Be

I can’t believe the top review for this record (as of Dec 2023) is from someone trying to use their PhD in Mathematics as justification for not liking hip-hop. Weak.

I really don't get rap, and I am completely aware of why. I'm a STEM guy, specifically a Ph.D. student in mathematics. Although my verbal intelligence is quite high, it's still about a standard deviation below my quantitative intelligence. Therefore, it should not be too surprising that I prefer melodies to lyricism, and that a genre based on the latter doesn't wow me. I know I'm pretty far out of step with public opinion on this one, but that can easily be attributed to the fact that hipsters with humanities degrees (i.e. extremely verbal-dominant people) are considered the ultimate arbiters of taste for some reason. (Side note: this also explains why prog rock is seen as being for losers.) Best song: Be (Intro), which had a decent instrumental part at the beginning. Everything else just sort of ran together.

I am definitely not the target demographic for this album, but I still thought it was very good. There's a lot of skill and artistry put into these tracks, so much so that it is almost invisible. 4 stars for me, plus an extra star just to spite the mathematics PHD guy.

Rap isn't my preferred genre of music. But I'm a shitty mathematician so I enjoyed this.

"They say because of the fame and stardom I'm somewhere in between the church and insane asylum I guess it's messin' with my health then And this verse so crazy when I finish I'm just gon' check myself in" If only Kanye would've listened to himself in 2005

“The sweet taste of victory. Go ‘head, breathe it in like antihistamines.” I can’t tell you how excited I was to see this pop up. This is one of my favorite hip hop albums of all time, at least top five. It’s beautiful, it’s perfect. Produced almost entirely by Kanye West, save for two tracks produced by the late J Dilla. Features from Kanye, John Legend, and John Mayer—a galaxy of rising stars all together for this moment. Every track is immaculately produced, and Common makes a case for why he belongs in the pantheon of greats. “You love to hear the story, again and again, about these young brothers from the City of Wind.” It’s maybe the most organic hip hop album in existence. Hip hop almost seems like a misnomer, it’s pure poetry. The intro track is one of the best openers of any album ever. “I wanna be as free as the spirits of those who’ve left.” No matter how many times I hear it, the closing track always makes me cry. “Be amended....five fifths.” I would fight anyone for this album. I’d give this to the aliens. “I wish I could give you this feeling.” I’ll stop gushing but man, this is enough to make every two or three-star album worth it. Time to put the vinyl on and fall in love with it all over again. Favorite tracks: Be (Intro), The Corner, GO!, Faithful, Love is..., Chi City, The Food, They Say, It’s Your World. Album art: Iconic. Incredibly simple photo, but the contrast and colors immortalized this for me. I’m obviously biased, but this cover is imprinted in my DNA. 5/5

Bro. Fuckin perfection holy damn!! Mad I’m so late to the game but happy I finally got to hear !!

THIS CAT RAPS AS SMOOTH AS A PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH.

I used to think of Common as the noughties rap Dementor, sucking the joy out of whatever song he popped up on, sounding like another rapper's dad come to the the studio to balance the bragging and naughtiness. I appreciate him more now, though I was kind of right. He is dad-ish--temperate, reasonable, calm--but not overbearing. Worst of all to bratty kids, he's genuinely open and empathetic towards people who aren't the same as him, i.e. he never pretends the street life his raps explicate was his own, just wants to understand and communicate it. So not a rap Dementor but a do gooder doing good for anyone not dumb enough to not want good done to them. Plus he's got poetry (more than that last sentence) and some pacified Kanye beats to boot.

When people say they “miss the old Kanye” THIS is what they are talking about, even if this album is technically Common’s. The soulful production sounds great rather than dated and the social commentary and songs like “Love Is” give us the opposite experience from the Marshall Mathers LP. Hip hop can be a beautiful genre as this album, and later work by Chance the rapper (clearly inspired by this and samples it) shows. Would give 4.5 if I could but what the hell.

Common: the intelligent rapper. I love his storytelling. He seems to be one of the more enlightened, and enlightening, rappers to ever do it. Hip Hop Golden Age has referred to this album as Common's mangnum opus. It came out in 2006 and is produced by Kanye West, who was at the top of his producing game way back when circa Late Registration and Graduation. The good old days. This album, Be, is just so smooth from front to back. I loved the tracks Go, Be, Chi-City and Love Is... A solid rap album. Thougtful. Enlightened. Long lasting.

Really enjoyed the intro, “Be” and “Faithful” Didn’t expect the beat to be so swaying to the point where I am melting on the floor.

Wow, a rapper who really has music in his production. Plus he's speaking in language that isn't full of cuss words, adolescent misogeny, and is spoken slowly enough that an aging white girl like me can understand it. I don't know why, but this reminds me of Al Green. Go figure. But I like it. I'm surprised! And I listened to the entire album. I don't always. The last song, It's Your World, is just lovely!

Some good parts but a bit too smooth and "Kanye-pop" for my tastes. I've said it before, but the rap I like is either angry and fast, or built virtuosically from Funkadelic samples. Common sounds too much like a lifestyle brand to keep my interest, sorry.

The intro is a classic

This is a solid album. Like, legitimately great. The only reason it didn't get a 5 is because there's a significant amount of batshitcrazy on display that detracts from the overall goodness. Also, as a point of personal preference, I'm not a fan of the overly R&B tracks. So, yeah. Great record docked a star because "it's me, not you."

To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Be by Common. The themes are extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of the English language, most of the jokes will go over a typical listener's head. There's also Common's hopeful outlook, which is deftly woven into his personality - his personal philosophy draws heavily from the streets of Chicago, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of this music, to realize that it doesn't just sound good- it says something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Be by Common truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in Common's existensial catchphrase "Be," which itself is a cryptic reference to Descartes Discourse on the Method. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Kanye and Common's genius unfolds itself on through their headphones. What fools... how I pity them. 😂 And yes by the way, I DO have a Common tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand. Best Songs: Be, The Corner, The Food Worst Songs: Faithful, Testify

Love this shit. It makes me love Chicago rap even more. Common talks about real shit as cringy as that sounds, and features Kanye all over the album, notching it higher in my book. Bars are smooth as hell, beats are the same. Be, Chi-City and They Say are the best songs. There is probably heavy bias here because of how much I love this kind of music, but fuck it it's my rating, 8/8, a hip hop classic.

Is it because I never finished my Ph.D. in 20th century literature that I can't fully connect with this album? Obvious sarcasm here. You've read the top reviews in this section, so you already know who I'm laughing at with those words. Glad that such an insufferable app user didn't go further than 20 albums or so. After all, that maths dissertation ain't gonna write itself, right? 🙃 That said, and even if that lame review makes me want to bump this record's grade a notch or two, *Be* is admittedly a somewhat overrated album in my book. Potential hot take here (hopefully not as ridiculous as the one of that poor misguided maths student): a lot of people who love this album probably need to explore the fifteen years before its release to find smooth-sounding, intelligent hip hop that still managed to *pack a punch* in spite of its potential use of laidback, jazzy and soul-infused moods. Music by ATCQ, De La Soul or Mos Def for instance. In comparison to those acts, *Be* sounds way too polished as a whole, even streamlined to a fault. And it's so loaded with sacharine layerings that listening to it can become sickening in the long run--with a sugarcoated presentation that can even become borderline-annoying for cuts like "Faithful" or "Love Is..". Yet the trouble does not really stem from what's in the music. It rather comes from what you *can't* find in it. I understand why some folks missing the "old Kanye" enjoy this record, since it allows them to enjoy Mr. West's production chops without having to bear with his grating persona as a rapper (which has since worsened to cringeworthy and even politically concerning proportions I don't need to elaborate on here). The thing is, without Kanye's abrasive persona (at least when the latter was still bearable to an extent), the soft-sounding production and instrumentals on this record come off as a little devoid of personality and lacking in genuinely thrilling dynamics. Admittedly a little ironic in hindsight, huh? There are still clear stand-out tracks in this album, however, which explains why the ride it offers was enjoyable for a lot of rap fan in 2005. There's the enticing "Be (Intro)", and also "The Corner"--probably the most solid cut in the tracklist when it comes to painting a vivid picture of the state of society through rapping. Not to mention "Go" and "Testify", whose scope might not be as sweeping as the one of "The Corner", and which yet both shine thanks to their many hooks. Said hooks are more lackluster on the second side, unfortunately. First single *The Food* is nice enough, for instance, but even Kanye West's interpolations can't make it that much of a stand-out track. And speaking of Kanye, some of his trademark chipmunk flourishes have aged like milk. It was a sonic phase that suited well West's off-kilter, loony persona when he was the center of attention in his own early albums. But for someone else's record, using those sped-up vocal samples doesn't exactly feels like a marriage made in heaven. Common's flow, as skilled as it is, is a little too demure and aloof for such zany musical aesthetics. And the second side is where this discrepancy is felt the most. When Common's steady pace covers jazzy laidback elements, the whole thing lacks clear dynamics (which is where it is "streamlined to a fault", as I said earlier). And when that steady rap flow is interrupted by a hysterical high-pitched vocal snippet, either one or the other sounds out of place. The music becomes *too* dynamic, in a way (read "messy"). It's a neverending conundrum. The tail end of the record is fortunately way much stronger and more cohesive, thanks to the last two cuts "They Say" and "It's Your World". The latter song even serves as a moving conclusion nicely wrapping up the topical overtones found here and there throughout those 42 minutes--overtones which started with the introductory track praising self reliance and self-confidence against all odds, and paving the way to the emancipatory message gracing the last minutes of the album. Conveyed through a preacher's voice, along with all those moving vocal snippets of children having dreams about their successful lives as adults, that message has lost none of its potency today. So even if it's the official name of the "intro", "Be" is first and foremost the hidden name of that last song, and it's affecting that its contents rhyme so well with the one showcased on the first track in the album. In spite of that nice touch, *Be*'s topical program never strays too far from a somewhat predictable surface level, though. And from time to time, Common's reach also exceeds his grasp. Case in point: "Testify". It is a courthouse yarn that's admittedly vividly told, but the ultimate twist in its final lines comes off as either pointless or unwarranted. And for a song supposed to suggest how mature, thoughtful relationships with "ladies" should be handled, *Go* also misses the intended mark somehow. Having lyrics comparing love interests with cars--not once but *twice*!!!--... well, that might be a little cringeworthy, right? Not gonna elaborate on notions of male gaze and the objectifying of women... I just find it interesting that for both songs, said women are the topics of the lyrics, and that the subject Common chooses to explore there is not exactly shown under a truly "reliable" angle, let's say. Of course, he doesn't paint all women as "hoes" the way Snoop Dogg does. But what's the worst? A provocateur/entertainer no one in their right mind can take seriously on those topics? Or a Philistine that's a little out of his depth when tackling said topics, thereby taking the risk to convey regrettable conceptions while claiming to be thoughtful and on the "right side"? The jury's still out on this one. Long story short, there's apparent wisdom on the surface of *Be*, but its waters might also be a little too shallow in some spots to elicit the sort of deep emotional response Common aims at eliciting. Of course, some funny punchlines bob up that wise surface from time to time, sending some needed jolts at appropriate moments (I like this one: "They ask me where hip hop is goin' / It's Chicagoan"). But as said earlier, those jolts might appear as too far in-between compared to the ones found in the other hip hop albums I consider as truly essential (either released before or after that album). But maybe it's because those records do better than just *be*. They come alive. And in the end, whether you're wise or raucous, whether you play the gangster card or, conversely, the "conscious" one--in other words, whether you're a jester, a tough guy, or a preacher, that's what great rap album should do. *Come alive*. *Being* is not enough. You have to know *what* you want to be. Ironic that it's the very message of this record, and yet that Common doesn't fully apply this message to himself in my eyes. 3/5 for the purposes of this list. 8/10 for more general purposes (5+3) Number of albums left to review: 142 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 369 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 218 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 275 (including this one)

Typical 2000er hip hop

TWIST HIS DICK!

Every track is masterful, beats fantastic. One of my favorites.

not my usual, but very engaging

Listened to this twice through, and both times it became good and enjoyable background music. The element that pushes it over the top, and potentially justifies its place here are those J-Dilla beats, chopped up, bouncy, flowing like water following the natural lines of the earth. The whole thing feels very well constructed and probably warrants further attentive listening.

meh

Very repetitive but not unpleasant to listen to.

This was fine, I guess. But it also has Kanye West on it so to hell with it.

It sounded ok I guess, didn't connect with it though and won't be back. Seems like a waste of my time to give it a longer review.

Absolutely essential listening.

It sure was nice of Kanye “Nazi” West to let Common do some rapping on his own album! Common sounds great, the lyrics are easy to get and the production is very YE. Honestly as good as Common is on this album it just made me sad to listen to that old Kanye production. Sorry to make this review all about him but his presence over shadows Common on every track. “Testify” is the most egregious example. That sample is SO LOUD during the verses. But every song bumps and damn it I loved it! Also Kanye = Anakin Skywalker. You were the chosen one!

Common, who is a fairly underrated rapper, shines on this album not just with quality verses but with the overly upflifting energy that he provides with them. The album starts and ends fun. His optimistic and warm deliveries that are also very concious of himself and his surroundings is something not many Hip Hop artists can envoke this strongly. While the album isn't perfect and merely scratching the marks of incredible, it is still a beautiful piece of 2000's Hip Hop music. Most of the album is also produced by Kanye West who back then was still a very cool person and that very much shines in the Jazzy and Soul inspired beats. The album introduces itself with the Jazz bass sound of 'Be (Intro)' that is quickly added on with synths and piano until it creates a grand and orchestral Boom Bap track that sounds just awesome and not just with the beat itself. Common's verses and flows are impeccable, the themes of life, freedom and going forwards just speak with true soul. And once the song finishes I just want to play it again and again, it is such a beautiful mix of ideas and influences and is simply a perfect start. The early Kanye production is very present on 'The Corner' which not only makes an incredible Chipmunk Soul track but also gets The Last Poets on the track as well as the background vocals. The different MCs including Kanye pull the entire track off beautifully even if I wished that at some points they put in a little more focus but that doesn't take away from the song being simply incredible. With the start of 'GO!', the album more and more feels like a Kanye collab but to be honest, he was so good back then that I am not even mad. Common still shines with his verses and because Kanye only does the chorus, it still works perfectly. The song isn't just beautifully produced but overall just makes fun to listen to. It flows and not just with the verses on their own. Another incredible track and while I don't love it as much as the intro, it is still wonderful to listen to. The very Christian and Pop Rap 'Faithful' not only brings in the typical Kanye Soul sound but also a theme that Kanye often talks about. I do think that the sample gets a little bit annoying after a while but Commons verses are incredible enough to even that out. The song is absolutely incredible and I really love the vocoder elements as well as the Gospel backing vocals in the outro a lot. The change of flow and voice on 'Testify' comes in a little bit surprising and even if I am not the biggest fan of the very choppy sounding beat, the verses that Common is pulling of are among the best performed on the entire album. Thematically, it is a little bit darker and while I appreciate that, it frankly doesn't work on this beat. This could've been one of the best songs on the album in terms of rapping but the beat destroys that. It's still great though. 'Love Is...' really reminds me of a couple of moments on Kendrick Lamars "To Pimp a Butterfly", which means that I really like this track. The beat is rather "simple" as are the more relaxed sounding verses and even the sung chorus. But it all feels so low-key, in the best way possible. I love the thematic, I love the sound, I love performance, this is a perfect track. 'Chi-City' opens the albums second half with a change of sound and thematic. Not only does the song sound like a more "typical" Hip Hop track with a lot of turntable sounds but it also brings in a couple of Hardcore Hip Hop themes. The song feels angry and powerful but is performed incredibly well. It does sound much, much different than the other songs here but is easily as great in quality. I absolutely love everything here from the beat but especially the flow and the lyrics. Honestly, another perfect song. Next comes the live recorded, 'The Food (Live)', with Kanye on the Dave Chappelle Show. It's a pretty good song and the live setting and sound are definitely a nice touch. I also like the beat but it all feels a little bit unfitting. It's definitely not bad but it feels quite weak in comparison. It's still a pretty good song. The return to the Jazz sound 'Real People' together with the cleaner recording is sonically much more pleasing. Common performs really some great verses and the beat definitely keeps the thing steady. I really, really like the track but I feel like something is missing. Maybe it's the drums but I do like the Drumless sound of it at some points. I don't know, still really great. 'They Say' with Kanye (now as an official feature) and John Legend (who wrote the track and has backing vocals). The song is pretty good and the Soulful vocals in the chorus that feel nearly Gospel-like and especially the Kanye verses are really great. But again, I feel like something is missing that would improve the track a ton even if it's still great the way it is like this. The album closes with the two parted 'It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)' that stretches to over 8 minutes of playtime, the albums longest track. Luckily, the track is pulled off incredibly well, so that it doesn't actually feel stretched. The beat is beautiful and Common's verses are performed wonderfully and at one point the song removes any vocals and adds a recording of kids that tell about their aspirations in the future and what they want to be when they grow up. Then comes a poetic finale that talks to us directly that this is in fact our world. It's a beautiful and simply perfect track to finish the album off with. favourites: Love Is..., Chi-City, Be (Intro), It's Your World (Part 1) least favourites: Real People Rating: light to decent 9 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Just absolutely stellar production from Ye and Dilla. Easy 5.

Yeah, that’s a 5. Obviously, it kills me to give Kanye any kind of credit in 2024, but as I’ve said; the version of the man that existed in 2004 is the version of the man I want to remember and admire if I ever think of Kanye, and his influence is felt all over this album, whether it’s in writing credits, production credits, or just the reshaping of Chicago rap that came in after College Dropout. Make no goddamn mistake about it, though; this is Common’s album, and he has the final say on everything here. What emerges from this collaboration is something that is distinctly more of his voice than Kanye’s, and that’s why I can sort of look past how much of Kanye’s fingerprints shape this album, because Common is the star here. He’s the main writer, he’s the one rapping, and overall, these are his stories to tell. He tells them beautifully – there’s not a single wasted line here, even when he’s horny as hell on Go!, it’s still delivered with such a confident flow that he just rolls with it without missing a beat. Speaking of the beats… yeah, Kanye cooked on a lot of these tracks, but so did J. Dilla – I don’t know that I’ve ever really heard a J. Dilla beat (sue me, I still haven’t heard Donuts), but the swirling piano that surrounds the outro of the entire album (and really, most of the beat on It’s Your World) is utterly perfect. I can’t remember the last time an album stuck the landing on the ending that hard. I could keep gushing here, but it’s just a fabulous rap album for 2005 – obviously, Kanye’s star power after College Dropout is probably what gave this album a bit of commercial appeal, but the end result is all Common’s, and it’s all great. It’s an easy 5 – it might even be a 10/10 for me, genuinely. I don’t think there’s a skip here. I loved this.

Common's first 6 albums are milestones of the more sophisticated jazz rap of the 90s and early 2000s that was influenced by neo soul too. 'Be' doesn't waste time and puts you into all the things you would need to know as a Chicago kid. Common's lyrics are better than ever because he puts some subtle humor in the stories he tells. And then of course there is producer Kanye West. I never thought of him as a genius (albeit a great producer, of course always aided by an army of other talented people). I think 'Be' shows more than his own albums that West has talent.

I knew I was going to love this album just based off the first bass-line. The introduction of the synths and strings hit like a truck, and the lyricism right out of the gate showed that this was going to be a mind-blowing experience. I love how this album has classic Kanye all over it, it gives me so much joy to hear that unique production style, given that I haven't heard this album before, I feel like this is the closest I can get to what a Kanye "revival" would feel like. I know it's cliche, but I do miss the old Kanye. Common's voice is so commanding on each song, his flow is like syrup, slow and heavy but it packs a punch. The story telling and poetry on this album is astounding. I love so much about this album and it makes me reminiscent of a by-gone era in hip-hop, probably one of the best ones in terms of mixing intelligent lyrics with catchy and bombastic production.

He so real about being soft af and I love him for it

Unfortunately Kanye only produces exceptional albums. Didn’t love the inclusion of the live version of The Food, disrupted the listening experience. Slow motion better than no motion.

This is closest I can get to listening to Kanye these days without feeling icky

Really enjoyed this, especially "The Corner" and "Testify." I'm sorry I didn't know this album when it was released.

A classic, maybe a notch down in quality from the first two Kanye West records (which are, I think, the touchstones, for the obvious production similarities) but still a fantastic piece of work.

I used to be a big fan of this album, it definitely has some great tunes on it, but Common gets a little bit corny sometimes. A lot of the beats on this have that old school Kanye feel though which I absolutely love. Oh how about that it was produced by Kanye, crazy how recognizable his style was back then. Overall a great album.

One of those early 2000’s albums that transports you back to being a kid sitting in the backseat of the car on a summer day with the radio playing.

This felt very nostalgic, even tho I’ve never heard it before

A pleasant sounding hip hop. Easy listening

ha all the intellectualish rap from a certain point had to have those jazzy beats I guess. Anyway its pretty good production, feels timeless, and the lyrics are coherent and good.

Raw and powerful lyrics. I enjoy the gospel elements and funky/jazzy moments. A lot of repetitive instrumentals and looped samples, which is typical of rap albums but still annoying at times lol.

Seemed rather good. Hip hop isn’t my thing but I enjoyed a few of the songs, especially the title track and “They Say.”

Ugh, ugh, so, so, huh, yeah no. no. no. no.

kind of blown away by this one. common's flow is terrific and he is lifted even further up here from the production of kanye west and j dilla here. every song on here is great and common's sensibility really lands with me. it's a shame that a lot of the people involved here have subsequently fallen out of peoples' good graces (kanye, john mayer, a random appearance from dave chappelle) because this is a truly great record!

This was fantastic. It was produced by college dropout era Kanye so this makes sense. He is an awful person but he was a master of the craft for a time.

Unreal album. Kanye when he was Kanye. Shame.

Loved it

incredible album with a guest appearance by adolf hitler

Good album. I enjoyed it. Prolly not one I’ll go look for often since it’s not much my style of hip hop normally but I did enjoy it.

I would subtract a half star for Kanye’s involvement if I could.

Good beats and good flows. I liked that some of the songs had some inspirational lyrics. Really enjoyed this album a lot.

I wonder if Common and Kanye still talk.

Really good beats, definitely enjoyed, listening to it, appreciate the messages of the song. And the throwback to Chappelle show, definitely want to save it on Spotify and listen again.

Finally some Chicago boys! Kanye on the beats and Common on the mic is a killer combo. If only this album could've come out 2 years later, adding Lupe as a collaborator would've completed the Chicago trifecta. The intro is one of the best of the era imo. Plus this album can have goofy verses like those on "The Food" and then drop flawless bars on Real People all supported by a light and breezy jazz beat. It blows me away how Common effortlessly addresses the traumas of living in south side Chicago, acknowledges his own temptation to pass on the trauma, and still challenges himself to humanize his abusers and the abused all in the same song. "I wonder if the spirits of Bob Marley and Haile Selassie Watch me as the cops be tryna pop and lock me They cocky, plus they mentality is Nazi The way they treat blacks, I wanna snap like paparazzi" ... "Told to go beyond the surface, a person's a person When we lessen our women, our conditions seem to worsen" It's Your World is also one of my favorite outros. Rap isn't my go-to genre, but no genre can amaze me lyrically as much as rappers. My dad argues that Sondheim is the best social commentator, but there's nothing that inspires me more than the most abused members of society challenging everyone to be better. 5/5

Ugh, this album just feels like a montage from when Kanye was grounded and had friends. Pretty amazing that Kanye's production and features overshadow Common. Really enjoyed this album though. Feels like a snapshot of a beautiful era of Chicago hip hop. I do appreciate Common's POV too. I can feel a little 'pastor dad' haha but hey, he's doing what he can to make the world a better place. Can def feel the positivity and love. "I want to be a duck" is so wonderful 😂 PS: CHILL PHD dude! Lolol. 4.5

Well alright, Common…get it!

JAPIERDOLEEEEEEEEEE JAKIE TO DOBRE

I'll be honest it straight up didn't occur to me that there might be hip hop on this list I've had all old mostly white men so far. I only know common from that one song he did with Joss Stone lol. This is good midday listening so far, GO! is familiar actually. Oh i was having a great time and then Kanye rocked up saying Dave Chapelle's name. Ffuckin jumpscare. Ahhhhhh it's fuckin good tho. Look i don't know enough about rap to analyse this too deep but I really fuckin like it. It's your world is so good man. I'm not gonna let it repeat but I might come back and listen again in a bit. I need to remember that I like hip hop more often.

When this album first came out, I overlooked it. My friends were really into Common at the time, and since I was always trying to find something new, I just passed on it. Looking back, I wish I had given it a proper listen. One thing I’ve always liked about Common is that he has a smooth flow and doesn’t come across as arrogant or overconfident—something that turns me off with a lot of rappers. The production from Kanye West is excellent, mostly sampling 70s soul and funk, which gives it a dusty, vintage sound, while still being rooted in modern hip hop. It’s also worth noting that J Dilla produced two tracks on the album, which only adds to how solid it is overall.

Solid jams! very listenable and fun. At least 4, maybe 5 if I relisten.

Amazing.

I really liked this. I've always thought I should listen to more Common, and now I know I should.

It turns out I've enjoyed all the songs on this album without realizing they were all on the same one.

Je sais que j'ai dis que j'aimais pas le rap l'autre fois, et effectivement, y'a beaucoup d'éléments que j'aime pas du rap: l'incessante vulgarité abrutissant, le style «gangster», la perpétuelle vantardise et rabaissement des autres, les instruments réduits à une note de bass, un default setting drum loop et la mauvaise utilisation de samples de vraie bonnes chansons. Bref, la liste est longue. Par contre, ici, ont est vraiment ailleurs. Je me concentre rarement sur les lyrics, mais le flow est comme du beurre sur chaque tracks et les rimes sonnent juste bien à l'oreille. Les back vocals rajoute énormément au niveau mélodique, ce qui manque habituellement en hip-hop. Mais SURTOUT, l'instrumental est TRÈS solide; ont sens l'expertise derrière le mix et le sampling est très bien dosé et incorporé avec minutie. L'esprit soul éclipse grandement l'attitude gangster qui me rebute habituellement, et n'importe quel album qui incorpore du sax et des trompettes gagnent des points dans mon livre. Ok, bref, 5 étoiles, je peux pas juste écrire cette review toute la journée

Hadn’t really listened to Common before but really enjoyed this album

This album was amazing, absolutely loved it.

As a polymath with PhDs in maths, physics...only kidding it was a very good album if that is your taste stylish and very well produced 😁

This definitely has Kanye's hallmarks all over it, and Common rises to the occasion. Great lyrical hip hop, steady hard beats. Kanye I hope you get yourself help before its too late, because its hard to hear what you did and what you were capable of at one time.

fire

reflections, sex, faith, community and black pride. this album is confident, conscious and full of deep thoughts. it's always nice listening to hip hop writers who occasionally throw listeners with real antidotes to ponder for weeks. if that wasn't enough to convince you, this entire album is produced by kanye west. say what you will about his insane views and personality, but you'd be lying if you said he couldn't make a beat.

Really enjoyed this! Can absolutely hear Kanye’s influence as a producer on this album. Was also cool to hear connections between tracks on this album and Kanye’s later stuff (Chi-City —> opening of Homecoming). Common is a legend and I enjoyed the chance to hear more of his solo stuff

really liked it, the beats are good, and it's actually such an optimistic album toward the end. feels like something childish gambino would have drawn from. I don't listen to hip hop at all so this was a nice change

CHICITY BABY dope album

Holy shit this is awesome.

maybe the most likeable album ever lol. for some reason i always remember this as a debut even tho i know its not, but i always forget specifically that common had been releasing music for over a decade by the time this came out...obviously a big part of this record's enduring legend is the involvement from golden era k@ny3 but im glad things worked out to get a bunch of eyes on common at this stage. not that he has Everything Figured Out or whatever, but the level of lived experience is oozing out of everywhere and is just in general the stage i wish a lot more artist of all types and mediums got to reach...being rich and successful esp can hold u in a myopic personal stasis (like some of the collaborators here, famously!), but at least at this stage common feels like he has never stopped living and thoughtfully accruing new experiences and understanding...just one of a myriad contributors to this being a very sweet and assuring record, esp for these Times,,,,bush-era stubborn optimism rly does hit nice about now

Very chilled album. No fillers

great album, liked the melody and young kanye features

One of Common’s best albums in my opinion. His smooth voice and Kanye’s beats were meant to be together.

This album has one of the strongest intro/outro combos imo. I’m particularly fond of It’s Your World, feels like a summation of the album in its entirety

4.6/5

Yeah

F*ckin great. Go! is one of the few songs my daughter and I can both groove to. Just great. Listen to it!

Another classic here. An incredibly smooth listen thanks to Common’s delivery and production from Kanye on the top of his game. Everything from this period that he touched is just incredible, which makes his recent output just seem so much worse.

I loved this album at 14 without quite “getting it”, having had only a clean version, and being 14. Still luminous, now powerfully nostalgic—remember when Kanye was only known for rapping?? Simpler times.

I love this album, everything is just perfect. I don't like Kanye West because he's a nazi (even though he is struggling with mental health issues currently) but he's a talented person regardless. What an incredible album.

Dope

Favorite Track: Be

Great album to have playing in the background. I really listened to the lyrics the second time listening, and Common might be one of the greatest storytellers of my generation. Great great great album.

Easy 5. Good vibes, amazing production. Ye COOKED with them beats. Common's rapping is fun and overlays on them nicely. No bad tracks here for me. Definitely open to revisiting this one in full (already listened 3x times). "The Food" was my standout fave, but I gotta shout out 'Chi-City' and 'They Say'.

Common's 'Be' is timeless for the reason that while it may have dropped in the mid 00s and exhibits plenty of 00s typicalities, it may just as well have been a somewhat forward thinking 90s release, and a not at all out of place current drop.

Arguably the coolest rap album I've ever heard. Such a soothing and satisfying listen. Has a very modern sound that was fresh and engaging throughout. No weak spots either. Top tracks: The Corner, GO!, The Food

Loved. Very chill r&b / rap. Great throwback to 05.

- This is exactly my type of rap/hip-hop. I fully own that. - Lyrically solid. Melodically interesting. Contains deep messages. But still a bop. Common does a good job of mixing up rhythms and keeping me invested, no matter his speed. - Like most of the tracks on here. In particular, "Be," "GO!," "The Food," and "It's Your World." But honestly, I am more impressed that it all blends without feeling monotonous.

WAY better than i expected, listened to it three times yesterday. Apparently I actually like (old) Kanye??????

Absolutely one of the best albums all time with Kanye again doing a masterful job on the production.