Can I Borrow a Dollar? is the 1992 debut album by Chicago rapper Common (then known as Common Sense), released in the United States on October 6, 1992. The album was entirely produced by No I.D. (then called Immenslope) and The Twilite Tone, with addictional production by The Beatnuts. It includes guest vocals from Immenslope, Miss Jones and Common's then-girlfriend Rayshel. Entertainment Weekly's Neil Drumming described it as "a clever but little-noticed first album".
Video Can I Borrow a Dollar?
Overview
Background
In 1991, a feature was written about Common in the Unsigned Hype section of The Source. Relativity Records soon signed Common, and prepared to release three singles for his debut album. The first and best-charting single was 1992's "Take It EZ". It reached #5 on the Hot Rap Singles chart while his next two singles, "Breaker 1/9" and "Soul by the Pound," reached #10 and #7 respectively. All of these singles combined to give Common a strong underground reputation prior to the album's release.
Content
Can I Borrow A Dollar? shows Common's early style of rapping; namely a sing-songy and inflection-heavy vocal delivery, as well as lyrics packed with word play and popular culture allusions. The album's production, utilizing samples, keyboards, and drum breaks prominently, tends to be minimalistic, jazzy and laid back. The Source called the production top notch. Although receiving a lukewarm reception, Stanton Swihart of Allmusic considers it to have put Chicago hip hop on the map and to be an underrated debut album.
Maps Can I Borrow a Dollar?
Track listing
- All tracks produced by Immenslope & The Twilite Tone, except track 4 produced by The Beatnuts
Chart positions
Album chart positions
Singles chart positions
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia