Nobody’s Smiling

The title of Common’s tenth album, Nobody’s Smiling, was inspired by the Rakim line from “I Ain’t No Joke” that was later scratched into the hook of the Eric B. & Rakim single “In the Ghetto.” The line underscores the rising rates of violence and crime that were occurring on the streets of Common’s hometown of Chicago, as he explained to Rap-Up in 2014:

We came up with this concept Nobody Smiling [and it] was really a thought that came about because of all the violence that was going on in Chicago, or that is going on in Chicago. […] It happens in Chicago but it’s happening around the world in many ways.

The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the singles “Kingdom” with Vince Staples, “Speak My Piece,” and “Diamonds” with Big Sean. Common also used his track “Rewind That” to detail the history between himself and No I.D. as well as pay tribute to his friend J Dilla.