The Neighborhood

Album: Nobody's Smiling (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song paints a picture of the struggles for a young black kid in Common's native Chicago. It features Common's fellow Ch-town natives Lil Herb and James Fauntleroy of Cocaine 80s.
  • Speaking on a video posted on XXLMag.com, Common said Lil Herb added a unique perspective to the song. "'The Neighborhood' is - When I say that word it just makes me think of where I live and where I come from," he said. "And where a person comes from. And this song was really about - This is where I come from. This is the way I was raised. This is a place I've come from.

    "And then I always thought about when we made the music," Common continued. "When we made that song it was like man, I wanted to hear somebody else's perspective. We knew that was gon' be the intro to the album. 'The Neighborhood' was. I wanted to hear somebody else's perspective on what the neighborhood was to them and where they come from."

    "It happened to be Lil Herb point blank after No I.D. played me Lil Herb," the Chi-town rapper added. "I heard him and I kept listening to some of his other stuff. I was like 'This dude is raw.' And he was the perfect emcee, perfect artist to put on there. Cause he told his perspective in a cold way."
  • The song samples a few lines from Curtis Mayfield's 1970 dark tune "The Other Side of Town," in which the Chicagoan singer reflects on those who have it better the other side of the city. Its inclusion on this cut is an acknowledgement of how inner-city struggles carry on ad infinitum.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.