Like Water for Chocolate and Slum Village's 2000 release Fantastic, Vol. 2. Common also wanted to work with DJ Premier, citing Gang Starr as one of his favorite groups to listen to. In an interview with New Jeru Poet, Common described his motivation to work with DJ Premier: Reception Like Water for Chocolate received widespread acclaim from music critics. Rolling Stones Kris Ex called Common "a hip-hop MC willing to actually examine himself through his art". NMEs Stevie Chick described him as a "great storyteller" who is "equal parts philosopher and documentarian." Spins Peter S. Scholtes praised Like Water for Chocolate as "his most aggressive and powerful record yet", and The Wire also hailed it as his best album. The Source wrote that the album finds "a more worldly Common ... creating full-fledged jazz, funk and soul songs". In Mojo, Andy Gill called Like Water for Chocolate the "most user-friendly contribution so far to the wave of 'conscious' rap." RapReviews critic Steve "Flash" Juon wrote: "From 'Payback is a Grandmother' all the way to the finale 'Pop's Rap III' you'll find your ears have been smothered in a sweet darkness that Dove has never been able to wrap in foil and sell for ninety-nine cents. You may in fact be coming down off a hip-hop sugar high. Not to worry – just hit random play and any track on this album will give you another fix." Q described Like Water for Chocolate as "wholemeal hip hop: chewy and a wee bit bland but nutritious all the same." In a mixed review, Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine felt that the album "certainly attempts to make change (musically and socially), but part of my disappointment comes from the high expectations that naturally arise when an artist tries to break from the norm", concluding that "maybe if there were more hip-hop artists like him, the burden wouldn't be placed solely on one rapper's shoulders." In 2004, PopMatters Marc Lamont Hill named the album his personal favorite, writing: The music online magazine Pitchfork placed Like Water for Chocolate at number 169 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s. The album's hit single, "The Light" received a 2001 Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Accolades Information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net. Later albums Following the success