Like Water for Chocolate (album)

Like Water for Chocolate
Studio album by
Common
ReleasedMarch 28, 2000
Recorded1999–2000
Electric Lady Studios
(New York, New York)
Studio A
(Dearborn Heights, Michigan)
Genre
Length77:51
LabelMCA
Producer
Common chronology
One Day It'll All Make Sense
(1997) 		Like Water for Chocolate
(2000) 		Electric Circus
(2002)
Singles from Like Water for Chocolate
  1. "The 6th Sense"
    Released: February 15, 2000
  2. "The Light"
    Released: July 18, 2000
  3. "Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)"
    Released: April 16, 2001

Like Water for Chocolate is the fourth studio album by American rapper Common, released on March 28, 2000, through MCA Records. It was Common's first major label album and was both a critical and commercial breakthrough, receiving widespread acclaim from major magazine publications and selling 70,000 copies in its first week.[2] The album was certified Gold on August 11, 2000, by the Recording Industry Association of America.[3] According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album had sold 748,000 copies by March 2005.[4] 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 Questlove (of The Roots), J Dilla (formerly of Slum Village), keyboardist James Poyser, soul artist D'Angelo 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.[1][5]

  1. ^ a b Marcus, Greil (2000-04-17). "Real Life Rock Top 10". Archived from the original on April 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  2. ^ Moore, Morris. "Common Releases Song On The Internet". www.allhiphop.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2007.
  3. ^ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original (Database) on January 18, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2007.
  4. ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "Common Rolls With Kanye, Plots Nas Tour". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2007.
  5. ^ Neal, Mark Anthony (2000-05-05). "Like Water for Chocolate: Common's Recipe for Progressive Hip-Hop". Critical Noire. www.popmatters.com. Archived from the original on 2004-06-17. Retrieved 2007-04-07.