One Day It'll All Make Sense

One Day It'll All Make Sense
Studio album by Common
Released	September 30, 1997
Recorded	1996-1997
Genre	Hip hop, Conscious hip hop, Chicago hip hop
Length	70:10
Label	Relativity Records
Producer	No I.D., Spike Rebel and Rob Carter, Karriem Riggins, Lauryn Hill, Ynot, Dug Infinite
Common chronology
Resurrection (1994) One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997) Like Water for Chocolate (2000) Singles from One Day It'll All Make Sense "Retrospect for Life" Released: July 29, 1997 "Reminding Me (Of Sef)" Released: August 5, 1997 "All Night Long" Released: January 25, 1998

One Day It'll All Make Sense is the third studio album by rapper Common, released on September 30, 1997 on Relativity Records. It was the follow-up to his critically acclaimed album Resurrection and the last Common album to feature producer No I.D. until Common's 2011 album The Dreamer/The Believer.

Songs and music

The album's recording was put on hold for up to a year as Common was busy becoming a father. After the birth of his child, Common returned to finish the album, albeit with a newer sense of responsibility, which he relates to his transformation from bachelor to father. He recorded "Retrospect For Life", with Lauryn Hill, as a dedication to his first child Omoye Assata Lynn. The song became the second single to be released from the album, and was accompanied by a video (directed by Lauryn Hill), as were "Invocation", "Hungry", and the album's first single "Reminding Me (Of Sef)" (a eulogy to a close, deceased friend of Common's). The album's cover is a picture of an 8-year-old Common with his mother, Dr. Ann Hines, at an airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica in 1980.

The multi-talented Cee Lo Green, who at the time was still a member of Southern Hip hop group Goodie Mob, provides the vocals for the spiritual "G.O.D." (which stands for "Gaining One's Definition"). Rapper Canibus makes an early career appearance on the track "Making A Name For Ourselves", as do veterans De La Soul on "Gettin' Down At The Amphitheater". Other guests include Black Thought, and Q-Tip on "Stolen Moments" Parts "II" and "III" respectively, and Common's future love interest Erykah Badu, on "All Night Long", which was produced by The Roots. Chicagoan poet Malik Yusef, waxes lyrical about his hometown on "My City", and as usual Common's father Lonnie Lynn closes the album out with some words of wisdom on "Pop's Rap Part 2 / Fatherhood".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	B+[2]
City Pages	(favorable)[3]
The Independent	[4]
RapReviews	(7.5/10)[5]
Rhapsody	(favorable)[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]
The Source	[9]
Spin	(8/10)[9]
Sputnikmusic	[10]

Although One Day... was better received by record buyers than the rapper's previous album, it was criticized by some longtime Common fans, mainly for its slightly more conventional production. Despite receiving generally favorable criticism, the album was a Billboard flop, like his previous album, Resurrection, which only sold 2,000 copies in its first week. One Day It'll All Make Sense only sold 250,000 copies. Some felt that producer No I.D.'s scaled down contribution was a factor in this. After the release of One Day..., Common would relocate to New York City and begin working with the Soulquarians for his next studio effort, Like Water for Chocolate.

Track listing

Chart positions

Album chart positions

Singles chart positions

References

1. ↑ One Day It'll All Make Sense at AllMusic
2. ↑ Robert Christgau review
3. ↑ City Pages review
4. ↑ The Independent review
5. ↑ RapReviews review
6. ↑ Rhapsody review
7. ↑ Rolling Stone review
8. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=lRgtYCC6OUwC&pg=PA322&dq=rolling+stone+gang+starr&cd=1&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=wu%20tang&f=false Page 187
9. 1 2 Album reviews at CD Universe
10. ↑ Sputnikmusic review