Be

When I got bored of trying to stay with the words, my mind drifted to the music. That's when I realised I was putting more effort into listening to this album than the artist did making it.

At #1016, I think I'm getting short-timer syndrome. This is the second Common album in the collection, and not only do I have zero recollection of listening to "Like Water for Chocolate" (only 200 albums ago), but I feel like if I'd gotten this album then, I would be more likely to rave about it (as many critics did when it was released, it would seem). Instead, "Be" feels a bit disjointed, and in some ways Kanye West's production seems really heavy-handed, as if Common didn't have what it took to make his own beats and song structure; tracks like "Faithful and "The food" seem like they could have easily been on a West album. But there's still a number of solid tracks on the album, especially "The corner" (having The Last Poets guest rapping really made it shine), the cinematic "Testify" (definitely helped by the video), and parts of "It's your world" (mainly Part 2), and it's refreshing to have a 42-minute runtime to a hip-hop album. Solid, but not as great as it could have been?

Be (Intro) - 4.5/5 The Corner - 4/5 Go! - 4.5/5 Faithful - 4.5/5 Testify - 4/5 Love Is… - 4/5 Chi-City - 4/5 The Food (Live) - 4/5 Real People - 4/5 They Say - 4.5/5 It's Your World (Part 1 & 2) - 4.5/5 This a really good mix of Kanye West's production and Common having a smooth flow over the whole thing. I cannot under and circumstances hand it to Kanye but he really is a great producer. It more of a conscious work than his other stuff, but at least I don't need a mathematics PhD to understand what's going on. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Be (Intro), GO!, Faithful, They Say, It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)

I don't connect with American rap or hip-hop in any way. Having said that, I enjoyed the funky beats here. I just don't have anything in Common with the lyrical output. I'm sure Mr Common is a lovely man though and I wish him well.

Familiar with this artist only by name and because he appeared in the TV show Silo. This was an okay listen with notable influence and participation from Kanye West. Recognized Testify but otherwise the album was new to me.

Pretentious garbage. Zero stats.

Nostalgia for times and events for which I wasn’t present. Powerful

Aldrig hört talats om artisen, lite spoken word, men väldigt bra!

First half of the album was better.

2005's finest. The sampling is so good here. Common makes sense

Stick to acting? I like seeing Common in movies, been in quite a handful of them. I don't care for rap, and I see that Kanye was the producer, and hoo boy I LOVE that fishstick aficionado. The beats are catchy, and I don't mind his voice. This is probably my favorite rap album that's come through this so far; but it's really just not for me.

CLASS

God solid hiphop album

Not a big rap fan but Common is an amazing writer.

Not entirely the genre I seek out but I can appreciate the work that went into it.

Good, competent, slightly more gently R&B-laced than I prefer in a rap album. Good listen but won't get into my regular rotation (unlike albums from De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy and Jurassic 5). Still not sure what the shared thread is with the kinds of hip-hop that I do like but hopefully I'll figure it out over the course of this process (I haven't even gotten to Kendrick, yet). 4/5

ye really kept the good beats for himself

Pretty cool rap.

Very upbeat and insightful hiphop album with great production and rapping. Love it.

Great chill morning vibe, no heavy sounds, just sweet sounds. Refreshing and awakening

Rate: 9/10.

I always find common pleasant to listen to. Good production on this one from Ye and J Dilla. I like the inclusion of all the spoken word. Would listen again.

Great production and love Common's flow, but too much Kanye...

Oh great. ANOTHER Rap album by some wannabe gangsta. Maybe this one will be different. Nope. More of the same. Identikit Music.

I like Common better when he’s fighting John Wick.

"Be" by Common stands to be an easy pick for at least Top 20 hip-hop albums of all time for good reason. Amazing message, still holds up 'til this day, production and music styling is immaculate all around.

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, which is something that really 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.

Goed hip hop album, lekker rustig ook niet al te druk goeie tunes. 3.3/5

So nice to get this after that shitty SZA album. My favorite track was Testify.

Surprisingly a nice listen as I have never listened to a Common album before. I'm still not too much of a rap music fan but this album has soom really good melodies.

Good.

Album length - Medium Memorable songs/melodies - Faithful and It’s your world Added to my music library - no Other remarks - i dont like hip hop (except maybe outkast and Eminem and few singles by other artists); i found this album relatable and pleasant to listen to

This is one of the highlights of 2000s hip-hop for me. The warm soul samples draw me in, but Common gives me just as much reason to listen closely. His delivery feels conversational without becoming flat, and he can get a point across without making every verse sound like a speech. I enjoy the beats on their own, but following his words makes the music even better. What really works is how comfortable he sounds within these arrangements. The production has plenty of personality without stealing the whole show, and the songs feel connected without becoming interchangeable. It’s also refreshing to hear an album that doesn’t stretch its good ideas past their limits. By the end, I’m thinking about which tracks to play again rather than which ones I would cut.

Great album very smooth and jazzy. The only downside if features Kanye….

Slow-flow, inquisitive, thoughtful rap with tight beats. Ye magic, Common spitting. Engaging and head-moving.

I am a chipmunk soul believer

This is some good old school hiphop i LOVE it!

Geñal

didn’t like

"The present is a gift and I just want to be" "I guess knowin' I'm weak is when I'm really bein' strong" "Be gleeful everyday, for being the best swimmer among 500,000" "Be a brilliant soul, sparkling in the galaxy, while walking on Earth" Really well produced. Loved all the beats. I appreciated the themes in this one too. "Be" is very apt. Common's dad, "Pops", apparently does spoken word poetry at the end of his albums. It was the perfect way to end the album. Beautiful

Inne på noe her altså

kanye mixed with common pretty good stuff

Ok!! How has this not been on my radar... The Corner, so good. Testify, the layering! Thinking strong 3, maybe even 4. Could see this getting in to my rotation... Real People is real groovy, love the game show theme vibes in the sample

Incredibly tight album. There’s not a dull moment, every track is great. Incredibly slept on these days which is a crime

Supposed to be some uplifting thoughtful rap, but with the over used themes of 'grinding' 'making it out the hood' 'rims' and 'baby mamas' it just sounds average. Production although soulful just sounds light and empty. As for commons flow... He just talks it's so dull.

Great album.

I didn't expect this to be a horny for God album. The beats were great at times but my god the lyrics are uncomfortably salacious. 3/10

solid

Atmospheric and dramatic.

Quite the talent involved here (Kanye West, J Dilla, among others). It's heard in the production (notably Kanye's fingerprints), which pairs well with Common's deliberate introspective style and lyrical content. Arguably Common's magnum opus too, but I've only listened to two of his albums in full. This doesn't rise to a 5 for me for some reason, but it's a nice & easy soul-filled listen.

Not bad

Be is an album I have heard raved about from front to back for many years on end, but when I finally got around to it I agree that it is a great project, but I can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed at the same time. This album is nothing short of uplifting as each song beams this ray of sunshine onto the listener as Common acts as a therapist for the listener for 42 minutes by using his flows and word play to raise the spirits of any and all in need. The production here is easily my favorite part of this entire album as it may be some of my favorite of the 2000s period, the range of instruments and just how gentle they all are makes this album feel like a memory foam pillow to lay your face right into as it surrounds you with this lush embrace. There are so many stand out tracks here such as Be (Intro), GO!, Faithful, The Food (Live), It's Your World, Pt. 1 & 2. Even with how great this album sounded I didn't really think it blew me away more than it impressed me. Again I want to reiterate this album is far from being bad whatsoever but in terms of my favorite Rap albums this one really isn't hitting super high for myself. I think at that point it just comes down to personal preference, and honestly other than the overarching message of this project I didn't connect too strongly with it all. Still a very solid piece of 2000s music but I think its' just a great album and nothing more.

Okay, this was better than expected

Chill, but not something I’d go out of my way to listen to again. 3/5

liked the jazzy elements

No me esperaba que este disco de hip hop me gustará tanto pensé que tenían un límite de tres estrellas, pero al parecer el límite es cuatro jaja, kanye en este tmb jaja

pretty awesome - GO! my fav so far

I don’t know why I listened to Common so late but I'm glad and I did. This is my second listen, after discovering it a few months ago. I already liked it but it’s another revelation. This one is not only a lyrical achievement but also a masterfully crafted RnB album, with perfect hooks, opening the field for pop rap.

What rap could have been

A fine album

Sorry, didn't connect.

One of my favourite hip-hop albums. The production is amazing, Kanye was a force at this point. Common can be a little too happy at points but overall he's an awesome rapper

Immaculate

rap not really my style but can't deny this was pretty good

"Be, be here, be there, be that, be this. Be grateful for life, be grateful to life."

This album was pretty solid I don’t love commons singing voice but Kanye’s production could pull together just about any album into a masterpiece The lyricism here is very good as well and the songs where Kanye sings I really like Also I really like the live song in the middle of this album and is both a fun change of pace and just pretty interesting 3.5 or 4/5 Favorites: faithful, love is, go, they say, the food

Be great.

The Marvin Gaye of Hip Hop according to Kanye, and the truth of this starts with the album cover and goes deeper. The Last Poets add weight to this.

Когда убирают рэпера становится даже терпимо

На удивление вайбово

Нормик

Это ж надо так совпасть, что нам выпало два подряд альбома продакшена раннего копатыча. Не особо фан чипманк соула, но альбом хороший

к своему стыду скажу, что впервые вижу это имя, а звучит прям интересно - 4 издалека по карттинке даже подумал, что это marvin gaye а вот буду ли я переслушивать - не факт

It's a good rap album, but I feel like it is nothing that hasn't been done already by others like NAS. Rapping about drugs, making it out the hood, weed, rolls, nigga this, pussy that etc. It's basically a 90s album produced in 2005. I like it, but I feel like it's nothing new. Seems like they are stuck with the same topics from 20/30 years ago and haven't moved one inch.

a beautiful moment in time when kanye was stable and making these beautiful contributions to so many.

Pretty good hip hop album tbh. I’m really vibing with it and definitely has some standout songs that I’d play again.

I loved every second of this album. The production is artfully crafted and the lyrics are thoughtful and flow great. Probably my favorite tracks are Testify, They Say, and The Corner.

its your world

A groovy album well worth a listen from someone I never heard of before. But it's not exceptional either. I might listen it again some day.

Conscious hip hop over prime Kanye and J Dilla beats

★★★☆☆ I had listened to this before but never actually rated it, and going through it track by track was a little more uneven than I expected. When this album hits my preferred hip-hop groove, it's really good. “Chi-City” and “They Say” were easily my favorites, and “Faithful” and the long closing track “It’s Your World” were strong as well. There were also a few tracks that didn't do much for me, and “Testify” was the clear low point. That repetitive background vocal drove me nuts. 😂 The second half of the album was definitely stronger for me than the first.

I could see this becoming one of my all time favs at some point. Overall great album.

I always forget that Common is first and foremost a rapper. I generally enjoyed the sound of this album; I liked the richness of the instrumentals sitting underneath the songs but man did the vocals on “Testify” annoy me. “They Say” really reminded me how smooth John Legend’s voice can be. It’s also probably my favourite track on the album and unfortunately that’s probably because of Kanye’s presence. I also think Common looks v cute on the album cover.

I didn't think I knew any solo Common songs, but actually Go! was very familiar (although not really my thing). As a whole not bad to listen to, and I particularly enjoyed the vocals in Testify

Definitely good, but not my thing

Bra

STARK fyra

Kan någon utföra hypnos på Kanye så att han blir som han va 2005 igen? Snälla

Väldigt mitt mellan 3 och 4 här men det är nog bara en 3a i min bok trots att det var bra!

Najs

Good

An enjoyable album - good beats and a nice tempo with a smooth lyrical delivery and content that you could almost play to the kids. Kanye unfortunately makes an appearance - but no marks deducted for this as it was a good few years pre Nazi. Ultimately tho there are no real stand out tracks and nothing that really resonated.

The dude from Silo! This is quite soulful hip-hop, much better than your bravado ridden average rappers. Life in the Silo sounds better than New York or LA. This was a relic worth keeping.

really pretty and thoughtful, i enjoyed that! *Fav tracks: Testify; The Corner*

its cool Fave: Go! Rating: 6.1/10

Sounds like most 2000's hip hop I know. That's not a bad thing but it would never be my first choice

This was decent hip-hop album overall. You can really hear Kanye's influence all over this thing, but Common is a MUCH better lyricist and overall has a better flow than Kanye in my opinion. That said, I didn't find the songs quite as memorable as a lot of Ye's. Not one I see myself returning to a whole lot, but pretty solid overall.

10/02 Nothing memorable

I'm always a bit sceptical when it comes to rap but I enjoyed this. You can tell pretty early on that it's produced by Kanye, a lot of the songs sound like some of his earlier stuff. This album flows really nicely, has some decent lyrics and is fairly short which is always a plus.

liked, not loved, sometimes i can appreciate this type of music but its not my go-to