Be

His name is Common because his music is nothing special

Common is really good at painting pictures with his lyricism. J Dilla's prod is on point. Not super into the neo-soul vibe though. I personally liked the tracks where Kanye was featured the best (I really prefer his production style to J Dilla's), and also Go! and Testify. Although I think this album is pretty OK I genuinely don't see what makes it stand-out enough to be on a top albums list. I think I just might have brainrot from listening to so much experimental hip hop that a dude rapping about how he loves his partner over a soul beat feels really corny and uninteresting. 3/5

It looks like a very influential album, but it sounds standard for 2022 ears. It probably deserves more than 3 stars, but it's hard to find reasons to rate it without the historical background. Maybe almost all hip-hop albums suffer from this problem since they are always too contextualized, but some of them (like this one) are hard to stay relevant after more than 10 years after their release.

2005 album that was entirely produced by Kanye or dilla not a fan of the vocal delivery but the beats are what make the album 3.5

16th November 2022 Listened on the drive and tube in to the office. Book club in the evening. Thought it sounded very Kanye then the man himself turned up later in the record. Liked this, 3.5 if I could.

Not much to say - enjoyed listening to the album, but cannot remember a single song so it didn't leave an impression on me.

Intro slaps Go! is cute Beats are chill Boring flow

Not a genre for me, but it was fine enough with good variety

Great groove but I was a little bored at times. Common is a really good lyricist and I think if I enjoyed the hip hop genre more I’d have given this a higher rating.

Enjoyed that a lot - Some really nice beats in there and heartfelt lyrics. A bit one-note but a good laid-back album to put on.

3 stars for the producing. 1 star for the feel and vibe. Subtract half star for inconsistent lyrics. Round down for some language choice.

Some nice tracks

HL: “They Say”, “Go!”, “The Food” 3.5 Mostly liked West’s production, though the sample on Testify got a bit annoying. Surprised I haven’t heard more from Common, though I’m really only starting to learn about hiphop beyond the loudest & brashest acts (aka West) in my twenties. October 17, 2022

Eh, 00s rap doesn't really do it for me. Definitely heard worse, but also better. Well produced, nice booming bass that's not overpowered, some cool samples throughout. Lyrics were pretty cringey in places. It really started to lose me when the words were something like "so I diiid, whad I hadda diiid"... like ugh that's the Kanye West shit I hate. Gotta give it a thumbs up for keeping to a sensible album length though. 3/5.

Rating: 3/5

It’s a rap album. It’s absolutely possible that I don’t get it, but it doesn’t seem particularly special.

Never listened to common. The instrumentals are great. Plenty of good tracks. 3.5 stars.

mistä tiedän nääkin biisit? varmasti siis klassikoita. GO! on aivan todella hyvä. toimiva kokonaisuus, pehmeä tunnelma läpi levyn olematta kuitenkaan lälly

Wasn't expecting much when the intro rolled in, but actually this was pretty good. Hadn't heard it before, but it captures that era of early-2000s rap/hiphop really well, a bit more accessible and commercial than most of what you got in the nineties but still keeping some edge. Quite refreshing subject matter too, only a bit of it about the streets/conflict with the police and a lot more about the broader culture of that area of American life. 3/5, none of the tracks really stood out for me.

Solid rap album, reminiscent of Tribe Called Quest which is on the whole a good thing.

Go go go go go go go go go

Track with Yeezy was my fav

Eh

6/10

Pretty enjoyable, although not what I usually listen to.

Common is one of those guys... Is he an actor? Is he a musician? I know he's been in plenty of movies and made plenty of albums, but I can't name one from either category. He doesn't have that one song that everybody knows, ya know? Ice Cube does. Ice-T does. Tupac does. So on and so on. So anyway - let's see. I don't know any of these songs. I can't say that they stuck. But this is a very listenable record. The production on it, the samples, the arrangements are all really strong. I wouldn't turn this off if it were on.

The loveliness of some of the sounds on this album (especially those that dip into the grab-bag of lush 1970s soul) can't quite balance out the rather characterless rapping. Perhaps Common is brilliant, but every time I properly tune in I'm left a smidge underwhelmed.

Was ok

Had some good enjoyable moments, including Chi City and It's Your World. 3/5

The production from J Dilla and Ye is enough to warrant the listen. It's incredibly soulful, catchy, and feel-good as each we're doing at this time. Common on the other is good but feels more like wallpaper to the music. He kept the energy at least but this didn't make me a Common fan.

Was cool but entirely my style. Too religious it had some catchy tracks.

It's okay. Feels like old school hip hop. I enjoy it. Kanye is mid 6/10

Not sure about this - it’s a genre I’m not that Into

Nice groovezz

A bit gospel. Lyric rhyming quality rap. Pop/mainstream, but decent. On the better side of rap for me.

I remember the album being more enthralling when I was in high school. I thought it started off amazingly, but I sort of lost interest in the second half.

Solid album, basically Kanye with a common feature. Had some bangers but had a a couple duds

Another generic r&b offering. Yawn

never really listened to Common. i can hear Kanye throughout, which i hadnt expected. while really good, overall this album is too serious.

Huge fan of Kanye West as a producer. This album doesn't do that much justice to him. Maybe I need to listen to it more.

Decent as background music, but nothing outstanding.

Good rap, sounds just like 2005. Can definitely heard the early Kanye production on the tracks. Common has good bars. Never really heard much from him before

i want to be a duck

I'm really, really not a fan of rap music. So with very exceptions, 3 stars is about as high as it gets. But I did find this album very listenable and didn't skip any songs (very rare for rap albums). The music sounds smart, sophisticated and varied. I didn't pay any attention to the lyrics.

Common's voice is too smooth for me, working against the reifying-the-Street project he seems to be on in The Corner. Still, riding high on enjoyable music, I felt the significance of Be. Common, Kanye, and Dilla are all icons, and the producers' sounds come together here in a nicely compact package. However, the meandering closer gives up that production and leans heavily on the children-are-hope trope: An easy way to lose some goodwill.

Ive never been a huge Common fan, but I have also never listening through an entire album. I didnt realize this was basically a Kanye album (production wise). I don't love this album because I just dont love Common. The production is great though.

Excellent sampling and production elevate this album.

I thought this was a good album. At the beginning I wondered whether this had influenced Kanye because of the similar style. Then he came in towards the end. So perhaps that is true. Similar lines about them calling themselves Jesus etc.... Great samples and good beatz

Enjoyed this a lot but found some of the lyrics a little problematic.

very nice socially active album, music is alright i suppose, funny seeing kanye doing things

Pretty groovy stuff.

Listened to on 6/21/22 Favorite song: The Food, Love Is I liked this hip hop album way more than I thought I would due to the easy to understand but clever lyrics

Ah cool. J’ai souvent vu et entendu parler en bien de cet album. Un hip-hop jazz dans la veine de The Roots. J’aime beaucoup. Je vais assurément y revenir.

Kinda sounds like an early Kanye album, pretty enjoyable

Started well and then tailed off towards the end.

Not bad

Not really a fan of Common and I don’t think Kanye’s trademark chipmunk effects have really held up, so I didn’t connect to this. But it’s objectively pretty good stuff regardless. C

The intro was great. Unexpected Kanye Some pretty good hip-hop, I like it.

Much more melodic than the music the guy at the back of the bus was playing yesterday.

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

Rap & R&B... bueno...

Местами инструментал интересно звучал, что хотя бы как-то выделило альбом, но, в целом, он прошел довольно скучно и однообразно для меня. Выделю трек GO! 5- из 10

good hip hop even if it's not my taste

Yeah not bad. Not great, but not bad either. Just sorta.

J'ai beaucoup apprecié le moment de cet album où La Fouine s'exclame: "Attends attends... C'est la bite à Booba!" Il est vrai que le choix du duc de transmettre un cliché de son sexe dressé à une ratpi pouvait surprendre pour l'époque, à l'heure où les sextos n'étaient encore répandus. Un beau témoignage d'histoire sur l'évolution du digital somme toute.

3.5 + I gave this record a couple listens back in 2005 while living in Chicago. Common seems like the guy who's friends with everyone - tall, handsome, easy-going, always smiling. He's got powerful friends like Kanye who genuinely want him to succeed. There are some nice tracks on this record, and his vibe is generally positive. I especially love the samples on "They Say" and the fact that it features Ahmad Jamal, another Chicago legend. Overall, though, nothing really grabs me - Common's flow is middling and his worldview lacks a certain edge.

I really liked the instrumentals but not his voice.

Rap blandito y melodico. No es mi preferido pero me gusta

a nice listen! it was a different kind of hip hop here. the soul aspect of the album mellowed it out. this sort of soft hop pop was gentle on my ears. it's nice to hear good lyrics without forcing itself down your throat. should be a nice album to revisit!

As I was listening to this album, I kept humorously referring to its genre as "soft hip hop" in my notes; these qualities were no doubt brought on by its close soul and funk ties. For me, these qualities made it all the more enjoyable. In the last decade or so, rap music has mostly migrated away from gangsta rap to a different style of rap. This album predates most of those big names that were part of that cultural shift. Common (and credit where credit is due: his producer, Kanye) were clearly onto something with this sound. Not a big standout for me, but enjoyable to listen to!

OK tier.

Well crafted use of samples and vocalisation, but as a result nothing jumps off the page, although a pleasant listen.

3/16/22

a few of the songs came to be extremely repetitive and annoying but other than those specific songs it was pretty chill. could have been more interesting but it wasn’t awful.

Not bad but I will never listen to it again.

3.5

just alright

Better than the other stuff that I’ve heard by him but I feel like this is the type of album that needs more than one listen to really sink in

Quite a generally good hip hop album - but not the most memorable. Nice find though

‘Be’ is notable for being my first real sustained look (and listen) to Kanye West in any capacity, as he handles most of the production duties here, whilst also appearing on several tracks. As for the actual album itself, there’s nothing really ground-breaking on it in my opinion. ‘Be’ is just a solid album and a mercifully concise one at that which never overstays its welcome the way a lot of rap albums tend to.

liked this more than I thought I would

Not what I was expecting, a lot more listenable and enjoyable. Not something I would listen to frequently but still better than other albums of this genre

3.5

Decent Album, features Ye. Easy listen

Reminds me of Kanye

Wasn't what I thought it would be.

Maybe if Common had chosen the name Unique or Special his music would stand out more. Instead it’s kind of common. Which isn’t bad, it just doesn’t stand out enough amongst his contemporaries. It was fine until Kanye showed up, and though this is pre-problematic Kanye it seemed like Ye’s voice and style overtook what little Common had going for him at that point.

*Faithful A lot more Kanye than I was expecting. Don’t know anything about this but always thought about Lupe Fiasco.

Смесь довольно ненавязчивого речитатива с фоновым мягким фанком. Вася В слямзил свой Царский Альбом с некоторых треков Коммона

I'm already very familiar with Common circa late 90s through the aughts. Back in my college days I used to love conscious backpack rap. I saw many greats at the First Unitarian Church in Philly - Murs, Atmosphere, Aesop, Blackalicious, etc. IMO Like Water for Chocolate is Common's magnum opus. It's the perfect hip hop album. Be is still pretty good. The production is peak Kanye. GO! is so god damn infectious. Lyrically the album seems a little lighter in tone, more laid back. The middle section flounders, don't love Faithful > Testify > Love Is... The chorus in Testify is grating - aggressive, out of place and distracting from the story. Taking a live cut straight off Chappelle is classic, love it. Album finishes strong. 7.5/10

Enjoyed this far more than I expected. Not my bag, but the guy's got skills.

Surprised me, not a big common guy

Not come across Common before. really enjoyed a lot of this album. Definitely worth another listen.

First hip hop album…not bad like the underlying beats…lyrics are beyond me

Not a massive rap/hip hop fan, so I am not familiar with Common or this album. I am familiar with Kanye West though and can hear his great production on this album. I enjoyed the album, not sure if it’s an all time great album or one I would go back to though.

Good shit.

I can understand why people might like Be. It's remarkably consistent and competent. The raps are never dumb or ugly, but neither are they particularly expressive or pointed. Common's rhythms fall comfortably within the mainstream of rap--he does this kind of thing as well as anyone, but that isn't saying much. Considering that the artistic raison d'etre of rap is clever phrasing, pointed commentary and rhythmic innovation, most artists aim pretty low. Sonically, producer Kanye West provides layered samples based on old-school R&B, and it's pleasant enough. There are no jarring samples or icky synths to stink the joint up. The transitions between tracks are seamless. On the other hand, there is little here that is innovative or exciting. Be is the equivalent of hip-hop comfort food. It's business as usual, but you could do a lot worse. The one deviation from the norm is the closing track, a spoken word benediction for the next generation, accompanied by the NuJazz piano stylings of James Poyser. It's both moving and soothing, a fitting end to the album.

Definitely some lovely things in this album. A few things I didn't love. I'm glad I spent some time with it.

Glad to see some rap finally showing up 53 albums in. And we got two days in a row! After Nas’ Illmatic yesterday, I was excited to listen to Common. But this didn’t appeal to me. I don’t particularly like Common’s rapping style. To me it felt disconnected from the music for the most part --- it's not that I want him to sing or anything but it almost felt like the lyrics and music were recorded independently so I had a hard time finding a groove. I definitely want to be exposed to more rap and hip-hop with this project but this just wasn’t my thing.

Don't like this production. He is v.good though.

This really isn't my genre. That said, this sounds pretty good. Fave Songs: The Corner, Food, Real People, They Say

I can listen to this. Didn't set my world aflame.

I'm guilty of profiling this one. I saw the parental advisory and immediately concluded it was rap. OK,  I was right, but I'm still guilty.  This rap is soulful and much easier to listen to than the gangster rap we were inundated with a couple of weeks ago. There are lots of ebbs and flows and sweet  melodies sampled into the tracks. If I were a big fan of the genre I can imagine having this on regular rotation. 

This was a more accessible hip hop album for me because the rapping is relatively subdued and the instrumental music is more melodic. I think if I could read the lyrics to follow along I would appreciate this record much more though because Common has a lot to say thru his musical poetry, although it does get a bit preachy at times.

Solid but unspectacular album. Go and The Food are the highlights. Interesting to hear all the Kayne production from early in his career. 3/5

decent album. interesting that The Food is on the album, because it was originally on the Chapelle Show but then didn't make the DVD due to rights issues.

It turns out I like hip hop "OK." It's still not my favorite, but this is an album I would listen to again (despite it having strong Kanye influences). 3 stars.

Cool.

Ihan letkeet biitit. Lyriikat jäi kuuntelematta joten hovissa saattaisi tuomio vielä muuttua....

Hyvällä maulla varustettu laadukas ja tyylikäs rap-albumi, mut motään ihmeellistä tunnetta ei saanut aikaan

Неплохо

No frame of reference going into this one. Which is refreshing. There probably isn't a popular American genre of music that I have less experience with than hip hop/rap. I've been listening to most of these records on days that I have time to listen while working (outside of meetings). Not sure it's a good way to pick up all the things happening here. Since the lyrics are everything. All I'm left with are the samples and rhythm. Still, those aspects of this sound great. I liked this more than I thought I could. I just don't feel qualified to evaluate this. But I enjoyed the record so I'm giving it 3/5. Just above average among the other records on the list. Highlight: GO! This had to be a single, right?

Common's sixth album that happened to be produced by Kanye West. It's a hip hop album from the mid 2000's that charted really well. The beats and lyrics are both well produced, so they come together to make a well rounded album. I enjoyed listening to it, but I probably wouldn't seek out this album again.

Fine. It's Your World is a defonitive highlight of the album. The rest ranges from meh to fine.

Gotta love an opening with a double bass solo!

in terms of prominent early 2000s hip hop i think it's pretty average. some of the tracks were dope and the whole "be" theme was kinda neat. i thought a lot of the word play was tacky. beats were tight enough.

Common over some Kanye and J. Dilla beats, it couldn't be bad honestly. I think it's a very stand out album, but it isn't super my speed. The whole Sort of R&b mixed with gospel sound is cool, but it isn't my taste. This isn't my first time listening to this one, I've heard it in the past. The experience more or less stayed the same. It's good, but it isn't something that is going to get put into the weekly rotation.

Started off so we'll, but dived a bit after that and as someone who identifies as a white male some of theyrical content got a bit awkward.

Классные биты. Love Is кайфовый ванильный рэп.

Not bad

Good, need to listen again

Enjoyed it but didn't stand out so much

Very tight, solid, jazzy hip-hop album that hits the spot very well but doesn't do anything particularly special. Definitely worth checking out if you just wanna chill to some 90s/early 2000s style hip-hop.

Solid hip-hop album. Feels like I'm watching Chappelle's show :) Very 2000's

Seems very well-made, but thematically didn't love chunks of it. I liked "The Corner".

I am not a huge rap fan. Overall had good beats, but it all ran together to me.

Not my type but ok to have in background

First time listening: 8/11 sings liked Very conscious album. It's no wonder Common is a "common" name in hip hop, pun intended. While I do like them for their lyrical content, I'm a beat lover first. Some of these bits can feel stale real fast. Not the best of Kanye production FOR SURE. 4 songs saved

Blah

I haven't listened to a full Common album before, and this is not bad with a lot of soulful and funky beats and interesting topics. However, the slam poetry-esque delivery on many of the tracks is not very pleasing to me, and as a result I liked this much less than other tracks I've heard. Favorite Track: The Corner

I was excited about this. Had it on in the background on a couple of occasions so didn’t give it its full deserved listen but I enjoyed what I heard. Though his rapping didn’t get me up off my seat at any point if ya know what I mean.

another example of my need for half ratings. I liked this better than 2Pac's yesterday, but not enough for a 4... Definitely like the more musical tone that parts of this has.

Good tunes and enjoyable. Will check out his other stuff.

-Good old fashion rap -Cool jazzy beats -Holds up

not bad but not really my style

Kanye features were solid, definitely a mid 2000s funk type album, bit includes a few solid verses and beats.

Rapero y actor. Yo lo conocía por lo segundo, nunca por lo primero. El álbum está chulo, aunque sigue sin ser el rap americano mi fuerte.

Liked this album more than I expected. Funny how dates the rap seems.

Tunes. Lyrics. Flow.

A competent album with some nice production. Nothing standout.

I like this a lot, but would need to be in the right mood. It has a nice chill vibe.

A couple of catchy rap tracks.

Voor dit soort muziek die mij eigenlijk nooit echt kan raken, was het goed te pruimen.

In z'n soort best te pruimen.

The intro made me thing I was listening to an old 64 bit game soundtrack for a second. IT's catchy but hard for me to concentrate on the words while working. It's not bad but just not my thing. I am very picky about what kind of HipHop i like. Testify is kind of catchy with that hook

Pretty smooth album. Love the rhythm and bass intro and soul sampling and the hopeful messaging. I will definitely listen to more.

Good

No lo conocía, no está mal

Schöner warmer Conscious-HipHop aus einer vielleicht besseren und für eine hoffentlich wirklich besseren Zeit.

Great production

It was okay

Common

Solid album

Decent beats on a hip hop album. Felt like a slower more raw kanye album

Ok. Hip hop, similar to Jazzmatazz in some ways

This... was not as bad as I expected... it even has melody. I might look into rap more.

Not bad. Apparently a big switch back to his "roots" after he previous album dabbled in other genres. I think I am more curious on that one! I like the samples on this, the drums especially.

Ich müsste mir wohl die Texte genau durchlesen, um wirklich urteilen zu können. Musikalisch macht es Spaß. The last poets waren gesampled, und die haben direkt eine sehr starke Präsenz in ihren Texten.

Solid album. Testify was my favorite skit song.

Common's real good but I can't see myself listening to this frequently. That being said, it's well made, definitely enjoyed.

Eh...

Was fine

Faithful and Go and The Corner are the only songs yu need to know. cuz of the sampling obviousllyyytyyy

I liked it, but it wasn't groundbreaking. A few songs stood out, though.

2005. Key Songs: Be(Intro), They Say

Boy does this take me back to an era I'm perfectly fine forgetting.

I don't like rap, so I rate such albums based on just how irritating they are. This album was pretty irritating.

I dislike this less than the other Common I had, but I still don't like him or his dumb hats.

2/5, enjoyable enough but just not my jam.

Not for me

Well, I appreciate the sound, the socially conscious lyrics and all, but it's not for me. Not remarkable

I mean it's not as offensive as some of the Kanye crap I've been listening to. There are some creative music ideas in there. But I just don't like it.

Good music. Super repetitive lyrics. Meh.

I’m not sure I’ll return to this album. I’d like to know more about the history, but the songs felt repetitive at times and I found myself wondering when it would end? Unfortunately this isn’t my top genre but I appreciated listening to a new sound

If ever someone wasn't the target audience it I Some good songs some bad I'm looking at you go. Not unpleasant just a bit meh.

ich verstehe, warum das Album legendär ist, aber es ist lieber überhaupt nicht meins. zu unentschlossen zwischen Soul und Hip Hop, aber immerhin 100% J. Dillah Trademarks.

Highlight: Real People Be is a better album than Late Registration. Both lyrically and with the beats. Kanye co-produced this album as did James Poyser (The Roots), so you can hear their influences. I don't think it shows anything new in context of 00's hip hop. Common is offering a different POV. Overall: 4/10

Almost as good as a rap album can be without Eminem.

I’m no mathematician, but the reviews on this album were a bit depressing. Specifically, the review stating that they always thought of Common as a rap Dementor who was there to suck the joy out of a song by balancing the bragging and naughtiness and that worst of all he was open and empathetic towards people who aren’t the same as him. I’m starting to get a better sense about why I don’t like a lot of modern hip hop; seriously, how are empathy and humbleness seen as bad things? That said, even with Common’s “dad like” empathy and humbleness, I still didn’t overly enjoy this album. It was fine, but not something I have any desire to hear again.

Obvious talent, not for me.

Loved Common in Hell on Wheels and John Wick. Should stick to acting.

Not my vibe.

Not my style at all. And the rhythm feels off to me. ★★

Yeah it’s alright, I would give and extra half if I could, but this feels right relevant to other albums of the same genres that either should, or will be on this list.

First song really does set you up for something unique and interesting and then the rest of the album is... ok? Like it's pleasant to listen to but that's it. I need my rap to have a bit of a kick to it.

Nah... Can't put my finger on why, but nah.

The rhymes are fire, but the production is ass. A good voice with smart lyrics is backed by annoying high pitched repetitive noises, washed out synthetic keyboard, and dull drum tracks. Turns out that's Kanye, up to his bullshit. Turns out I like Common enough but fucking hate everything that pretentious bigoted dipshit Kanye does. His ass production overwhelms this album. He pulls it down from a high four stars to a low two.

I can see why someone might like this. I don't care for the production, the lyrics, the genre. So it's not for me, but I'm docking a point for Kanye.

The 8-bit sounding synth in the intro track is neat. I can see the Kanye production. I don't connect with this stuff that much The 2nd half of the closing track that emphasized the overall "Be" theme (album title too) was neat. I dig that part Also this is indeed a funny review: > "They say because of the fame and stardom > I'm somewhere in between the church and insane asylum > I guess it's messin' with my health then > And this verse so crazy when I finish > I'm just gon' check myself in" > If only Kanye would've listened to himself in 2005

Didn't really enjoy it

One or 2 tracks save it from a 1

rap blanco, para escuchar en el shopping y no sentirse vacío por dentro. common es rap pop.

It's not annoying but it's not for me.

# Album Name: Be # Artist: Common # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Honestly, not for me # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No

No está mal, interesante

Gohja

Was fine, nothing special. Liked the intro the most

hiphop, säkert bra om man lyssnar på texterna med, gött flow

Not for me

Be (Intro) - Chiptunes into horns/trumpets, ayo? Neat. The Corner - classic moody philosophical corner stuff ya dig? I dig. GO! - unusual, a bit more funk or w/e, not quite my jam.. Faithful - appropriately enough, gives a soul and gospel vibe, decent rap but it's not really banging for me. Testify - interesting composition for the theme/subject matter and female vocal. Not fan of it outside of the storytelling. The QUEENPIN lol. Love is... - too mellow for my tastes, didn't really manage to capture my attention. Chi-City - now this is nice classic hip-hop. "so many raps about rims surprised people don't become tires" is funny. The Food - solid track. Real People - kinda felt like filler. They Say - needs to be harder hittin and all that, for my taste. It's Your World - well rap part was fine but rest is just like melancholic and moody talk, the kids and the old man and all... This whole thing is kinda lacking in songs to be honest. It just needs more songs, a bit more consistent and straightforward, less experimental, just to have more meat on the bones. As it is, it was a big jumble of a lot of things. Trying to do messaging, storytelling, funk-y stuff with experimental tunes and beats - I just like grounded, hard-hitting rap, so I find this lacking. Could easily be rated higher if it was handled differently or if it simply landed for my personal taste.

Another hip hop album. I do try but I struggle with these as they seem so repetitive. This and soul / funk music just fails to land for me. "Real People" has a funky soul hip hop feel. Basically a mish mash of my least favourite styles all in one so that doesnt help! To my dumb ear it sounded a littles 90's with a slight modern lift. I even almost heard Gorillaz at one point ("The Corner") and thought for a second I might actually enjoy this. It has a more vocal hook that draws you in unlike the rest. I wont slam this as clearly has value to someone just not me. Its fine.

One thing I internalized from my one day attending Kiese Laymon’s class before I dropped it for fear of being one of the white girls rapping… is that Common is a mfin poet. Excited to listen! // 2004. What a time. Kanye’s presence is distracting me. Closing out with his dad’s spoken word on the last track is perfect.

I get it but it’s not for me

My ears aren't offended but I find this boring

This album is fine. It's got a message but I just don't really feel the album itself stands out in any way.

idgaf about this sorry

I mean its aight

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

not for me

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.