:37	Common, Vinia Mojica, Roy Hargrove, Femi Kuti	Lonnie Lynn, Michael Archer, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser, James Yancey	D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser, Jay Dee
2	"Heat"	3:41	Common	Lonnie Lynn	Jay Dee	Contains a sample from "Asiko" as performed by Tony Allen
3	"Cold Blooded"	4:58	Common, Rahzel, Roy Hargrove, Black Thought	Lonnie Lynn, Ahmir Thompson, Michael Archer, Rahzel Brown, Tariq Trotter, Kelo Saunders	D'Angelo, ?uestlove, Kelo, The Roots	Contains sample from "Funkin' For Fun" as performed by George Clinton
4	"Dooinit"	3:37	Common	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey	Jay Dee
5	"The Light"	4:21	Common	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Bobby Caldwell, Norman Harris, Bruce Malament	Jay Dee	Contains sample from "Open Your Eyes" as performed by Bobby Caldwell Contains sample from "You're Getting A Little Too Smart" (Drums) by The Detroit Emeralds
6	"Funky For You"	5:55	Common, Bilal, Jill Scott	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Poyser, Bilal Oliver	Jay Dee, James Poyser
7	"The Questions"	4:09	Common, Mos Def	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Poyser, Dante Smith	Jay Dee, James Poyser
8	"Time Travelin' Reprise"	1:33	Common	Lonnie Lynn, Michael Archer, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser, James Yancey	D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser, Jay Dee
9	"The 6th Sense"	5:19	Common, Bilal	Lonnie Lynn, Bilal Oliver, C. Martin, Kejuan Muchita, Albert Johnson	DJ Premier	Contains sample from "Allustrious" as performed by Mobb Deep Contains sample from "Memories Are Here to Stay" as performed by The Intruders
10	"A Film Called (Pimp)"	6:05	Common, MC Lyte	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Bilal Oliver	Jay Dee
11	"Nag Champa (Afrodisiac For The World)"	5:10	Common	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey	Jay Dee
12	"Thelonius"	4:41	Common, Slum Village	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, Titus Glover, R.L. Altman III	Jay Dee
13	"Payback Is A Grandmother"	4:30	Common	Lonnie Lynn, James Yancey, James Brown, Fred Neslay, John Starks	Jay Dee	Contains sample from "The Payback" as performed by James Brown
14	"Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)"	5:08	Common, Macy Gray	Lonnie Lynn, Ahmir Thompson, James Poyser	?uestlove, James Poyser
15	"A Song For Assata"	6:48	Common, Cee-Lo	Lonnie Lynn, James Poyser, Thomas Burton	James Poyser
16	"Pop's Rap III... All My Children"	5:09	Lonnie "Pops" Lynn	Lonnie Lynn Sr., Erykah Badu, A. Scott, Karriem Riggins	Karriem Riggins	Contains sample from "Next Lifetime" as performed by Erykah Badu

Chart history

Album

Year	Album	Chart positions
		The Billboard 200	Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
2000	Like Water for Chocolate	#16	#5

Singles

Year	Song	Chart positions
		Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	Hot Rap Singles	Rhythmic Top 40
2000	"The Light"	#44	#12	#13	#21
2000	"The 6th Sense"	—	#87	#14	—
2001	"Geto Heaven, Part 2"	—	#61	—	—

References