Be

Be should be called Ye since his hands are all over it. Great album though very fun.

I only really know common through his acting career so it was interesting to hear his singing/rapping voice since it’s so different from his gravelly acting voice. My main takeaway from this album was that goddamn Kanye really is such a good producer but past that I’m already forgetting a good bit of it. If I had relistened I’d probs have given this a 4 but whatever.

I gave it a try, but NO to Rap!

Nothing to get exited about here

Good lyrics and decent beat. I really like how the music sounds. The gospel esc type of music that Faithful embodied was awesome. Overall a pretty solid album. Worth putting on again when in mood so probably a 8/10

This is a really good album. Would listen to it again. The one song I didn't line was testify because it was annoying to listen to.

7.21/10 Top 3 Songs 1. The Food (Live) 2. Go! 3. Real People

Not my favourite Common album

Liked what i heard but did not finish cuz my wifi stopped working

Be …leaving

Kanye had a hand in this before he lost his mind. Had some other heavy hitters on this album…I’ve got nothing in common with his music. Ok actor though.

I really enjoyed this. Great lyrics/cool messages. I liked the live performance from Chappelle show towards the end

I'm not a fan of rap, so it's easy to dismiss this and move on, but it was an alright, okay listen and it played well as background for me. It was a promising start with the opening track, Be (intro), but once Common started rapping, it eased back into a generic and unmemorable rap record, though it was one level higher than most.

Boah ich weiss garned was dezue schriibe und ja iwie au kei ziit zum so mega reviews schriibe aber war gut

intro findi mad geil, kanye het produziert pre nazi. the corner isch premium früene kanye beat mit de ufepitchte vocals. common cha reime hoppla. faithful au sehr geile beat. nocher. de gospel gsang isch cool aber find chli viel. chi-city chli viel scratches. kein fan vo z viel scratches. aber beat isch hammer. oke echt z viel scratches.

what in the "Anthony Fantano: Let's Argue"-Intro is this uhh AHHH die string kenni vo iwo? iwie sehr nostalgischi musig? und kanyyyyyyyyyyyee oaahh au faithful so en geile beat poah absolut nices album, mega smooth und agnehm, passt gad zum sunnige wetter und they say isch iwie mega en guete closer vom album

FINALLY my prayers for a post-1990's album have been answered and this one did not disappoint. Good beats, good vibes, good music, that's all I need. I'm not a huge rap girl, so I think the beats/instrumentals is what really made the experience for me.

This was a great listen. I did have a breakdown while driving and listening to this one, so you know it’s good. I’m really shocked I had never heard of this person before. (Both because of his work and also who he’s dated. 🤪) “Be” sounds like the kind of album my Dad would have played for me as a kid. Great rhythm and flow, great lyrics. A little bit of Christian undertones?

Good beats & good storytelling. Nice to hear some old Kanye features too.

This is better than the other Common record I got largely because it's about half as long. Common is a good lyricist and these are well produced albums. Not for me. But 43 minutes is a lot better than 78 minutes.

Common's magnum opus

Not the worst

Early 2000s rap. Produced by Kanye, which is a huge plus. The sampling is great, not a lot of chipmunk vocals either. Common has a great voice and great lyricism. Some songs have transitions between them. Great album experience, some of the best of this era. Standouts: Be (Intro), Faithful, Love is…, The Food - Live, and They Say.

I really have no basis to critique hip-hop. It's the genre I understand and appreciate the least. Having said that, I didn't hate listening to this. It's just incredibly foreign to me.

Uncommonly great. A surprise and a treat to find this one

I enjoyed this album more than I expected to. Testify is an incredible song

p good but not one I'll relisten

I miss the old Kanye. He was so good before he went nuts. Common is fine. But this is a Kanye record. And it's a good one.

This was a really nice surprise. The bassist on the first track was awesome;.

3.7 lots of classic Kanye production

Haven't listened to hip hop since I was a kid, but this has some nice grooves in it

Great album not really a hip Hop guy this has me locked in lyrically

Not groundbreaking but much more enjoyable than Like Water For Chocolate, mainly down to a tighter runtime and Kanye’s production. Testify is one catchy choon.

Like the intro, well made hip hop somewhere between modern and old school. Well made

Wow, a mid-2000s hip hop record I could actually get to the end of! This might be an unusual record for the time because it isn't full to the brim with braggadocious peacocking or the toxic masculinity/misogyny one-two combo punch so prevalent in the genre. There's some overly descriptive sexual content here, but it's not so far out of line or blue as to be vulgar. Common comes across as much more mature than his peers, and a more thoughtful lyricist. I appreciated it. There's always an exception to the rule, and Common is that sexy exception.

Good listen. I enjoyed it.

Be // The Corner // GO! // Faithful // Testify // Love Is // 4.5/5

Honestly trying to find any info on common is funny as hell because it's like, it's always cool when artists play in prisons and then try and do something related to that, and the like link to Fela Kuti whose album was also on here previously is really neat to see, but then it's like and then he did a clothing line with Microsoft, like what the fuck are you talking about lmao (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPtG8Xb_Dqs if you wanna see some). Anyways the album is like a normal amount of fun to me, some of the lyrics are hella funny to me like the section around the line "What if God was a Her?" or fuckin "Ooh baby she liked it raw / Like rain when she came it poured" ;LSKDJFD like sometimes the way he writes about women is just fucking funny I'm not even saying like oh it's fucked up or some shit but the fucking being a dad and being like and then I realized I'm gonna learn through her, change the world through her LMAO like come on. I feel like I've heard more /personally/ interesting (content-wise and musically) before but like it's cool

The smooth sounds Kanye's production brings to this album makes sense for Common, especially as it appears he made this album after the birth of his daughter. Feels like he's coming at this LP with a lot slower flow, a bit more accessible for some. I think it ends up being a decent album, not one I will say is a classic like many others but a good album still. Some of Common's lyrics are just a bit too blunt at times for my liking, even if they make sense, and I think the peak of the best songs instrumentation and sampling overshadow the worst ones to make them a bit unmemorable.

There are some interesting musical moments and sonically it's well produced. It's a very lyrical message type album but overall it's not really my bag. But it deserves a place on the list and I was glad to give it a listen

Sounded ok 1 listen wasnt enougth to engage with lyrics altough sounded fairly generic. Was idnetikit reqlly altough some nice moments sonically.

Ok; not exactly bad but didn't really connect for.me.

I had his album Electric Circus when it came out and had a similar thing, that I wanted to really like it, it's intelligent hip hop touching in themes of the black American inner city experience. There was a little bit of misogyny in there, and none of the music really hooked me, so I didn't ever get into Common as much as, say Curtis Mayfield, Arrested Development or Mos Def.

Another one of these where I'm like "nope, never heard of them", then found that we've already had another album of theirs on the 1001 list. Like Water for Chocolate was alright. Is this better? Probably on par. I don't have much opinion on it.

TYKKÄSIN. Tää oli jopa koskettava, yllätyin.

Great

Good flow, good production

Instrumentally I quite enjoyed this, lyrically I could appreciate the flow Cadence and some of the word play; but as a middle-aged white man from Suburban Canada I wasn't able to entirely connect with the lyrical content and messaging. And I don't think I'm expected to be able to in anything more than a superficial way.

Well, Common is a good name because nothing on this album stood out. I put it on, fairly decent mix of kinda laid-back hip-hop….and then it was over. I just sort of listened to it but it went as fast as it came. No very memorable.

The only rapper whose concert is packed with more suburban moms than teens. 👩👩

common common w

Adds to Chicago playlist

This Is my first experience with Common. I listened to Be three times in a row. I liked the jazzy feel of the music, especially the terrific bass. Common's delivery was vey appealing, mostly laidback. On the other hand, Chi-City is delivered like a flurry of blows landed by an aggressive welter-weight. Good stuff!!

enjoyed the music, especially in the first 3rd. need to re-listen for lyrics

Some food lyrics and some cool production and instrumentation. Sounds very 2005, full of hip hop tropes of the time.

This is much more my speed when it comes to hip-hop. Common's rhymes are smooth, and the more introspective and thoughtful lyrics and subject matter are much easier for me to identify with. The samples and beats are peak Kanye-before-he-lost-his-entire-mind; I found myself bobbing my head and grooving to each track. I also appreciate the lack of misogyny and bragadocious violence, though the references to Christianity take me out of it a bit. "Be," while not my perfect hip-hop album, is a masterful work and certainly worth listening to.

Was ok.

Enjoyable tunes and well produced

This was rather pleasant to listen to, the production on this is absolutely stellar. It didn't grab my attention too much overall, but I'd throw it on again every now and then if I owned it.

It's got a good groove with a lot of soul samples, and it sounds very very polished, but not feeling much of a visceral impact on me. I may need to listen to this more to see if I find something in it on future listens. Best songs for me are Love is... and GO!

Very happy with this entire album, “The Food” is one of my favorite Kanye features of all time.

Surprisingly good, Kanye featured. Felt like a more heartfelt version of childish gambino

Didn’t listen

Man. This was incredible. So melodic, so intense, so uplifting. Early on in this experience, I’m realizing that I might really be into hip hop and rap. Which I knew, but it’s rewarding having data to start backing it up.

This was better than I thought it would be. I’m not the biggest rap fan so common to be is a mediocre actor. But this was good. I really enjoyed the gospel and soul influences of the tracks. His rapping style was quick and sharpe and lyrically interesting. Not sure this raises to a 4 star album but could definitely be a 3.5 star. Pleasantly surprised.

Not a rap guy but this album intrigued me. I still don’t love most of the vocals, but it had more interesting melodies than most rap I’ve heard. Maybe I’ve just heard the wrong rap though. I still didn’t love it, but I think im gonna listen again in the future and see if my opinion has changed by then. For now though, it’s probably the most I’ve ever enjoyed rap.

Driving to the valley during sunset it felt like a good city album. I miss old producer Kanye who was the sample king that made unique beats and rhythms. Common was great too and felt like a reflection of Chicago culture and all.

I can tell right off the bat that Kanye produced this record. Really groovy beats and interesting samples. Not too many negative things to say aside that some tracks don’t land for me.

Don’t like the entire album, but I appreciate Common’s vibe.

common

Extremely cool beats, smooth flow, thoughtful lyrics, and a relentless momentum throughout. I enjoyed this one thoroughly.

Nice record by a nice guy.

This is such a good album. It was a revelation to me when it came out. I think “The Corner” is one of the best songs in hip-hop, and the rest of the album is not far behind it. I just finished the excellent book “The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop” by Jonathan Abrams. His chapter on the Midwest claims Common as the conscience of hip-hop and this album is irrefutable evidence of that. Wonderful through and through.

Sounds good, but I didn't remember much of it after one spin. Favorite song: Be (intro)

Kanye produced this and I don't want to give him indirect sound scans

2 - Me caga el Rap

Surprised to hear Kanye on this album. I like the music on this.

I had never heard of any of these songs previously, but I loved every second of this album.

I liked the production on the album, samples were great. Overall I definitely think it deserves more credit today as a great album

Bland.

Not my thing. Very simple compared to the rap I hear now.

This album was entirely forgettable. It tried to be profound, and the first and last track were pretty good. Other than that I wouldn't listen again. 2/5.

I forgot about this album! A good one I haven’t heard in a while and have probably only listened to a couple times in full. From the year I graduated high school. GO! is a fantastic single, featuring a far more tolerable Kanye 😂 and John Mayer. Actually, while it’s a Common album, Kanye’s fingerprints are all over it and many tracks wouldn’t feel out of place on The College Dropout or Late Registration. The production, arrangements and beats are superb and there’s no mistaking it as a product of Kanye’s golden years, well before he lost his damn mind as well as his musical touch. Kanye’s contributions to the album are substantial, but that’s not to take away from Common, as he’s in top form on this one. The tunes have his characteristic consciousness hip-hop subjects, and his rapping is sharp throughout. The “Be” poem that closes the album is beautiful and a great message for all to hear. A very strong album.

Dit vind ik de leukere hiphop, het is levendig, afwisselend en het klinkt niet al te boos. Zowaar tegen het eind een nog een positieve, hoopvolle noot. Kom daar maar eens om in dit genre.

Wij kregen net het dubbelalbum van OutKast. De cd van Big Boi zit nog vers in het geheugen. En dan heb je de pech om achter zo'n top-plaat in hetzelfde genre te belanden. Het kwaliteitsverschil is levensgroot. Maar dat ligt vooral aan Big Boi. Dit album is zo slecht nog niet. Het is één van de albums met een continue kwaliteit. Minpunt is wat gefakete zwoelheid. Wat valse lucht maakt je geen James Brown. Ach er is doorheen te luisteren. Ik kan het ook vergelijken met die andere cd van OutKast van André3000. Ook dan is er een flink verschil. Nu in het voordeel van Common. Laat ik hem dan maar precies in het midden plaatsen van de twee CD's van OutKast. Kom ik op een 3,75. Yep, dat voelt wel ok.

Het staat genoteerd als hip hop, maar het is bijna meer R&B met soulinvloeden en een rapper. Het klinkt muzikaal wel lekker, ook omdat het aangekleed is met genoeg samples en hij hulp krijgt van muzikale vrinden uit andere stromingen als John Mayer en John Legend. In die tijd was Kanye ook nog niet helemaal van het padje geraakt. Maar er zitten duidelijk ook invloeden van Marvin Gaye enzo in. Een artiest als dit zou ook op North Sea Jazz kunnen staan en dat bedoel ik in dit geval positief. Snobhop, maar dat kan ik stukken beter hebben dan het kinderachtige gangstarap. Fijne albumervaring, goede 4 sterren.

Für Rap erfreulich harmlos.

non male ma decisamente non uno dei miei preferiti

kinda didnt connect with me in the way i thought it would the intro the best song imo

Really cool album I really enjoyed the lyrics and the melody was so nice

really awesome record , i love the production and the lyricism

Can’t believe I hadn’t heard this before! Dug the entire production of the thing, common’s lyricism, and the message of a lot of these tracks.

smooth lyrical flow from common feat. kanye at the top of his production game. Honestly dont know what else i can ask for in a hip hop record, its like it was made for me. This shit is beautiful and amazing and im so glad to have discovered it.

I have never heard a Common album before and I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I would have added this album to the collection of my favorite albums, but the last track is half-spoken word. I am very picky and don't have time to wade through all that. Regardless, this album was very pleasant and I really liked much of it. I'm going to probably investigate more of Common's back catalog now.

For rap fans, I’m sure this is great. It’s just not for me.

Sådärja

Incredible

I know Common well as an actor - a good one. This is innocuous, listenable, musical, but if I'm going to listen to rap/hip-hop, I'm more likely to pick Public Enemy or Wyclef Jean. this has a sort of R&B vibe. A Barry White feel here and there.

Common benefits greatly here from the production and features of Kanye West. Beats range from heavy booms to 70s horns - not to ill effect, because the entire LP flows smoothly. Common's lyricism is grounded; while the album can certainly be bumped, there's more to glean between the lines.

Leaves me without any emotions

I really liked this I’m going to be listening to this more now. I always knew common was big in the late 90s early 00s but this is just so jazzy. Kanye feature.

I can see why this is so lauded as a great album, but it doesn’t speak to me. But the messages weren’t made for me - a middle-aged white guy from the suburbs. I appreciate the artistry, and really liked some of it, but I won’t be looking to listen again.

This is a fantastic early 2000’s hip hop album. Kanye is a great producer. Common has some great flow and uniqueness. It’s more my style than some of the albums in this list. I’ll probably spin it again or a few select tracks like Go!

Phenomenal

Not bad. Liked most of it

So far, awful. No discernible vocal or musical talent. Not even listenable. Come on! Just terrible!

It was a good listen

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!

Fine. Sounds like Common.

Introlåten är nästan bäst. Common påminner om kanye west? Har också en bra ft med honom mot slutet av albumet

Not my cup, although it’s starting to grow on me…

I Love Kanye

Очень динамичный альбом, олл киллер ноу филлер. Трудно воспринимать экзекьютив продюссера альбома в 2024, но в середине нулевых чувак не просто мог, а делал. Лучшая песня - Testify.

Common is a little boring but I respect what he does. This is a solid album with a great ode to Chicago. At least this album is much better than Like Water for Chocolate.

Never heard of this artist before Very positive take on the rap and hip hop inspo Also very obvious Kanye had a lot of inspo from him Very good 7/10

really easy listening album, lots of influence from Kanye (i mean it was literally produced by him but anyway), and good lyricism 8/10

It's good. - 8/10

I’ve been meaning to listen to this album. I enjoyed the chipmunk soul production, similar to Kanye’s first 2 albums. The storytelling songs were pretty good too.

Not the type of music I usually listen to and I’m still not crazy ab it but this was pretty decent. 7/10 round down

This was great. Finally something other than alt/indie/punk/prog/new wave rock. I can really hear the Kanye influence in the melodies. 8.5/10

7/10 - I loved Be (Intro) and quite liked GO! and Faithful. However as the pieces went on I liked them less. I am not the biggest fan of rap but some of these pieces worked really well for me. John Legend was interesting and I was caught of guard because I did not know he made music in 2005 (or was popular)

Pretty enjoyable, last song was more just talking than I wanted though 6.5/10

Common isn’t the greatest rapper, but an album produced by j dilla and Kanye is gonna sound nice regardless. Really enjoyable and easy to listen to. 8/10

Nicht mein Ding

Common's delivery isn't lightning speed, but he works his way through some serious verses here - more reflexive and inviting than the relentless 'lyrical mystical' style - smoother and easier going, this oozes relaxed confidence. There's a solid verse/chorus structure to all these songs, bringing the lyrical excursions back to a central hook and thematic idea every minute or so. The production is all Gospel soul and funk woven together for some a rich warm sound over pretty laid back loungey beats.

No, this was not for me. Some cool rapping and sampling throughout, but the only really noteworthy track is They Say, featuring John Legend and Kanye West. Also, Kanye’s production is clean and really good. Maybe if I’d been a bigger fan of rap music in general, but I’m not.

Common - Be Chicago rapper, Common, comes out strong on this album. I enjoyed it and you can really hear the Kanye vibe all over it. My biggest behind the scenes trivia is that a lot of the beats that Common turned down ended up on Kanye's album Late Registration. 4/5

Mmm

Ahh, takes me back to my Kanye days. Common is really good, he knows how to flow, the beats are laid back and easy to vibe to. I think the social-conscious rap can sometimes be cheesy though, like Faithful. But Be, GO!, are good

Very Solid

3.5 even though it’s not my favorite genre I can still recognize it’s a good album that I enjoyed for the most part. Standout songs were “Real People”, “They Say”, and “Be(intro)”. However there were some poor songs with “Faithful” being borderline terrible. Who thought the Alvin and the Chipmunks backup vocals were a good idea

Soulful and fantastic

Smooth rap goodness. Will be adding this to my playlist

Hip hop has never really been my consistent jam -- but I really enjoyed this. Common's got bars, as the kids say. Really enjoy his voice, his flow. While it's not something I'd want to pull out on a regular basis, I'm glad to get it into the rotation. Unexpected banger: GO!, Chi-City.

I like trip hop and smooth jazz as a general thing, so this album musically is not far off my usual tastes. That being said I found myself just sort of listening to most of the songs and only occasionally really connecting emotionally to any. While I will pay more attention to Common and have been woken to a genre I have paid too little attention to, I would like to give other artists, even some who collaborated on this very album, a closer listen.

Tbh, I'd rather just listen to Kanye. Not a bad time at all but not super memorable

Hübsche Soul-Schnipsel, leider zum 100sten mal ausgelutscht und dann breitgetreten - laaaangweilig

I like the use of jazz and gospel in the mix, and the verse has some good moments, but it hasn't aged all that well IMO. The first track is the high point.

decent album, nazi feature aside. a nice slow jam rap album that sticks around just as long as you would want it to.

Nice production, shame about the Kanye.

I actually really enjoyed this and I don’t think he needed Kanye West at all.

#110. Decent, but had Kanye West on several songs, and all for the worse. I thought Kanye was supposed to be some lyrical genius or something? "I did what I did, because I had a kid"- for real? That's it? Come on dude, be better. 3/5: I don't hate it I guess. He's just as mid a rapper as he is an actor Song added to playlist: Testify I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

Features with Kanye is really cool. First Common album and it’s pretty good

Better than I expected. This Common album is kind of fun.

I only listened to a couple tunes. Didn't love.

Really great! This genre is more in my comfort zone. No skips

What an opening! So far, I'm really digging this. The middle - very strong. Wow. What a great album. So smooth, such a mood - this is amazing.

OK hiphop album: easy listening and smooth, but it is also a bit too straightforward and a little boring. Favourite song: Testify, but that is just because of the catchy Honey Cone sample. Opinions seem to differ, but "Like Water For Chocolate" (also included the 1001 list) is a much better album.

Collaboration with Kanye done him good. I love it.

Better than I thought it was going to be

Ok

Not my normal genre, but really enjoyed the album. Listened to several tracks twice. Favorite songs 'The Food' and 'They Say'. 5/5

Hip-Hop polishes gems from rough stones—that’s its strong history and its legacy. Records like Common’s “Be” are exactly that and never more consciously so than in the concept, production, and delivery of this Chicago MC. “Be” is at once a throwback and a step forward. The rhymes and the tunes make multiple direct references to ‘70s Soul/R&B and Spoken-Word. The presence of The Last Poets on the standout track“The Corner” would have been sufficient to acknowledge Rap’s origins, but the nods don’t stop there. As “modern” as the production is and as accessible as Common’s is throughout, this album wants to challenge the listen to look back with pride, develop a social conscience, and appreciate how far the music and the community has come. The titular spoken-word piece that closes the album brings it all together, offering as optimistic an outlook as hip-hop heads have ever heard, blending advice, admonition, and uplift. Common imagines a path forward for hybrid Soul/R&B/Rap, and then he performs the trickiest feat of all—he takes us there.

My favorite R&B style, just enough hip hop with musical melodies.

Brilliant. Great early Kanye production and silky flows from Common

Impeccable production and the most I like common at any point in his career. 4.5

Nice smooth head boppin’ hip hop. It’s like easy-listening rap. I don’t dislike it. It’s very nice. Less edgy than Queen Latifah. But nice. Skip Kanye the Nazi lover.

Heavy 2005 vibes.

Lyrical with good bars. Kid Cudi esque, see collab

👍

Not my cup of tea.

Listened to only one song .... Glory.. The remainder of the songs I blocked due to explicit content which I chose to restrict.

Not a fan

I was glad when it was over. The background was nice.

The kanye parts were so good, the common parts were kind of cheesy. overall the album sounded good

Better than expected. Got some quite viral songs on the album

Though not my style, it was very relaxing to listen to. 3.5/5

I liked this album quite a bit. Classic rap with strong influence of R&B, jazz, and gospel!

Bad language

So positive but a little more R&B than I like with my hiphop

Ana: Peaceful and exciting. Thoughtful hip hop hell yeah.

This is a pretty solid album and has some nostalgia for me. Common is super soulful but sometime his rhymes really fall flat. Def a chill time though!

A gorgeous listen due to the wonderful melodic jazz funk samples. Common raps with a mostly positive and kind-spirited socio-political awareness (however I do not agree on his negativity towards interracial relationships👎🏾). Another good jazz-rap listen.

Pretty good, didn't know Common got down like that

Duplicate? Decent album. Nice to get a r&b/rap album for a change. Some good music/beats I don't know what it is about Common, i'm not into his stuff at all but this album just hits right for me for some reason.

Fantastic fucking album. Definitely add to the rotation. Melodic R&B/Neo-Soul backing underneath poignant and thoughtful rap/hip-hop. Probably want to listen to multiple times to let the words sink in.

Not bad

Album 287 of 1001 Common - Be Rating : 3 / 5 Favorite Track : It's Your World Likely serves its purpose well (hence the rating) but does nothing extra for me. I prefer music.

If I liked HipHop then this would probably be where I'd start. Lovely bass playing, but for me that's where the good stuff ends. Like Intro, hated GO!. They Say was interesting with the interplay of the keys and vocals. Overall though, I'm still not a hiphop fan, don't every want to hear this one again.

I didn't like the back ground ladies voice

Would never have listened to this one. Just not my “genre”. Love the beat. Some retro sounding parts too.

Esuchable

not bad, not really good either

Oldschool Hiphop. ok aber mehr nicht. etwas langweilig

Die Musik ist toll, der Gesang eher meh.

Rapsy hip hopy

Not my style it is okay

4/5

Not my genre but I enjoyed it. Two songs hit a spot for me - They Say & love is.

I have been disappointed with most of the rap and hip hop I've had so far - so many of them are over long, uninteresting, and plagued with those skits that I just don't get. This, however is different - its only 42 minutes, and is right, and clear, and the flow is great. My heart sank a little this morning when I saw another 21st century rap album pop up, but I enjoyed it.

I am not the intended audience. Good music.

Classic record. This era of Kanye has always been a favorite of mine, and this album is no exception. Jazzy, clean, and soulful. Grateful to get a chance to listen to this again all the way after so many years. Realisitically a 4.5

This is not my style of music but it was some of the best rap I have heard.

Recognizably good for what it is. The sound was smooth and enjoyable. It was not able to convert me to the genre, however.

Rap is not my thing

Enjoyable

Not bad, would revisit some tracks in the future. Enjoyed the first half more I think.

I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. I'm not a big rap fan but I've heard of Common but I had never listened to him. There are so many good tracks - GO!, Love Is, They Say are highlights. It also has a really positive vibe. I'll be playing this again and checking out more from his catalogue.

Wasn't my thing. I can tell that the rhythm and lyrics are good, but I don't care for them, and the music wasn't interesting in itself. I honestly didn't even finish this one.

Usually melodically catchy, often nice rhyme schemes and such. Substantively, I could take it or leave it, probably thinks it's more meaningful than it is. And even musically, there are some duds. Though all of that speaks to it being a pretty varied album.

Incredibly produced and performed. Every track here feels like it was given full attention in the studio. Kanye really knew what he was doing here with Common

Liked faithful and go! The best

Like the lyrics - not a big rap hip hop fan

Classic 2000's sound, featuring the familiar voice of a young Kanye, years before the cultivation of the "unpredictable" modern character. Hard hitting bars with a lightness of production that makes this album perfect for easy listening, or as a pre-gym hype up track.

Song: Be (Intro) I'll preface this by saying I have never been a rap listener. Most of the hits I heard in day to day life weren't appealing to me, and my one exposure to any type of rap by choice was the musical Hamilton, which definitely doesn't really count. I never had anything against rap, but just never felt like it was my type of music. I might have to rethink a few things. From the first few seconds of this, I was in love. The bass was full and resonant, the synths were cool, the keyboard gave it this lightness. the rhythms were layered and sounded so good together. (Side note: Kanye West may have completely flown off the handle, but man, he knows how to produce a good song.) And then Common entered, and I was blown away. If you don't focus on the words, it's an art unto itself, a percussive beat lying over a really interesting instrumental, crafted to fall into complimenting rhythms, flowing into each other. But then you listen to the lyrics, and the song comes alive with references to history, the political landscape, Common's life, and so much emotion. I want to listen to this again and dissect it a little, find all the details in the lyrics. When I said I wanted this project to expand my music taste, this was what I wanted—genres, songs, and artists I had avoided or never thought twice about, hidden gems that ended up being incredible. The moment where the instrumental drops away and just the bass remains and Common raps about looking into his daughter's eyes and wanting to learn through her is my favorite musical moment of this project thus far. My only complaint is that I actually wanted to hear more from it! I was not expecting to like this song much. I'm glad I did.

Awesome album. Great artist produced by a very talented, yet disturbed, man.

Not me

Pretty musical compared to today's crap. I liked several cuts, but won't return to it often.

Too much rap

Annoying

Like the chill Kanye stuff. 4

Hat Spaß gemacht.

i am not in to hip-hop-rap stop posting these to my feed

not into hip hop

This album's great. I've been needing more good rap music for this project, and "Be" by Common absolutely delivers. Common is a pretty good rapper. I think his flow is nice and the writing is good. The album has a consistent tone and common theming in regards to what Common wants to say, which works well in this album's favor. The production on this thing is also quite great. As much as I hate Kanye West (I'm not calling him Ye) now, he definitely had a talent for music production in the past, which is something that is especially evident in albums like this. Overall, I don't really have a ton to say. This is just a pretty good rap album. 4/5.

Yet more Hip Hop - not sure why there shoud be so many in this list! Wikipedia gives the genre as Hip Hop, Conscious Hip Hop, Hip Hop Soul, Progressive Rap, Chipmunk Soul - what the hell is Chipmunk Soul? This album's main claim to fame seems to be that it was mainly produced by Kanye West.

Cohesive and concise, was a pleasure to listen to while trying on jackets Best song: the food Worst song: N/A, one of the albums strengths is how every song has its purpose

Songs like ”Faithful“ take me to the moon and back.

I had this album in heavy rotation back in 2005/2006. Common is such a smooth lyrical MC and weaves tight and uplifting stories throughout this album. The early aughts Kanye production sounds are all there. The Alvin and the Chipmunks-ified soul samples sound a little dated now, but so do a lot of things from almost 20 years ago.

not gonna revisit this

Macht einen recht guten ersten Eindruck, obwohl Rap nicht mein Favorit ist. Kann ich aber gut morgens beim ersten Kaffee hören. Ruhige, leicht jazzige Beats…

Not my music

I didnt like it

Manages to sound fresh and retro at the same time- hardening back to 90s conscious rap and hip-hop with what I suspect was a deliberately dated sounded.

Blind album and artist. I really liked the intro/starting track. The rest was meh. Nothing caught my attention, nothing swayed me away. Instrumentals were kinda cool but wouldn't rate it above anything notable for sure. Same with the vocalist.

I liked this a lot, it's tight lyrically (about his life in Chicago) and has lots of interesting stuff going on musically. Kanye produced this, and is featured on a few of the tracks. Generally strong, I enjoyed listening to it (though maybe lacking any real big standout moments). Favorite song: The Food Other: Be (Intro), The Corner, GO!, Testify, They Say 12/23/23

Such a beautiful and inspiring record. Melodic and comfortable production that makes it sound so seamlessly woven together. Common is and will continue to be a legend.

Some tunes on this

Not sure yet

Not my genre. Surprisingly tame and mainstream

I enjoyed the background music and his voice but I couldn’t really get into the rapping.

4/5. These are all just super well-written songs, catchy, short, high quality production, and smart lyrics. There are some political undertones on this one but mostly a simpler concept than other Common albums. The songs feel uplifting but with Kanye and Common trading verses, it feels like two black men having a conversation on a corner, about the past, present, and future of their lives and the black race. It's beautiful and sad, uplifting and depressing. Although I am not a huge fan of all the songs, the album as a whole is a good listen and an important one.

Classic. Though some things haven’t aged well.

It's not an album I'd heard before. It was very good from start to finish though. Well worth a listen.

Production on this was really good, I enjoyed it very much!

Not really my thing, I didn’t connect to the music very much, but I could still appreciate the stories he tells.

I wish this album was longer. This whole album put me in a certain headspace which was just calm and serenity. Common raps good, but I'm not sure how much of this album is actually his, because I just hear so much Kanye in it. The beats, the samples, and of course the songs he raps on. This one is going in my library.

Solid use of samples. Really listenable. I never *hear* lyrics until I get into a song more, and this is no exception for4 me. So, the rhythm, the timbre of his voice, this really appeals to me. When I listen along with the lyrics, I enjoy the humour in his turn of phrase.

I really liked this but we knock off a star for Kanye because fuck him forever

meh

Very chill and vibey, you want to listen to this while driving down highway 1 in Santa Monica, not too special though.

a bit of a mixed bag, but some real nice ones in here

enjoyable though I don't think I am the target demographic for the messaging

I'm sure there is a popular Common song that I would recognize from hearing it (or maybe by name), but I would consider this my first real experience listening to his raps. I also recognized Kanye West's thumb print all over this album. I think this is really good overall but I definitely can't justify giving it a 5. I'm interested in checking out more Common though.

This was a good listen. Good beats, good lyrics. Made me remember how good Kayne circa 2008 was.

never heard this before. not a big rap listener, but don’t mind this jazzy sub-genre.

Typical 2000er hip hop

Common is one of those names that's been everywhere as I've grown up, but this is the first time I've listened to any of his stuff. I definitely have a bias towards hip hop, but this is a really solid album nonetheless. Be has a somewhat nostalgic and hopeful feel throughout, and Common lives up to his reputation with some really solid lyrical work. Highlight: GO! Lowlight: Real People Surprise Hit: Be (Intro)

I had a good friend who was raised in a tough Chicago neighborhood - Common was one of his favorite artists. I appreciate the artistry here and love how much of hip-hop/rap narrate Black history, struggles, and triumphs. I have a hard time judging if this is good or not because there’s so much in here beyond just the beat and music- lyrics, storytelling, collaborations, etc that I’d need to absorb more. I liked much of this album. Cool to see that this is regarded as some of Common’s best work. Three stars!

This wasn't too bad. I don't think Id go back and listen to it again though. The chill laid back beats were a nice contrast to the slim shady LP. 3 stars

DIT. DIT is de shit! De geweldige productie, de bars van Common erover heen, dit is naar mijn mening dus echt 1 van de beste albums ooit gemaakt. Ik vind de productie zo ongelooflijk fijn, wat niet raar is met Kanye als executive producer. Maar daarnaast is dit 100% het meesterwerk van Common, met een kwartier is het precies lang genoeg, de samples worden ontzettend fijn gebruikt, het is soulful, het is boom bap. Ik heb dit album vroeger wel eens geluisterd, maar dat is echt lang geleden zeg. Geen idee waarom, dit is absoluut fantastisch. FAVO: The corner, GO!, Faithful, Testify, The food, They Say

Not really heard of this - Rap from 2005. Not usually a rap fan so going in with open mind. Sounds nice straight away, like the vibe. Quite enjoying. 3/5.

I used to love this album back when it came out and listened to it constantly. Coming back to it now almost 20 years later, I can still see the musical talent on display but I struggle to see what bound me to it so. All in all I walk away from the album feeling disappointed and remove it from my mental list of favorites.

My favourite hip hop album yet. Normally I don't like this genre but this was fire. Stand-out: Faithful

What a pleasantly surprisingly delightful album. With a little more focus on the overall direction of the project, they could have really had a powerhouse of an album here. I enjoyed the whole thing and have no complaints with any song. Spectacular. 4/5

5/5 yes more of that boom bap

Good sound. Produced well. Not familiar with genre.

Torn between a 3 and a 4, this feels like a solid 3.5 to me. Definitely good, not quite great, totally competent and enjoyable rap.

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.

Sounds kind of like a watered down Roots. Whoever decided to put a Parental Advisory sticker on this one probably did so to sell more albums, but I can't remember a single swear on this album.

really good very groove

Everything sounds nice and positive, Testify seems the most interesting to me, but overall it does not feel like it expands beyond a world it is comfortable occupying... that world has a beauty and a message that we all agree with.

The album starts like a softer, American version of the Hilltop Hoods (similar choice of samples and flow) but without the edge. Later tracks have a motown feel. Having a live recorded track in the middle was weird and disruptive. Lyrically it's really good. Lots of diversity so it doesn't get boring

Enjoyed it

Daaaaamn

groovy vibe, has some jazz samples I think, a lot like The Roots, I dig it, the religious themes are meh, but they're not that overt, so it's fine

John Legend lends distinction to this otherwise indistinct album.

Be is polished, worthy and so frictionless I slid right off it.

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 first thing that always makes me cringe is that high-speed chipmunk vocal effects. I know it's supposed to sound like children, but it always is a bit off-putting. Besides that, I think Common did a real good job with this. Yes, even with Kanye in it. Common's lyrical flow really shines all over the album. "The Food" sounded a little different sonically from the rest, being a live track. It was a bit weird, like they recorded it from the TV. Probably my favorite tracks are "Chi-Town" and "They Say". There's not really a track that's a clunker throughout the album. I will definitely come back to this album.

Soulful and energetic. At least as good as his other album on this 1,001 list (Like Water for Chocolate). Not sure it's all that different from his other album, or hip hop soul, but it's good. This one might be a bit more consistent than previous albums. Great lyricist. Best tracks were Be, The Corner, Go, Testify, They Say (when Kanye isn't rapping), and It's Your World Part 1 (though Part 2 was touching).

Solid album

Great production by Kanye and J Dilla along with the smooth raps by Common. Four stars but with another listen may go up to five. Will listen again.

the top review can go fuck itself. showing off their “intelligence” instead of just saying they don’t like the music. just say your racist while you’re at it. fucking hell.

Soul rap from the early 2000s, tender, comes out of the struggle. Emotional and inspiring ending to the album. Nice to listen to, two or three songs are very easy going

First listen, not reading lyrics: 1. Got bored about halfway through and was simply waiting for it to end Second listen, reading lyrics: I'm confused. I barely understood anything, so it will be an unfair rating. Some lines are so stupid that they are hilariously funny but I can't tell if it was intentional. Or how he called himself the black pill, or how he called the cops nazis on a Kanye album, he had no idea this would sound funny in the future. Lyrics didn't help, still a 1.

I like rap but I don't like hiphop that much

bliver holdt oven vande af nogle rigtig gode Kanye West beats (lyder meget inspireret af J Dilla i øjeblikke også?). Jeg kan bare ikke forstå hvorfor man vil lytte til så kedelig en rapper som Common hvis man kan lytte til Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch eller alle de andre neo-soul-agtige rappere fra 00'erne The Food er en god reminder om hvor gode musikindslagene var på Chappelle's Show!!

Common gjorde ikke *så* meget for mig, men Kanye var on fire på det her tidspunkt. Jeg ku rigtig godt lide beatsene.

Virkelig stadig ikke mig, selvom jeg nu har hørt pladen 2 gange indenfor 2 måneder..

Amazing, soulful album. Early Kanye production works well with Common's lyricism. It felt like both artists were on the same page and wanted to send a beautiful message to their community. 4.5/5.

Smooth as silk, un-Common-ly good... The "They Say" song with Kanye and John Legend is just peak mid 00s vibes, great soul sample, twinking keyboards, again smooth as all hell. Kinda crazy that the beats Common turned down ended up making Kanye's "Late Registration", think how much better this could have been...

Sounds like Kanye tbh

Idk, I want to give this a 3.5

This is a very listenable album and the production - by Kanye - is rock solid (the bass was coarsing through my bones throughout). i enjoyed it, not as mainstream as Kanye's own work (I'm thinking College Dropout here), but it has an edge. It reminds me a little of Marvin Gaye's Waht's Going On with it's social messages and children's aspirational voices strewn throughout. It lacks the catchy, memorable melodic hooks that I seek in the hip hop I love, but its a solid album. It's going to lose a star for not being the most re-listenable for me, but that's just my taste. I bet hardcore hip hop lovers will rate it much higher adn I am unaware of the influence it has had.. As with many of my reviews, I'll likely wan tto change it at a later date and, in this case, most likely rate it higher as I get more acquainted with it.

Best song - Chi-City

The last song was good. The rest were alright.

It feels like the fingerprints of this album are all over pop and hip hop since its release, probably due to Kanye's influence over it and his subsequent success as a solo artist. This album feels very mid-00s as a 1st time listener in 2023 but having a date does not ruin an album, it just makes it a product of its time.

Listened to half. Enjoyed it.

lekkere productie, common is nice. echter iets te mild

didnt listen ahh!!

Very pleasant.

Generally inoffensive. Decent listen

Pretty good! But not entirely my vibe.

Not my favorite by Common and not my favorite in the genre. He has a good message as always but never really liked him a ton.

This one was alright

This one is such a great listen just enjoyable and interesting the whole way through

Good album, good radio selection afterwards.

Still sounds amazing

Nothing needs to be said. Fire