Be

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.

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

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.

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

really awesome record , i love the production and the lyricism

Sådärja

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.

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.

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!

Not bad. Liked most of it

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

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.

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.

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)

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

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

Very Solid

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.

Nice production, shame about the Kanye.

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

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

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

Collaboration with Kanye done him good. I love it.

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.

Brilliant. Great early Kanye production and silky flows from Common

Heavy 2005 vibes.

Lyrical with good bars. Kid Cudi esque, see collab

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Like the chill Kanye stuff. 4

Hat Spaß gemacht.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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'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.

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)

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

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.

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

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

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.

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...

Idk, I want to give this a 3.5

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

Very pleasant.

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

Good album, good radio selection afterwards.

Nothing needs to be said. Fire

I thought I knew this album better than I did. I really love it, which is not surprising because of Kanye and J Dilla's contributions.

I was only familiar with Testify, but I found myself getting into some other tracks too, like The Corner and They Say. After a few listens I had ~5 tracks liked.

Enjoyable. Not always the most memorable, but a good album I was happy to revisit.

I like socially conscious hip hop. Even the Kanye-produced stuff. There are some whiffs on this album (Faithful especially) but the great tracks more than balance out the meh ones (The Corner, Testify, They Say, Be, It's Your World).

Easy to listen to. Solid album

-never heard of this rapper! but i’m excited to listen -omg is this an upright bass?????? what a start -LOVING this intro song omg -this rap is so GOOOOOOD -i like that the rap takes center stage in GO! because it really is the star -they let the beats and background be more subtle to let the rap shine -so far genuinely one of the best rap albums i’ve heard from this list -the singer in testify has a BEAUTIFUL VOICE -damn common and KANYE? omg the dave chapelle show -YEAH JOHN LEGEND ON THE CHORUS! you tell em pookie! -this is definitely getting a full four stars, really good album

Ganske chill album

Flyter bedre enn flytende margarin! Som en viss Kanye W. en gang sa: "I miss the old Kanye", og dette albumet bærer tydelig preg av Kanye anno 2005.

Very good. Quality composition and style

Enjoyed. Railing against plastic “gangsters” and a message of hope for the next generation to break free of the street corner. Effortlessly listened through 3 times…

- Music to walk to. - Walk in a place you’ve never been - A new city with new faces. - shades of Cooley high - kinda feel this like muted music in the apartment down the hall. Follow the sound and you make new friends and hear new stories. 4.1/5

They say is so damn good, Kanyes features back in the day are all so gold.

nice, did not know

Stand-out Track: Be (Intro)

Secret Kanye album wtf

When Kanye produced albums in this era they were basically always really good.

Great collaboration between Common and Kanye West, the complement each other well. Many great tracks, ”GO!” being my favourite. Also, a rap album from 2005 and it’s only 42 minutes long? A miracle!

Classic

Great

Good old conscious hip hop 4/5

Good record. The soul era of Hip-hope will always be one of my favorites

Not normally a fan of rap music, but I thought this one was pretty good. 4/5

Truly enjoyable display of Kanye’s abilities combined with great preformances from all involved

Good

It's interesting listening to this album in 2023 and looking back to see that some of the top songs of 2004 were "bring em out" (ti) and "my band (d12). This album feels classic, as if you could have realsed is 6 years prior and have had it been both a revelation and be at home while realising it today woukd have snappes necks with it's refreshingly honest and clear direction. You can hear Kanye honing his signature production style while flexing his smarts on beats like"the foodc "real people" and "testify". Common is brilliant thoughout weather he is using his words carefully or twisting carefully linked rhymes. The lyrics paint vivid pictures or both trouble and triumph but the album as a whole feels positive.

So much better than I expected! Great listen beginning to end

So nice, so thoughtful. Kind of deceptively relaxing. I want to come back to it and see what hits past that - there's a lot going on under the texture and the deft sampling and the approachable vibe.

I found myself listening to it a third time and humming the tunes when away from the headphones. Enjoyed the overall theme of the album.

Great beats, really jazzy.

Great album, would definitely listen again.

I know a common song but I can't remember which. I wonder if I'll recognize anything here. First song has Kanye on it, I wonder how common feels about their relationship. Also sounds like he's on the second song too. He appears multiple times throughout haha. Overall enjoyable. Definitely has a Chicago vibe. Also had one song that reminded me of Nas almost. Surprised to have it end so soon it felt like. Not bad at all

Pretty solid. More explicit than I love

Good Common album but not his best for me.

Pretty good. I'm not huge into rap/hip hop but I liked this. NOT sure I'd listen whole lot but may listen again

He’s great and the album as a collection of songs is too. The problem is listening to the whole thing continuously reveals that Common has one flow, one tone, one meter to his voice, so nothing stands out on the album. Heard individually it is much stronger

Some bangers on this one. Loved the intro song, the corner and the Food

no stand out tracks (besides maybe Chi-City) but an outstanding full album. great instrumentals + super consistent Common + kanye in one of his peaks just made an amazing piece of art

Mature and thoughtful, a great album.

Loved this, great collaboration between Common and Kanye at their very best. Instantly pulled in and joined this from the intro. Production was great throughout this album along with Common's smooth flows this was an amazing listen.

This is really good. I’m shocked by how much I liked this album.

This is a great album. I love Justify.

Really cool album. Common has always seemed like a really likeable dude, and how can you not like him after this?

It's your World is like Black Free to Wear Sunscreen. That J Dilla production is incredible though

I've definitely heard the bass line from Be (Intro) used in newer rap; just can't place where. I dig the slow, jazzy build on the intro track. Common holds nothing back diving headlong into #conscious lyrics. It's a nice mood setter. GO! features a pre-College Dropout production with prominent vocal feature. Interesting that neither his nor John Mayer's efforts have credits (at least on Spotify). Twinkling beat, but honestly not loving the central "GO!" sample. Faithful, true to name, features gospel elements. Production is clean, but I don't really feel anything. Testify features one of the most interesting beats on the album so far. Rooted around a snaking bass line and completely chopped and sliced vocal sample. Coolest song so far. (no surprise its a Kanye beat -- apparently the whole album is) Chi-City through They Say is a hot run. Interesting choice to include a single live cut on an otherwise studio record, but it works in The Food. Once again, interesting omission of feature credits to Kanye. Real People is a jazz-influenced jam. Very groovy. They Say is basically a Kanye song; both MC's matched, and both delivering strong. Honestly I was a soft 3 for the first half, but the back half of this album is so solid I'm leaning 4. They Say is the standout IMO with Testify and The Food giving strong service as well. I'm not fully bought into Common, but I enjoy this one.

Listened to this album while working but the beats were very good. I wasn't really following along wiht which song was which but it didn't matter the whole album was excellent. Common's flow is very good and matched the beats perfectly. Wish I paid more attention to the lyrics to really get an idea of the album. But I enjoyed the heck out of the album. Haven't really listened to Common before so it was a nice find. The live song with Kanye on the Chapelle show is great, mainly Kanye, wish he didn't like fish sticks so much and was such an absolute weirdo now.

Close to labeling this as possibly the finest rap album on the list. I need multiple listens, to be certain I'm not clouded by Common's underrated screen presence, which is really how I knew of him before hearing this album.

More than anything, this album celebrates collaborations. The array of artists making appearances on this album elevate it. From an early track featuring The Last Poets, occasional appearances of Kanye, to John Legend lending some vocals, among others and sampling take the album to a different level. The production is lush and layered and Kanye elevates Common and the Chicago connection. The lyrics are dense and draw upon wide-ranging experiences, but the accompaniment backing the verses might be the strength of the best tracks, which are far more than simply beats and basslines. Easy to understand its appeal and success.

Very good. Great song writing!

Très bien, très efficace, tente des trucs mais reste accessible. Sauvegardé pour réécoute plus tard.

Not my typical type of music, but it has a cool vibe. I liked it a lot more than I expected

“I was rollin around, in my mind it occurred // what if God was a her?” 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 Went into this cold and within 10 seconds I was like “oh shit I didn’t know Kanye produced this”. His name is written all over it, and it’s the best part of the album - it upstages Common constantly. He’s not terrible or anything, but there isn’t a single bar on this album that stood out to me (except the one above, technically lol). All the highlights are Kanye. Common is passable but tends to be a little corny, often failing to be the introspective artiste that he’s trying to be. Very light 4.

I was very surprised by this one. I’ve never bothered to listen to Common and this was a great listen. It’s produced by Kanye and clearly not just in name only. It’s got his fingerprints all over the beats and production, and from a time when he was was on fire just ripping heaters. Cool stuff, fun and out of my usual sphere of knowledge.

Really well produced!

Favorite: The Food Least Favorite: Real People Classic album. Kanye's production never disappoints. Very much a sister album to Kanye's own "Late Registration." Soulful sound with great rapping from Common. Consistent throughout with very few lows. If you're a Kanye fan and have not listened, you need to. I wish there were more than 5 rating options for more differentiation, but a 4 will do I guess. Out of 10 I would give this a 7.

Pretty good. Liked the jazzy vibe

Started out really strong but got a little bored by the end. Really good though!

Muito bom. No começo, parece um álbum bom, embora eu não tenha muita experiência com Hip-Hop, mas as últimas 4 músicas mostram que esse álbum é, de fato, especial.

Fun noughties classic.

очень стильно, модно, кайфово музыка прям сочная

I liked this way more than I expected to when I saw the genre. I thought the intro was great and it put me in the right mood to appreciate the rest of it I guess. I actually definitely want to return to it. So many good moments.

Nice flow and delivery over smooth beats.

I was expecting another generic boring 40 minutes of the exact same song over and over but this was one of the best hip hop albums I’ve heard so far

Best way I can describe this record is smooth and soulful in the best way. Common's flow throughout this record is real nice, he glides through each song like a knife through butter, tackling all sorts of social issues and personal experiences in some great meaningful lyrics. But the real shining point here is Kanye West's production. He dabbles all over R&B, and even other genres like gospel and jazz pop up at times, and every song has a laid back but bright atmosphere to it.

Pretty good, but some of the tracks weren’t for me. Worst tracks: Testify, It’s Your World

Vääntämällä vääntäen voimaannutava.. vähä sama ku meikä tekis suomijussille tsemppi ääninauhruilla ääniviesti…. Joka menis näin: tsemppiä kaverille, tsemppiä vaan… tsemppiä savolaisele.. tsemppiä vuoan.. Savolainenkovia kokenu.. Keskiajalla savolaiset joutuivat useaan otteeseen puolustamaan maitaan… tsemppiä tsemppiä… HEH 2005 JA TÄSSÄ NOUSEE TEEMAKSI MUSTAIN SORTO HÄH… barack samalla vousikymmenelä… presikekkona.. 2005 MIKÄ HISTORIAN KAIVELU ALBUMI TÄMÄ MUSTILLA TÄYSIN SAMA,,, TOISTAN TÖYSIN SAMA TILANNE AMERIIKOISSA ELLEI JOPA PAREMPI KUIN NORMAALI AMERIKKALAISELA.. VUAN ALAS PAINETAAN AMERIIKAN KANSA… siksi tähti vähemmän..

Really excellent album. Common's got a terrific flow and brings in some terrific beats and themes throughout his music.

I struggle with hip-hop in general, but I quite enjoyed this. Lyrically it seemed stronger and had a bit more going for it than some of the other albums I've gotten from the genre, and the last track was particularly on the mark. I'd listen again to this.

I listened to this a couple weeks ago. Can’t remember much but I think I enjoyed it the whole way through.

I used to really love this album. I like commons records more than I like him, his rapping isn’t really my favorite but he always surrounds himself with good people. I love the corner, the drum best is great

Really good. Crazy to think about where Kanye was back then.

The production is excellent, I sure hope the producer is a nice guy with tolerant attitudes.

Wow, this really surpassed my expectations. Common has never really been on my radar for some reason. I’ll need to let this sink in a bit, but it’s definitely at least 4 stars!

como rap MOR. impecable.

2005 Kanye production with great features from him, and Common is just awesome on this album. I love it. 8/10

Definitely very polished, but maybe that’s its strong suit. Kanye’s production is lush and layered. Common’s raps are probably the strongest he’s done. Combine that with some solid songs/hooks, and this is much better than I originally gave it credit for. Certainly not a masterpiece, but very good - 3.5.

What's this? A tight, skitless, sub 45 minutes hip-hop record? Sign me the fuck up! The introduction might be the best I've ever heard, and it's clear from the beginning that Kanye "George Bush doesn't care about black people" "I'm a Nazi" West is at the top of his game here as producer. With samples of gospel, jazz and child voices, this sounds more like a Kanye album than anything else. The lyrics are clever (with the exception of 'Go!'), and tracks like 'Testify' and 'Chi-City' are impressive. Wests verse on the latter is a downright monster. And oh yeah, Common also appears.

There’s nothing groundbreaking about Be, but it’s one heck of a solid rap album with a length that is just right.

2005, but fits like a glove if you dig that late-90’s FunkMaster Flex East Coast style!!

Common kan absoluut een heel aardig potje rappen, maar toch heb ik hem altijd wat saai gevonden. Bij dit album zit ik eigenlijk vanaf het begin te wachten om weggeblazen te worden, want je hoort dat het erin zit, maar dat moment komt eigenlijk nooit. Alsof Common het hele album z'n voet op het rempedaal houdt. In een aantal tracks hoor je de producer-hand van Kanye flink terug. Track 1 en 2 voelen bijna als leftovers van Kanye's 'The College Dropout' album. Daarnaast vind ik dat Kanye te vaak mag meerappen. Voor mij zijn de beste tracks 'Love is...', 'Chi-City' en 'The Food'. Mij doe je geen plezier met de R&B, John Legend achtige shit als 'Faithful' en 'They Say'. Toch 4 sterren omdat ik 3 net te weinig vind.

Man do I have a soft spot for 00s hip hop. I love the samples of this album, it's really J dilla and Kanye at their best. It is so J'dilla died young, I wonder how much more beats he would have made. I actually had never heard this album before which is suprising in hindsite because I'm a big fan of this era and style of music. And of course J'dilla in particular. It gets a very strong 4 from me, beats alone are worth a 5.

Interesting hiphop

A few of these tunes definitely got a lot of airplay on streaming. It's more of a rap album, with melodic content, than hip-hop.

Good album highly influential with some particularly good highlights scattered throughout.

PREFS : Be (Intro), The Corner, Go!, Love Is..., Chi-City, The Food, Real People, It's Your World (Part 1 & 2) MOINS PREF : Faithful

curti o rapzao, com o instrumental pika

sowieso iemand zijn top 10 album

great hip-hop sounds, some songs didn't hit but overall very solid

Classic hip-hop. Great flow, intelligent lyrics, fantastic production. Best Tracks: Be (Intro); The Corner; The Food

Before today, I'd only knew Common through his acting career (Elam in Hell on Wheels, and Cassian in John Wick). I was aware that he had a rap career, just never took the time to delve into it before. This is his 6th studio album, and was produced largely by Kanye West, who was featured in a few songs along with appearances by Lost Prophets, and John Legend. This style of rap more closely resembles John Legend's R&B/jazz style of music than it does traditional rap/hip hop. It is as if an R&B singer decided to rap their lyrics instead of sing them. It makes the music much more digestable, especially to someone who isn't deeply invested in the whole rap game. Common's lyrics are intelligent, and he doesn't rely heavily on throwing N-Bombs around to make his point, he does it through his vibrant story telling. Overall, a really refreshing rap album that you wouldn't be opposed to playing in mixed company. I will definately add it to my regular rotation. I enjoyed it so much, I listened to it twice today. Favourite songs: Be (Intro), The Corner, Testify, They Say, The Food, Chi-City, Real People, Faithful, It's Your World (Parts 1 & 2), GO! Least favourite songs: Love Is... 4/5

Very listenable. Not my normal music but I liked it.

Some amazing production - the base line on Be is always a joy and the energy on The Food is so good. At the same time, there are some clunkers here that make me cringe. For example - I used to love Testify but it just doesn’t do it anymore. A solid 4 stars and holds up better than a lot of the rap I’ve listened to on this list.

Solid and smooth rap album. Kanye producing at his best

Pure gold. Soulful, cool and vibrant.

Some real fresh beats and Common is a more cultured rapper than some of his more mainstream contemporaries. Musically this is an album that hits the right notes

This was really good. I suck at following the narrative and thread in a lot of rap, but this drew me in and I liked the tracks on most of the album. A couple of samples got overused, but I would play this again for sure.

Words by Common, beats by Kanye. What more do you need? I was glad to hear this as I think I'd only heard it in passing once before and for some reason it didn't stick. This time it did. Great stuff.

Good 2005 throwback

Solid hip hop record. Didn’t expect Kanye to show up but there he is. I liked faithful

Oh man this album. So good. It feels like both a quintessential Common, record, AND a quintessential Kanye-produced record. Kanye’s still, in this period and beyond perhaps, as inventive as a producer, maybe far more, than he ever has been as a lyricist— it’s his signature, it’s hard to argue with. This is straight from one of his highlight periods. I played this album a ton of times in college, I’ll never get tired of listening to it. Not a ground-breaking, life-changing work, but a fantastic example of the good in hip hop. 4/5

This album is produced by Kanye around my favorite Kanye albums, it sounds like Graduation trilogy DLC. I really enjoyed it. The sampling and instrumentation is incredible, the interjected singing is super catchy, it works very well with Common.

It’s a common record, soulful spittin

Really liked the jazz and soul samples. This was a damn good album. Shame that Kanye was involved thus a star was deducted. Still, a cool, chill vibe while being socially conscious. This would be a hip hop album Marvin Gaye would have made.

Oh, this was quite cool. Wasn't sure what to expect not being familiar. But Be (Intro), GO!, and It's Your World - Part 1 & 2 are great tracks. Looking forward to hearing it more.

I haven't really listened to Common before, so this was a discovery for me - very nice! It's got that laid back R&B infusion and smoothness that makes for good summer time hip-hop. Fave track - "Be" is a nice opener. Also liked "Go!"

Not generally my genre, but really enjoyed this album.

That opening is absolutely excellent, and the rest of the album is pretty good too. I love the beats and backgrounds here, and the more jazzy sound of some of them. I'm not madly in love with this album or anything, but still very good, and the normal length (rare for a hip-hop album on thie generator) definitely helps.

ALBUM RATING: 3.7 ALBUM GRADE: B- TRACK RATINGS: 1. Be (Intro) - 3.0 2. The Corner - 4.0 3. Go! - 3.5 4. Faithful - 3.0 5. Testify - 3.5 6. Love Is… - 3.5 7. Chi-City - 4.0 8. The Food (Live) - 4.0 9. Real People - 3.5 10. They Say - 4.0 11. It’s Your World (Part 1 & 2) - 4.0

This album was great. Common has always been one of the most likeable rappers, and that shines through here. Favorite track: The Corner

Uncommonly good.

Great comeback from the previous album, solid

Gives me Mos Def vibes. Pretty good. Not sure why I'd never checked out Common before.

Common works here with Chi-towns other premier MC Ye and the influence is clear from the beats here. Common writes some solid lines that’ll have you backtracking to listen again. An overall solid hip-hop record for the time period.

Smooth rhymes by Common and lush production by Kanye and Dilla. Can’t beat it.

I liked it way more than I expected to.

Phenomenal production, though once or twice I was thrown off by the chipmunk soul vocals. Love the subdued horns on (forgot the name of the track).Overall, just a great hip-hop record.

started off good, fell off after a while. went from a strong 4 to a pretty weak 4 overall.

Great production, sick rhyme schemes. Only really managed to tune in for the lyrics on the first two songs so I'm gonna have to sit down and give this one a dedicated listen some time, but there's some pretty fucking great lyrical craftwork in what I heard.

Duuużo lepsze niż poprzedni album. Bity lepsze, tekst lepszy.

Great!

Really enjoyable hip-hop! Some great bears and memorable choruses. Faithful is my favourite track.

I enjoyed this. It feels like it maybe needed another 6 months cooking to be truly great but was rushed out when College Dropout went crazy but Common has bars and interesting subject matter.

Some songs are kind of forgettable. The lyrics are good throughout. The beats are good throughout.

I am one happy dude right now. Why, you ask? Well, because I just listened to Common's 2005 album Be, and let me tell you, listening to this album is like getting dapped up by the man Common himself. I mean, seriously, this album is the hip hop equivalent of getting a home cooked meal at your mama's house and a "you got this, man." from your dad who's sitting across from you. Listening to Be is like getting to know Common on a personal level. The album feels like a window into his soul, with lyrics that are introspective, reflective, and often deeply personal. You get a sense of who he is as a person and where he is from. Hell, by the time you finish listening to Be, you feel like you've just had a beer with the guy. And you can't talk about Be without talking about Kanye West whose producing skills helped elevate the album to the next level, and whose old school sound (yeah I like the old Kanye) can be felt throughout the album, which he helped produce. And he even appeared on a couple of songs - which, in my opinion, are some of the best of the album. The Food, is an upbeat song which is all about enjoying the simple pleasures of life with a catchy hook and a sound that feels like a celebration. And then we have They Say which is a bit more introspective. It's a reflection on the pressures of fame and success, and it features Kanye West and John Legend on the chorus. The beat is moody, the lyrics are thoughtful, and the whole thing just hits you right in the feels. Be is one of the truly iconic hip hop albums of the 00's, and it's one of those albums that'll make you actually feel something instead of just going "skrrt" and making you want to eat tide pods. So put on your aviator sunglasses, throw on a leather jacket, and get ready to listen to some GOOD Music. This album is a must-listen.

This is a bop.

Never listened to Common before but I really dug this. No particular songs stood out but the album as a whole solid mid 2000s rap. Bouncy but had heft. The vintage Kanye is an added bonus.

When does an artist get more than one release included on this list? That is an important question. For me, Be is yet another very solid album. He doesn't really push the envelope - so to speak. Nothing groundbreaking. Simply very well constructed and produced songs (not an easy thing to do over and over again. I am not penalizing him for the consistency. I would include Like Water for Chocolate and limit Common to one slot. All that said - this is a solid four-star effort.

Very good. Loved the vibe, overall composition. Definitely an artist to explore more. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding

4/5

8/10

Scrobbled 1 time Artist #4820 Nice vibes, like the jazzy backing tracks

Liked a good part of the album. Some good stuff. Would add a song or two to a playlist.

Very nice hip-hop album. Kind of Kanye-Westey production style, which I like

- Heard this before - Really good album, just find some of the tracks seem to blend into one - Great Kanye/Dilla production - Intro is a classic - Fav songs: Be (Intro), They Say, GO!

I had never really listened to Common but I really enjoyed the sound of the album - modern rap and classic soul at the same time. I'm interested in reading the lyrics and better understanding his connection to Chicago.

No el coneixia, bo: rítmic, old school, pop..

hm

A very strong album from Common.

Late Registration era Kanye producing the most underrated lyrical rapper ever. This album is top art for the genre with timeless and quite touching lyricism and storytelling. Hip hop at its best.

Ok

good album

Not a hip hop fan, but this album by Common is excellent. Ye's production is superb: he needs to get back on the meds for the sake of music.

notes - rap/ conscious hip hop album by common - produced by kanye and j dilla - had a friend introduce me to this album a couple years ago, listened to it a few times - part of the “conscious hip hop” movement - hip hop focused on societal issues and political stances - theres a lot going on in the lyrics but the production makes it so theres more than just that going on - pretty laid back musically for the most part fav - chi city - great beat and hook least fav - testify - i wish the sample wasnt going the whole time, drowns out the rest of the song 4/5

"Be" is the sixth studio album from Chicago rapper Common. It was primarily produced by Kanye West and was Common's comeback album after his commercially disappointing "Electric Circus." It was critically well-received and described as lean, commanding and safe. I liked this album quite a bit...at times very uplifting and great production. Common said this album was titled to just "be" who you are. "Be (Intro)" begins the album with a bass jam which goes melodic. The music reminded me of the 70's. Uplifting. He wants everyone to be free from the everyday burdens and "reach for the skies." The tone gets a little more serious on "The Corner." More beat driven. Featuring spoken word lyrics by The Last Poets , Kanye West backing vocals and sampling The Temprees and The Temptations. The corners used to be the Rock of Gibraltor of the neighborhoods. Now, they're places drugs deals are made. Great song. Things lighten up on "GO!" John Mayer actually in the backing vocals along with West. More R&B and easy listening. OK. I think one of the highlights of the album are the backing vocals of John Legend and he adds a lot to "Faithful." A gospel toe song and another single. Common's best storytelling is in the compelling "Testimony." The story of the trial of a guy where as the trial concludes, his queen pin lady laughs obviously she being the guilty person. The albums ends with two really good songs. Great vocals including West and Legend in "They Say." Another smooth sounding song. The last song is the soulful, uplifting "It's Your World." Be who you are! Don't give up the dream! Kid's singing. A man with a deep voice almost preacher-like finishing. A nice way to end. This was a really good album. I did appreciate the length at 42 minutes. Some albums in this era and the hip-hop genre (and others as well) extend well beyond that challenging multiple listens (within a day). Not so here. Recommended.

Never been the biggest Common fan, but this album is fantastic. Everything from the production to the rapping is some of Common's best work

Miss this Kanye, wish he would just make music again. He and Common did amazing on this

I liked it.

Don't like hiphop, I liked this.

It was a strong hip hop album. Don’t think I’d return to it but I respect the talent and delivery. It did flow into R&B territory a bit too much for my liking at times. It was good to hear young Kanye before his mind turned to mush as well. 4 stars

Good vibes, though a felt a little repetitive in terms of musicality as the album went on.

Kanye West had his fingers in a lot of jars during the 00's and most of what he touched was gold. The production sticks out on this album, but it fits really well with Common's rap style and lyricism. To me it's a very 00's sounding, accessible hip hop in all the good ways.

Warm and soulful and a sweet overall listen. If it's good enough for Obama ...

Can’t say I gave enough time or attention to the lyrical content of this album but given what I know about Common, he seems like a pretty right on guy. Being a Kanye production, the beats don’t disappoint. It’s just toe-tapper after toe-tapper on this record. And *shock horror* it’s not a 3 hour mega-slog of an album clocking in at a mercifully short 43 minutes. There’s no filler here.

Wow, I loved the beats, the jazz influences, piano, horns, and strings. This was a great rap album. I would listen to this again many times. His rapping ability is up with some of the best rappers around.

Favs: - GO! - The Food - Real People

Favs: - the corner - go!

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I liked the variety and the overall feel of the album.

Really enjoyed it!

I like the spoken word style that common and other rappers at this time were doing. Brings me back to feeling cool in college.

I enjoyed this a whole lot more than I was expecting too. The first track was really good and I loved the story of the track with the video. It was certainly more the music I would choose to play, consequently 4*

Cool album

Pretty good

Pretty solid album. Haven't really listened to Common before aside from tracks he's featured on. There's a nice chill vibe to this album, Common has a good chill flow. The beats are sufficient, a couple tracks stand out. There's some good stuff on Be and The Corner. The album starts of quite strong. Can easily hear the mid 2000s Kanye production / beat work. Though at this point in time It does feel a little like Kayne beats he didn't wan't for Late Registration. Testify is close to being a really strong track if the vocal was more intense I think it would sell it better. 4/5

I really liked this. Probably a 4, also shows how much better that genre got very quickly from some of the early 90s stuff we've had.

chill background hip hop

for me, it's the catchiness and the nostalgic feel of early 2000s hiphop. reminded me of Mos Def's early work. Kanye's bars bars were a hit or miss tho...

Really nice album, this one. The early 2000s Kanye production brings a lot of nostalgia for me, even on my first listen of the record. It feels very warm and smooth and catchy. Only a few duds on here, but for the most part it’s very quality. 8/10

Really can’t fault anything in this. His flow and the lyrics are so on point and sound super fresh today as it would have when released. The beats are so smooth.

Not usually a hip hop person, but this was decent.

Smooth chipmunk soul hip-hop

Þetta kom mér á óvart. Frábær plata. Gott vibe !

Common has one of the smoothest flows in the game, and he puts it to incredible use on this album. But it’s not just about his lyrical dexterity-he speaks with emotion and frankness about his experience as an artist, a father, and a black man in America.

Decent rap album. Cool features.

better than I expected rap album, decent message in some parts.

Es kann so einfach sein, mich zufriedenzustellen. Dies ist ein gutes Album, wenn auch nicht außergewöhnlich gut. Nie gehört.

Solid hip hop album

great storytelling over kanye production. chi town stand up

One of the best intros I've ever heard Lyrics are mid Kanye

I have never heard a common song before and that first track caught me off guard. I thought it was gonna be another album with generic beats but thats not the case at all. This album would probably be a good listen if even common didnt say a word. He is a hell of a rapper. ye west 7/10

Production banged, obviously. Some really catchy hooks, good bars, and samples spazzed as well. They put on for our city 😈

Loved it. Kanye killed it with the production. Always loved Common's delivery and conscious lyrics.

I don’t really care for the genre in general, and I didn’t think I’d like this album at all. I’ve heard of Common but never listened to anything by him. This is a much better album than I expected, and much more positive than I was expecting. There’s a good message here, and overall I enjoyed jt.

Produced by Kanye West and J Dilla (but apparently not the two producers together), Be presents a form of "intimate" hip hop on which Common raps against some funky, classic soul backdrop and some nice jazz touches and a sort of old school feel. Faithful features a gospel choir; both Testify and Go feature some funk instrumental and vocal samples. The lyrics range from social concerns to some wise shtick about living your life and being a decent human being.  The album didn't really caught my attention at first listen, it all seems so simple on the surface, but it all made more sense in second and further listens; it surely is a grower. 

Solid, chill album. I realize I don't listen to enough Common but that's going to change.

Starts strong, ends strong. Great flow and beats. Lyrics are decent. It's Your World and Love Is are favorites.

Jai ete surpris, je le connaissais cpmme acteur mais cet album est super bon. Il devrait en rester au rap, il a beaucoup de talent 4.75

4.0

Hip hop. Soul. Bastante bueno.

J'aime beaucoup cet album. On est dans un style commun avec ce que fait The Roots (Questlove a justement collaboré à la production de l'album précédent, ce qui explique cela). Le flow ressemble d'ailleurs au flow de Black Tought. La production de Kanye West (sauf 2 pièces) est superbe et porte sa signature avec le traitement des voix samplées. J'aime vraiment ce qu'il fait comme producteur. Les 2 pièces produites par Dilla sont aussi très bonne.

Kanye lite. Nice production

Great beats. A few of my favorite Common songs, but a couple weird songs too. Good: The Food - Live, The Corner, Be (Intro), GO! Bad: Testify

Probably my favorite work from both Common AND Kanye

Kanye production >>>

040126 10:21 3.5

Soulful and funky. Yeah.

The production is top notch

Much better than the other Common album that was on here. The Corner is amazing.

Good album. Reminds me of Kanye stuff from the same period, except more uplifting.

Enjoyed this a lot, smooth hip hop with great production and flow. Testify is groovy as hell.

that was a really great for a rap album 8/10, didn’t like Kanye but at least this album is a lot better than Kanye’s shit

Great music, amazing production, 8/10 Fave: GO!

Incredible bass lines. The lyrics are brilliant and the music can definitively keep you going. Has she made it to California?

Standout songs: Testify, Love Is..., It's Your World

Este es uno de mis discos favoritos de hip-hop.

Heartbreaking: The Most Insane Rapper You Know Was The Producer On A Great Album

L'album de la maturité pour La Fouine. L'artiste y fait ce qu'il sait faire de mieux en enchaînant d'abord ses célèbres gimmicks (Fouiny babe, Ban-ban-banlieue sale, Chuis pro-prié-taire, Fouiny est pro-prié-taire...) et en concluant son projet par une magnifique collaboration avec Patrick Bruel. En bref, un excellent album.

Another enjoyable hip hop album. More smooth than others of the genre, both in the music and raps which have a warmth of subject line relationships, family etc... a nice mature soulful sound. Half way through and enjoying the generally positive message. Then comes Chi city which has what I perceive as more traditional rap theme's...life on the streets, police conflict, etc. Still a pretty smooth sound to the music. 3.75 🌟

Good songs, great lyrics and production. Kanye West clearly heavily involved. 4 🌟

Le producteur est chaud

sounds muy bueno to mich

Right from the smooth intro this was goood, very easy listening. Enjoyed Kanye's bits too.

Another essential hip-hop album, the production and storytelling on this are just very very good

This album slaps

First and most importantly to me - the music is excellent - gives a real 70s analog soul/r&b feel and Common has a great voice and I really like his flow. No trap beats either thank god. "The Corner" has a fantastic groove and has the feel of a gritty 70s movie. "Testify" and "Real People" are other favourites. Actually the bookends of "Be" and "It's Your World" are perfect as opener/closer and I think "It's Your World" is the highlight - really love the spoken word aspects to finish the album. Be....eternal. Hip-hop isn't the genre I'm most familiar with but I know enough to realize what i do like, and these ingredients are the perfect recipe for me. He lets the music shine through enough that it makes it a better musical experience than a lot of modern popular music. After a few listens this is a strong 4 - this is an album that will continue to grow on me. 8/10 4 stars

I found this album on my own a year pr two ago. Before then, I had an image of Common in my head as a cornball a la John Legend (who happens to be featured here). Maybe he, like Legend, has earned that title over the years since ‘Be,’ but it could not be further from the truth here. ‘Be’ knocks. 4.0

I like the jazz sounds

An exceptionally produced and delivered album. Kanye West’s contribution gives this album a sense of optimism and takes Common’s work into new territory. This album exudes warmth and reminded me of What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye, both in feel and by the album cover itself. The album only suffers because it is not innovative. It is however, Common’s most cohesive.

first song goes INSANE

Amazing first listen, Common’s smooth voice over Kanye’s voice is pure perfection.

This was my introduction to Common and it was really quite a pleasure. In the barrage of crap rap and hiphop this was a breath of fresh air. Great lyrics, great music and no need to shout.

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