Chicago native Common already had a lot on his resume - rapper, actor, activist and entrepreneur. Now there's one more title the hip-hop star can claim - World's Coolest Video Gamer. Common (real name- Lonnie Rashied Lynn Jr.) is an official ambassador for DJ Hero 2 - the sequel to last year's music game for wannabe spinmasters - and he's been busy scratching and crossfading on the game's virtual turntables. GameSmith spoke with Common about the game and his own dreams of being a real DJ.
Q. How excited were you that one of your songs made it into DJ Hero?
A. Yeah, "Universal Mind Control" was in one of the mixes and I was really excited and honored. You're reaching audiences that may not normally be interested in hip-hop, so it's cool to have that kind of exposure.
Chicago Rapper Common Raps With GameSmith About DJ Hero 2
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Q. What do you think of DJ Hero 2?
A. I've been playing it and it's fun and exciting. For me, someone who just loves music, it's fun to hear these songs. I've always wanted to be a DJ myself and this makes it feel like you're doing it. You're going back and forth and putting on different tracks. It's dope. Some of it is just hearing this music in a good environment like when you're enjoying music at a party, it gives you that same kind of energy.
Q. Do you have some favorite mashups in the game?
A. Yeah, I like Soulja Boy's Crank That vs. Chamillionaire's Ridin and Salt N' Pepa's Push It vs. Planet Rock. A lot of the songs you're like 'Man, I would have never expected those two songs to go together. A lot of them sound pretty fresh.
Q. How good are you at the game? What level are you comfortable playing on?
A. Right now, I play the easy level, but I'm stepping up to the medium soon. When I do things, I like being the best, so I won't be happy until I'm able to play on the expert level.
Q. Some people have complained that DJ Hero doesn't feel like real DJing. What do you think?
A. What it does is that it gives you the feel and the aesthetic of being a DJ. Of course, it's not going to exactly like the real thing but you get the enjoyment of being a real DJ. I mean I'm not a DJ so I don't even know exactly what it's really like, but that's what I get out of it.
Q. Would you eventually like to be a character in the game itself?
A. I'd love to be in the game. It's such a cool avenue for music - it's something that even if you're not a big music lover, you can play and it gives you a good energy.
Q. What's the DJ scene like in Chicago?
A. My history goes back from the Hot Mix 5, to The Twilite Tone to Timbuck2 now. Chicago's got a wide variety of DJ's with great tastes that spin everything from hip-hop to electro.
Q. You've got another album coming out soon. What's that going to be like?
A. I got an album coming in the spring called "The Believer" and I'm working with Kanye West on it. Expect it to be raw, you know, the boom-bap. It's got the aesthetic, the essence of old-school hip-hop, but it's 2010 so it's gonna sound new too.
REVIEW
DJ Hero 2
XB360, PS3, (Wii in November)
Get over the fact that the game won't actually put you closer to being DJ Shadow and there's plenty of fun to be had with DJ Hero 2. Improved over the original, the sequel offers 83 original mixes, each which mashes together two songs. Especially enhanced are the freestyle segments; you can add samples, scratching and even your own vocals into your jams. In the original, you could only choose from a few generic samples that often sounded out of place. DJ Hero 2 features track-specific samples that can actually enhance your mix. The soundtrack is even slightly improved, featuring bigger artists like Lady Gaga, Kayne West and 50 Cent. To quote Flavor Flav: "Yeeeeeeah boy!"
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