Be

Not bad but not feeling it

Again I didn’t hate it but it was not all that good. I did not find myself liking any particular song

Sorry, don't like rap.

A frustratingly mediocre album, capped off by a pretentious closing track

Common rarity? Shit

Eh

This was a nice vibe. I still struggle with rap, as lyrics are much less important to me than the music underneath. This had some nice moments, though. 5/10 Decent

Pretty standard hip hop album. Nothing really jumped out at me. Nice easy listening, a little boring. If the whole album blends together for me, it's a 2. I just listened and already can't remember any of it. Not bad, just not... anything.

Då var vi där igen, i den där sörjan mellan neo-soul och hiphop och naturligtvvis har mr. West ett finger med i smeten. Ni kan läsa recensionen från College dropout, det här är precis vad jag menade med att kommersiell hiphop gick vilse i den sörjan. Enstaka gånger hittar Common tillbaka till nåt som kan betecknas som renodlad hiphop, då blir det genast lite bättre och det är det som gör att han klarar tvåan med ett nödrop.

Tiresome and bland at the same time.

I don’t like rap, hip hop and all that stuff. Regardless the jazzy and rithm&blues parts, it’s so bored and repetitive.

2 1/2 stars

Música de negros. 5/10

I don't really like rap... I liked some of the backing tracks, but got bored of, and couldn't relate to, what he was rapping about.

Another fairly boring one for me

Meh

An album I had no prior familiarity with, in a genre that is a blind spot for me. Can’t say that I loved this one, although that certainly more on my taste than the quality of the album itself. The Intro is memorably great.

Любопытные треки, оч интересное и разнообразное звучание, but не мое

I scraped a maths A-Level and didn't pursue the subject any further. I still think I'd rather spend an hour doing a pure maths exam than listen to this snoozefest again.

Didn’t realize common had the beats

Not my style

Awesome story teller but not for me

It's great hip hop music. Makes me think of like dance battles on the streets. It's nothing special, but it's not bad.

2/11

So far, this album leads the way for most eyes rolls

Variety: 1 Adequacy: 4 Listenability: 2 Uniqueness: 1 Emotionality: 2 = 2.0 "Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)" I know next to nothing about Common's music career and am only slightly more familiar with him as an actor and personality. Wide open on this one so let's get to it. THE TRACKS "Be (Intro)" - Pleasant enough, short little thing with an interesting mix of electronic beep boops and what I assume is a sample. Think I always assumed Common was an actor-turned-rapper, and not the other way around, so surprised he has a decent enough flow. A little slow, a little stuttering, but fine. "The Corner" (featuring Umar Bin Hassan of the Last Poets) - Nice beat here. Can't say I was impressed with the vocal performances on this. "Go!" (featuring John Mayer and Kanye West) - More interesting stuff here with the catchier repetition over top the airy keyboards. Goes on far too long though with no variation. Did this warrant bringing the big guns on for it? "Faithful" - I enjoy a bit of pitch shifted vocals. And Common, while not being too adventurous, sounds way more comfortable here. Great instrumentation underneath. The background vocalists here add some texture as well. Solid stuff. "Testify" - Another good beat. I still am not digging Common's delivery though. He's ... competent is the best I can say about him. Nothing makes him stand out and can easily imagine him reading off a lyric sheet while performing this. "Love Is…" - This starts off well. I think I might like to hear Common sing a bit more. His flow works much better with this beat as well. Kind of a lazy, off/in between the beat sort of thing. Still no flashiness, but it works here with all the background stuff going on. "Chi-City" - Best instrumentation so far, with what sounds like a classic soul sample underneath. Common's energy is up here as well, and he brings a bit more attitude to the proceedings. Where has this guy been? "The Food" (live) - Decent live performance, just wondering why no studio track ( went and found the studio version). Ok, after listening I can see it. Live version is unsurprisingly more, uh.. full of life? I get it. Still doesn't wow me or anything. "Real People" - Some heavy soul vibes here. But Common is back to his somewhat stiff delivery. Is there a backing track only version of this available? "They Say" (featuring Kanye West and John Legend) - Have never been much of a Kanye or Legend fan, and they don't really make this stand out more than anything else on the album. "It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)" (featuring "the Kids") - Maybe the beat, but this sounds like a throwback 90s track to me. Common's energy is WAY back up, and he ends strong. If this is more what Common's previous stuff sounded like, I might be interested in checking more out. I also found a live tv performance of this and liked it even more. Maybe Common is a betetr live act? HIGHLIGHTS - "Faithful" - "Love Is…" - "Chi-City" - "It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)" MIDLIGHTS - "Be (Intro)" - "The Food" (live) LOWLIGHTS - "The Corner" - "Go!" - "Testify" - "Real People" - "They Say" FINAL THOUGHTS As competent and professional as this sounds, I can't say that much of any of it worked all that well for me. Have just heard so much similar stuff done much better by others. The live version of "It's Your World" I looked up had me much more intrigued than anything I heard here. Glad I finally heard some of his music though, and have some context to the man's career. Also worth noting, this had some of the least effective guest spots I can recall on any hip hop album I can think of though. Still I guess that's better than modern albums where it seems like 90% of the content is from guests? PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Maybe cobble together an all live version of this ( with no guest spots).

Mjao

It’s fine for what it is, but I don’t see what makes it special enough to be on the 1,001 albums to hear before you down list. I like the collaborations with Kanye, and some of the messaging is pretty introspective. It has that underground positivity vibe (think Talib Kweli).

* So I thought this was interesting from "The Corner": "We write songs about wrong 'cause it's hard to see right"- Seeing the earthly "struggle" and "greed", and looking for hope in Christianity. Like the whole album feels like he's trying to highlight the culture of the both? I can appreciate this. I think "It's Your World" rounds the album out nicely considering the name of the album, I just wish it had more of those themes. * I Do think this albym has heavy Kanye influeces. I like the incorporation of soul, but some of the sounds are slightly chaotic and felt loosely thrown in sometimes. Some bars in here but not really my teacup.

I understand why people like this, but I don't

One of the better rap albums I've allowed myself to listen to.

Not into rap

No lo conocía. No me enganchó. Es como reggae con hiphop

Solid record. Honestly, I preferred his other music that autoplayed once this album ended.

inte min typ av hiphop

I found it kinda average. It's good, but nothing out of this world

560/1001

I liked more than I usually like rap.

Sloprap

Veryy close to liking this but I just need More from the instrumentals - I guess lofi hip-hop/neo soul is not for me. Chi-City and Real People almost did it for me.

Not my genre at all but I didn't care much for this. I liked the intro track and Real People, and that was about it. The closing track was pretty obnoxious and inauthentic, and a lot in the middle was forgettable. Outside of the two tracks I liked, I definitely won't be revisiting this.

Stronger than the typical rap release, I’ll give it that. Still not my kind of thing though. I’m clearly not the target demographic.

I don't like rap music. Not that I absolutely hated this but it does not deserve a good score in my books. Disliked the lyrics from a big part of the album, even though I rarely even focus on them on the first listen. Also I do side with the math guy.

A few tracks in this really started to get a bit irritating, specifically "Testify" - a lot of the tracks use a repeating sample throughout, but this one just really grated. Overall pretty much all of the backing is ridiculously repetitive. I guess there's some variety in the sense that the backing of each track is quite different, but within a track there's just no new ideas beyond the first 10 seconds. Seems to be the same sort of theme lyrically as basically every other hip-hop album. Drugs, sex, money, guns. Though I will say this album sounds more grown-up both lyrically and musically. There's a lot of noticeable jazz/soul influence in the backing, particularly in "They Say" and "Real People"; both of these would be OK background listening. Plus "They Say" contained my favourite lyric of "it's quite okay for a gangsta to wear sandals" (though I think that was a Kanye line). "It's Your World" had some nice piano. Highlights: - "Real People" - "They Say" - "It's Your World" for the reasons above. Improved at the end, not awful, but not going to listen to it again.

Okay!

Would be great for a very low background music, but too explicit for me

Couldn't really get into it. The larger message of "be what you want and follow your dreams didn't feel like a through line in the album, rather it was tacked on at the end in the last track. Language matters as well, how you speak about others says a lot about you. 2/5 stars.

Rapp is not my music. Netherless some tracks were worth to listen.

Fake vibes, fakes wise.

Esse álbum tem o mesmo problema de muitos álbuns de rap, que acabam caindo na monotonia. Tem algumas ideias interessantes, mas que são mal aproveitadas pela falta de dinamismo das músicas. Melhor do álbum: "Be (Intro)". Pior do álbum: "GO!".

I didn’t really enjoy this initially but think it got better towards the end of the album. Not heard it before.

2/5

There are some things that just aren't off limits for rappers and I find it crass... "Like rain, when she came, it poured" Great, what a man you must be in bed. Keep it private or tell your closest mates, don't stick it on a bloody record. And the song about if God was a woman "might've got a little head, but it ain't cheating" well yes actually, that would be cheating. Cannot relate to this puerile nonsense, which is a shame as the music isn't bad.

Cute but not my thing

Kinda lame

Mr. Lynn and I have different values and perspectives. Also, mid. 1 - i have negative feelings *2* - i have no feelings 3 - glad i heard it 4 - "oh i like that album!" 5 - in the rotation

2000s hip-hop, not my vibe but not bad.

Decent. Not much for hip hop but not bad.

kanye and dilla production = instantly iconic but something about common's flow always ruins it for me...my girlfriend is going to be mad at me but there was a viral tweet that said something like "don't nobody ever say 'ay man, throw that new mgk record on'" and that is exactly how i feel about common.

The “intro” song was the best of the album. The music here isn’t bad but it’s just not very exciting rap.

A level 6 2000s rap common rarity build of an album

3/10

🙄

its aight

Lwk good

A good hip hop background album. Some of the lyrics were cringe but not all.

Not for me. I liked it marginally better than other rap stuff I’ve listened to.

Never knew hip-hop could be so boring, extra shocking since Kanye (f*ck 2025/26 Kanye) produced this. Dad hip hop

I listened 8 hours ago and have completely forgotten what I was going to say about it. So there's that... It was forgettable. Obviously. Not terrible.

Probably need to have a few more listens, but liked it on 1st play, couple of nice trax, will listen again.

Jeder Song für sich macht ungefähr einen Minute Spaß und wird dann nervig. 2005er US-Rap der ein wenig ungelenk versucht 90s mit 50cent zu verbinden. 2 Sterne dafür dass ich 3-4 mal mit dem Kopf geknickt habe.

Nope. I don't get him, maybe it's his voice or his delivery, or smart-man rap, not sure, but I don't get his groove. The album has a solid listening count with "Be" clocking in at 38M listens, "Go!" at 54M and "The Food" at 26M, nother other track has fewer than 5.5M. So while it doesn't float my boat at all, it's popular and appreciated by others. I think the cameo of a young Kanye West the entire album including "The Corner", "Go!" & "They Say" (with John Legend too) helped propel this album once Kanye hit it big. I got nothing from this, but I don't like Kanye either. I felt like they were preaching AT me the entire album, not entertaining. I don't listen to music for the message, so it's lost on me. 2.5 stars, I'm sure it's good, I just don't enjoy it.

Features kanye. Antisemite.

Aside from questioning why Common is on a list like this, it was fine. It sounded much like any other rap / R&B album from that era.

"It's your world" ... I fully agree ! but that's not the music I like listening to

Not really into his music. I would not know good rap from bad.

Обычный рэп, с уклоном в попсу

It was fine. Beats were ok (mostly Kanye, with two J Dilla tracks). For me it felt mostly the same. Same tempo, same flow, same attitude, same rehashed points from song to song. Was hoping for more and never really got there.

The church youth pastor’s favorite rapper. Never quite got the hype around Common. This is basic, clean unadorned rap. At least the Grammy Awards will always have a mainstream rap act to feature and honor without needing to dig too deeply below the surface.

Maybe one day I will enjoy a hip-hop album but, to be fair, the more I listen to this genre the more I think I won't. This album is a little bit better than other hip-hop albums I've listened to. But it feels bland and repetitive. The samples are very well put in this album, they merge really well with the other elements of the songs. But, well, I've tried this album, it's just not of my taste.

It was fine. I've heard better, I've heard worse. Not my typical style of music but I have to give it points for great production and instrumentation. Some cornball lyrics throughout, but "The Corner" was really good.

Common is a good way of describing it.

Common strikes me as a guy who thinks he's much better than he actually is.

Besser als ich gedacht hätte

Quiet and ominous guitar plucking at the start, speeding up to make a riff Sort of chill rap over the top Like calm lyrics but it fits well on the synth stuff and the continuous riff underneath Not a rap fan but this is musically sound and lyrically complex

Listenable but not my thing.

De fundal

i could smell the kanye on this album wayy before i heard him being mentioned. quite liked this, especially the bits with the female vocalists, but lowkey felt a bit too familiar (even though i have never heard this album before)

Not thrilled about the presence of Kanye West and Dave Chappelle on this album. Otherwise it's fine

Tedious and annoying.

Too much Kanye.

Good album.

i found this to be very uninteresting

Like a lot of hip hop, this would be better as an instrumental album.

I honestly really did not like this album. There were definitely times where I was vibing, but other times I wondered why this is rated highly. I don't necessarily dislike the album, but I wouldn't really come back to any of these songs.

Not my thing

With a handful of interesting backing track elements across the first half of the album, Be becomes less inventive and more lightweight the deeper you get. That said, it is still fairly solid hip-hop fare - nothing groundbreaking but more uplifting an experience than most 2000s rap tends to be, while I enjoyed it for the most part, but won't necessarily be returning to this album in a hurry.

2.5

2.5

Bro is speaking at me and I don’t like it most of the time. Great production, just not my thing.

I want to like this album but I just think it’s corny!!

Favorite tracks: Be I found most of this album to be a bit of a drag, which was a big disappointment with how much I enjoyed the instruments on Be. The only thing that set some of the songs apart from others are the featured guests, and having my ears perk up when someone else starts singing/rapping doesn't bode well for the album's artist itself. As far as the lyrics go it felt like he was trying to be deep but never really got there. My top example is Faithful, where he talks about his relationship with God only to come to the conclusion that maybe cheating is bad - this right on the heels of GO! which is basically soft porn. Overall not a bad album, but feels a bit generic.

Is this supposed to be some groundbreaking R&B album? I must be ignorant.

it was ok. I dont know what makes this stand out to put it on the list though. I won't remember this next week. 2.5 stars

Well here's another Common album. This is only the second record I've heard from him, the other being Like Water for Chocolate (which I hated), and I was expecting to hate this too. Honestly? A lot better than that one. This made a lot of sense when I realized Kanye was deeply involved with this record. Makes sense! Still not for me though.

Nice, I guess. A bit slick, but well produced.

Pas nul mais bon toujours un peu répétitif ce genre de musique et j'ai pas la motivation d'ecouter en profondeur les paroles pour juger de la qualité donc bon ça sort pas franchement du lot en termes de musicalité et j'aurai oublié d'ici 2 jours.

I'm really ready for this album to be over, but it isn't. Wait... oh, nope. Still isn't.

The makers of this list certainly love their hip-hop, it seems like it's half of the albums I am getting these days. This one starts really well with a great double bass groove (it's nicked, erm, sampled though). The second song is alright. Is this going to be a 4* hip-hop album? Unfortunately, it then goes downhill for me - GO! being too smooth "soul" like and there's more like that. Didn't enjoy apart from that bass groove so I'm going to listen to some 1970's jazz now, which has all that jazzy goodness but none of the annoying "yeah" talking over it.

I will never forget the mean tweet Common read on Jimmy Kimmel: “Common is the Pottery Barn of rappers.” It was hard not to bring that sentiment to my listening experience, as I’ve never listened to a full album by Common. I enjoyed the features and samples on the album much more than I enjoyed Common himself. It’s not that his flow is bad; it’s just bland. The lyrical content is actually great, but it’s entirely uninspiring to me due to Common’s flow. Looking back, I think I could’ve been the author of the aforementioned mean tweet, as I feel it’s the perfect description for Common.

Kinda forgetful. Had some cool moments though.

Annoying

It's ok but not my bag

Not a fan of HipHop, but I like it. Wouldnt hear it on a regular basis. But I see it's very good

Clean sounding hip hop, could not get into it

I’m never going to be a fan of hip hop or rap in general. This is, however, pretty good. Common is good at what he does, and even though I really don’t like Kanye West as a person, he is very good at sampling and finding interesting musical bits to use in music. So overall, this is good, but not something I would actively put on again

2,5

Good rhythm and rhymes but didn't hook me in.

I had never heard of Common before and didn't recognize any of the songs but there were a few I really enjoyed. There were biblical themes and several songs showing this came out in 2005. Not my favorite, but glad I gave it a shot.

It's a pretty good album but nothing overwhelmingly amazing I'd ever feel the urge to listen again

Not special.

not for me

I wouldn't willingly listen to this again. It's not the worst thing I've heard though.

Not my vibe. Too old school, too soul/r&b, too Kanye-adjacent.

++: Go!, Faithful, The Food +: Be (Intro), The Corner, Love Is..., Real People, They Say +-: Chi-City, It's Your World (Part 1 & 2) -: Testify 5,5/10

Pretty boring. Ages poorly compared to other 2005 rap albums, which was a particularly dry time in music.

Mer rap. Mer mixerbordsmusicerande. Det blir rätt könlöst, tycker jag. Men Common är duktig på hantverket och det finns intressanta grepp.

Appreciate the introduction to an artist I didn’t know but the music didn’t do it for me like others from the same genre and era (50 cent, Eminem). Wouldn’t voluntarily give it a re-listen. C.

My only exposure to Common is his acting as Sims in Silo. Soulful but just not my bag.

Maybe I don’t get it. It I found this pretty dull.

Great vocal tone - I think reading lyrics along to the music would maximise the impact. Some good beats. Would need to revisit this album with lyrics to appreciate the poetry.

Didn't love it. Maybe I think Common is too cheesy?

Ikke så ille til å være hiphop

Musically has a nice feel, not getting into the themes of the songs.

A couple fun tracks, but lyrics feel too cheesy to love.

bof

Hip-hop mixed with soul? Started out solid but then eventually got bored. It does remind me solid of that 2000s sound.

I’ve never really found my way into hip hop. I think I’m getting close though.

Thought the other Common album on here was better. I was expecting more with Kanye's production but even it felt boring to me. Rating: 1.8

I don't know... I have heard worse hip-hop/rap records here. Maybe it's because it's produced by West, or because there was nothing really outstanding here, but this was kind of dull.

smooth jazz version of hip hop

OK, not my cup of tea. Uninspiring.

I know he's super popular, but his style doesn't jive with me.

Kanye west

Meh. Didn't really grab me and then lost me totally when Kanye showed up.

Probably one of the better albums of this genre I have listened to so far, but that still means 2 stars or D+.

Solid listen, it's good but there isn't anything that warrants a repeat listen. Production is solid and the Kanye features are fine. I don't dislike any of the tracks but none of them are staying with me either.

Eh - not my thing. Kind of mid.

Decent enough but not my scene. Mid 2s

I like the '70s vibe that's woven through a few songs. In general, though, it doesn't move the needle much for me.

This was an okay album. I was pleasantly surprised by the use of musical instruments and melodies. But in the end I can only give it two stars because I can't relate despite having failed Calculus in school ;-)

To start: hip-hop and rap isn’t my thing on the whole. I enjoyment moments of this album and is not a hard listen but doesn’t do much for me on any deep level. Can tell Kanye has had a hand in this but doesn’t have the some catchy-ness of some of his work from a similar time. Did blend together a touch for me so don’t think i’ve got a top 3 but i do really like the closing track ‘It’s Your World’ as really like the spoken word element and also enjoy ‘They Say’ and love the repeating line on the twinkly keys and some of the vocals! I get why people love this but it’s not super up my alley! 2.5

I like the warm and soulful production of the album, it's excellently made. I lack the cultural and language knowledge to understand what this album is really about, though the rapping itself flows well and it's fine. Although a lot of the songs sound samey to me and nothing stands out much. The production itself stands out. 2.5 stars.

It's alright

lets say 2/5

Meh

This is #day282 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… from 1963 yesterday to 2005 today. I'm not sure why this album made the list. The music's okayish, a kind of hip-hop that sounds very much of its time, though I'm not hyped on the soul foundation. Then I learned it was produced by Kanye West and released on his label. I rated both his albums a 1... and don't tell me he used to be a different person. People never change. Let this one be a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day283.

It's not my thing, but I like the contrast of the soulful jazz music and the spoken word/street poetry component. Better than a lot of hip hop rap crap I've heard here.

too corny for my taste

Started well with the sound of upright bass, but after that it was pretty common hiphop.

This slipped once again to the boring side. I have never been a huge fan of Common, and this album points out why. His hip hop is too soft and loose for my taste, I need more edge, attitude, and some off-beat vibes.

Not my kinda hip hop. Nothing wrong as such, just doesn't hit me like I was expecting.

I'm no mathematician, but I sure counted a lot of songs with irritating, grating sounds that repeated over & over & over again.

I don't think that I enjoy Common in either way that I've consumed his content lately - musically or acting in Silo

The poetry is okay, but it's not musically interesting.

Começou bem mas dps de um tempo senti que era mais do mesmo o tempo inteiro

couldn't get on with this, fave song was They Say, liked how it was kinda chilled out but overall it just didn't work for me

The music was ok, not the usual hiphop I listen to - middle of the road 3 stars, but 1 less star because of Kanye

This was decent but not quite managing a 3

For what it is it isn't bad, it just isn't my kind of thing and I doubt I'll listen to it again

Yeah...oh fuk yeah. Famous...joint. ei jatkoon

Ei uppoa.

WTF, Kanye two days in a row?

Meh... It's not terrible. Flow and rhymes are solid. Not a fan of the production, but that's typical for me and modern hip-hop. Nothing really outstanding here though. Nothing makes me want to listen to it ever again.

Easy listening but ultimately disappointing. I expected jazzy “conscious” rap to be my thing, but the flow and delivery is monotonous and boring.

Not bad but I only connected with a couple tracks

This album is not targeted towards me, and it also falls outside my usual listening habits. In fact, my engagement with rap music has been minimal since the early 1980s, specifically during the era of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. I am just not a fan of the evolution and direction most mainstream rap. From a sound perspective, the album is well-crafted. The instrumentation is clear, intricate, and avoids excessive repetition. However, nothing particularly captivated me or compelled me re-listen, nor did any tracks evoke a strong dislike, although I did find the live track disruptive to the flow of the album. Also, I admit I have my own biases. I might have been more open to a higher rating for this album had it not included a self-admitted anti-semitic Nazi. But hey, maybe that is just me.

It's always a little sad when you get excited to see what album you get for the day and when it pops up you're just like, "oh man, that's a shame." I knew I wasn't going to like this when it came up. I'm not a hip hop fan at all and I can't imagine from what I've heard from and about Common that I'm going to enjoy this much. I've heard Common referred to as 'dad rap' and yeah I can see that. First impression - holy shit maybe I was wrong, sweet double bass is shaping up to be good! Then the album really begins. Nope, I was right. More typical hip hop degrading women and inflating self-importance. Maybe not to the same degree as most of the others, but still. It does those things in kind of like a nice guy sort of way if that makes sense. Still, no thanks. And not only that, but this record is produced by and largely featuring Kanye West. Fuck that guy. I'm out. 1.5/5 maybe rounding up just because of that double bass. And a PS, I was reading reviews but skipped down a few first. Thought I was missing something with all these reviews about math and PhDs 😂 Good work here guys.

Consider the extra star a professional courtesy

Okay.

Rap, which reaches nearly a 3..

nah, 2005 rap esp. with kanye nnaah bruv

ehh, so so

2.5

Meh. 2/5

Was Common ever in the conversation of hip-hop greats? Do we really need two of his albums on this list? This is the better of the two, but still.

Not a fan of rap really

Not at all my jam - but more musicality than I've heard of others in this genre...

It was okay. Rap is not really my thing. The last couple of minutes tied the whole album together though.

I’ve heard of Common but never listened to him. Very bluesy and r and b. Also very much messagey. Didn’t mind it but not my total jam.

Don’t know this smoother type of rap very well, Pleasant enough, not the target audience and didn’t connect/get into it enough to reach/know the content, which is on me which is fine.

This one didn’t click with me. Production is good, but I didn’t like the style overall. Guess it’s my mathematics phd and lack of verbal intelligence

Tydelig Kanye produktion. Lyden er meget hen af hans egne tidlige albums. Men uden de samme bangers som der var på de skiver. Første nummer fanger mig, men derefter fader jeg nemt ud af albummet.

Honestly, more enjoyable than I was expecting, but not for me.

Never even heard of the artist before and for sure won’t remember him in a few weeks time…nothing special, decent hiphop grooves, lyrics don’t stand out for me…

Apart from some interesting rhymes in the first couple of tracks, this didn't do anything for me, and the final track, It's Your World, I just found mawkish.

Another let down of an album. I have standards and those standards for hip hop don’t fit the “Common” slate. Parental Advisory alert? Check Anything else??? No Musically well produced, decent samples as well but the delivery of his rhymes are weak. There doesn’t seem to be any conviction, anger, direction with his delivery. I know who Common is, that says something but I clearly don’t know it from this album. Choice cut: Love Is

Cool production, honestly not too many thoughts on this. Good album don't see myself coming back in the future.

As with most rap albums, this really wasn't for me. I've heard worse, but this made no impression on me

Be is an album that clearly wants to be important, conscious, and uplifting, but too often settles for sounding polite and self-satisfied. It presents itself as soulful and reflective, yet much of it feels smoothed down to the point of blandness. The production is warm and tasteful, sometimes too tasteful, wrapping everything in a comforting glow that removes any sense of urgency or tension. Instead of pulling you in, it keeps you at arm’s length, nodding along rather than feeling anything deeply. Lyrically, Common is thoughtful and articulate, but the delivery rarely hits with real weight. There is a lot of talk about growth, positivity, and self-awareness, yet very little that feels risky or emotionally raw. The verses often circle familiar ideas without digging into them, and the hooks drift by without leaving much of a mark. Even when the beats hint at something richer or more dynamic, the songs tend to flatten out, choosing reassurance over impact. What ultimately holds Be back is how content it seems with being agreeable. It wants to inspire, but it rarely challenges, provokes, or surprises. There is nothing here that feels outright bad, but there is also very little that truly demands attention or repeat listens. It is an album that sounds good while it is on and evaporates almost immediately after.

..

5.5/10. Be what? It’s okay. I don’t have much to say about this album. Be.

Here comes my usual hip hop review: More relentlessly monotonous hip hop about the same boring subjects: humble brag, whine about "socially conscious" subjects, rinse and repeat Nothing original here. No thanks. Moving on to the next album.

Supongo que no está mal y Común me parece buen tipo, pero cada que me sale un disco de rap en esta lista me confirma que no es lo mío y nunca podré con el género. Me cansa enseguida y todos los discos me parecen idénticos, sean de quien sean. Lo siento, Común.

Didn’t think I was going to enjoy this based on its genre, which I know is bad but I’m just not a rap/hip hop kinda gal. However, as albums go, this was one of the more listenable ones I’ve had on this list from that genre. If it’s got a more interesting beat and some different vocals and melodies then it just passes for me.

Kanye and Chappell on the same song lame

S'alright, which is a more than glowing endorsement when it comes to hip hop for me. I quite enjoyed the instrumentals on these tracks, and I found myself warming to some of the vocal performances and lyrics. The Kanye track was my favourite, which surprised me as I have next to no familiarity with his discography. I may give some of his albums a listen when I clear my current backlog

I'm not a rap fan but as far as rap albums go, this was actually tolerable. For me to give a rap album a 2.5/5 would be like giving a different kind of album a 4.

Just gangsters etc, i dont get the hype

Not bad, but nothing really stood out either.

Maso

I'm not surprised I'm not big on the Kanye West produced tracks, never got into his chipmunk soul thing. I am surprised that the Dilla tracks don't stand out. Maybe kinda shocked even? the natural response to J Dilla beats is supposed to be 'oh hell yeah'. I'd maybe think harder about whether it should be a 3, but if you've got both John Mayer and Kanye West on your album you have to really justify anything above a 2.

I remember kinda liking this when it came out, but it feels like a harder sell now. Maybe it’s the Kanye West connection, maybe it’s John Mayer. Maybe it’s that I know Obama really likes the guy. I dunno. It’s not good when any president thinks you’re cool.

I like Common in general but found this album pretty generic and lacking any distinctive feel or creativity to push it over the top. Very average, if not slightly below average.

Þetta rapp var nú ekki alslæmt. Ég næstum því fílaði það en samt bara næstum því. Ég þurfti ekki að bíða eftir því að platan kláraðist en ég mun aldrei reyna að spila hana aftur. Þannig að já, ekki alslæmt en heldur ekki sérlega gott

Meh. Enjoyed some beats but mostly ruined by association with Kanye.

It's ok

Not my culture, cannot relate and not interesting musically enough to make it other than repetitive. This has just enough small musical interludes not to dismiss it entirely. but please no more rap albums!

It’s nice enough. But what’s the point in listening to it? It doesn’t break any new ground.

Just pretty dull really

Not for me thanks. I recognised the extra emphasis on the music, but the rapping was the usual...

Best part of this album is Kanye. Great album etc but unfortunately I have an aversion to Common.

I’m not too cool for many things. But I’m too cool for Common.

It's easy to hate Common for being a lax faux intellectual rapper. And I hate him for it. I'll give 2 stars for good production on this album though – a lot of socially conscious rap has such sparse and uninspired beats that you have no choice but to listen to the preachy lyrics, but the highest compliment I can give Common is that he picks good producers who can distract from his annoying persona. I actually found myself enjoying a few songs when I could just enjoy the beat without listening to him waxing poetic. But that's as far as I'll go

I fell asleep every time I tried to get through this - one time at 2pm in the middle of the work day.

Not my typical genre of music. Some nice rhythms but easily forgettable for me - no real lasting power.

No thanks. At least it wasn't hyper aggressive.

My buddies listened to this a lot in high school. It's definitely more pleasant and mellow than pop radio rap from the same time period. But it's a little serious. It's just not as much fun as ATCQ or De La Soul. Fine but not exciting.

Meh

Not my music

This one didn't speak to me.

It’s not awful, but the some of the production style is a little too smooth and R&B for my tastes. I suppose, at least, that’s another artist I never need to hear again ticked off the list.

It was ok, not my type of music

Very odd. I disliked it a lot less than I thought I would. Still no interest in it, but it's certainly more than a 1-star.

I don’t get the buzz around this album

Kan kanske höra något musikaliskt nån sekund här och där. Men mest är det nigga och motherfucka.

Ok

No lo conocia, pero no me convence. No es mi tipo de música.

Apart from the lyrics mostly pretty common and notebly a lot of repetitions. A lot of the instruments also seem to have been generated digitally. This probably is not noticable, if one is focussing on the lyrics. These may be generally good and were fine for the last song. But there the vocals were from my perspective badly performed. At least for me, the breathing seemed to be displaced. There were some highlights, but there are too many aspects below average to justify more than 2 / 5.

Es ist sicherlich kein grottenschlechtes Album, aber es ist halt Hip-Hop und Rap, der mich persönlich wenig begeistert. Common bleibt seinem Stil treu und liefert solide Texte und Beats, die Fans des Genres sicherlich zu schätzen wissen. Dennoch fehlt mir der Funke, der das Album für mich wirklich herausragend machen würde. Die Tracks sind solide produziert und beinhalten auch melodische Passagen, aber sie schaffen es nicht, mich emotional zu packen oder nachhaltig zu beeindrucken. Insgesamt ein eher unterdurchschnittliches Musikerlebnis.

Stories in musical form. This album is upbeat and speaks of current affairs as far as a non black non American can tell, but I didn’t really connect with the lyrics. The best song for me was at the end: It’s Your World. I do like how positive this album was compared to a lot of other rap albums out there.

This is better than the first offering I got on this list from Common. Still not my thing.

Meh record, not my kind of soul.

I’m not into rap

Not for me

3.92 rym qualche base sembra interessante, ma musicalmente non è il mio mi spiace non riuscire a entrare nel conscious hip hop, ma per me dei testi assurdi non bastano, ho davvero bisogno che la musica mi dica qualcosa

The lyrics are considerably more thoughtful and creative than most popular hip hop. But the beats and the flow are pretty average.

Not my jam, but good.

Rating this album is like rating a type of beer I don't like (Ciders). It may be well crafted, but not to my taste. I did enjoy the first song BE "The present is a gift and I just wanna BE"

Not really my genre. The first attempt I got in about 3 songs and just wasn't feeling it. My second attempt, many hours later, was more successful. It wasn't bad, but I don't feel like there were any standouts for me as well, and the collaboration with Kanye was "rougher" as per the latter's style, which I am less appreciative of. While I probably wouldn't object to hearing some or most of this album again, I am not putting it into my playlist.

If you make me listen to this genre, then this is the album I would select. I enjoyed Common's voice more that I imagined but wont be listening again.

It ok, just not for me.

Hold the back page. I like an album from this genre! Was fearing the worst once I’d read that Mr Common was a rapper and the album was produced by Kanye West. But…it was more than bearable. In fact, there was nice music! The vocals were really good and not too offensive lyrically and it felt like a nice R&B mood.

It was just okay. I didn't feel overly moved or excited about any of the songs

Kind of boring, not gonna lie. The most fun I had with this was reading that PhD mathematician dude's review - Shakespeare could never. Got jumpscared by the "Uneven Compromise" sample origin on "Chi-City".

Pointless rap

A poetic rap album littered with classics and yet it feels outdated, artificial, and pretentious.

Best oke

5/10

Not a huge fan of this one, I am just not crazy about his voice / flow. Also something about the production rubbed me the wrong way, either too much compression, too much high end, or something like that. Some songs also had annoying chipmunk vocals, or annoying back up singers. Also fuck Kanye

Ok

Day98 - common and kanye sound really good together. the music and beats are good to bad the lyrics are lame

It's the same thing with each rap/hip hop album I hear: burdened by awful hooks and choruses. Some of the rapping is really good. The beats are great in some of the songs. I love how Common raps about love in one song and the next he's talking about getting head ain't cheating. Haha. I don't know... Maybe rap just isn't my genre. Because I couldn't see myself ever putting this on and grooving to this. Maybe another rap album or artist will hook me in but come on Common. It ain't you!

Good R&B vibes, nice beats

Disappointing. I really like his flow, but this just feels a bit clinical. Not quite underground, not quite shiny pop hip hop. Stuck in the middle of ideas .

The first track was really fun but did not leave much of an impression afterwards

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.

Not the worst

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

Good listen. I enjoyed it.

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

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.

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. 👩👩

Didn’t listen

2 - Me caga el Rap

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.

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

Leaves me without any emotions

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.

Fine. Sounds like Common.

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.

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

👍

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

Not bad

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.

Rapsy hip hopy

I am not the intended audience. Good music.

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

Not me

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.

not gonna revisit this

Not my music

I didnt like it

Not my genre. Surprisingly tame and mainstream

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

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

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.