Be

very nice

I don't usually listen to hip hop, but it's good

Un álbum muy relajante aunque no me gusta el rap era un estilo bastante calmado la verdad que tenías unidos muy repetitivos las canciones un poco sin más no me ha disgustado ni me ha encantado creo que lo volveré a escuchar pero no está mal

Não é muita a minha vibe, mas tinha letras impactantes

rnd good

I am bored by this

I mainly know Common as an actor on Hell On Wheels, which is a top notch show. Musically this album is laidback and chill, if a little one note. Lyrically, I have a hard time looking past the stuff that didn’t age well. Enjoyable enough. 3/5

Va

I thought the background to vocal ratio was perfect but the lyrics bored me. Great flow but wouldn’t listen to again

Surprised me a lot because I didn't think I would like this very much. It was good to listen to but only a couple of songs I will listen to again.

Interesting.

Interesting, but not for me.

i miss the old kanye💔💔💔where is heeeee! i wasn’t expecting to like this album as much as I did, but im so glad i got to listen to it! the artistry is BURSTING through this album🙂‍↕️ favourites: GO!, Faithful, They say

Mixed bag--some of this flowed quite nicely, some was annoying. I really liked the John Legend track at the end; I wish Legend's solo stuff sounded that good. 3.2

Nice album - can definitely tell Kanye helped with this. Nothing quite outstanding but certainly not a bad album.

Immediately intrigued. I liked it, made me laugh. I love the instrumentals. It feels like it should be older than 2005

Funky

Good

Chiar daca nu este stilul meu,un album care mi a lasat oarecum un vibe fain,nu mi am dat seama cand au trecut toate piesele si chiar daca semanau cat de cat intre ele chiar pot sa inteleg vibeul albumului.

Constant dans le style mais original sur chaque morceau, c'était chouette bien que pas toujours à mon goût mais c'est un jugement purement personnel.

This shit is smoooooth Started the thing agitated, now calm It's a blessing to be, yeah Testify was godly, the reveal was legit dope

I have this CD but this is the first time I've listened to it since this cane out. Common is really good. He is so good that generic rappers of a certain bent all inevitably sound.like him. Combining his ability and presence with Kanye's production and this is a very solid album.

Decent listen

Nice lyrics

Good album

Best hip hop so far

just a classic rap album. nothing notable.

Feel like several half cooked songs

Rap

Really good opening track. I don't listen to rap at all but i kinda like this album. So far the rest of the album is too funky and repetitive for me. Not my style really. When I listen to rap I like it little bit more angrier and maybe energetic. Pretty solid album to chill out and even though it's out of my music bubble I sometimes foumd myself vibin' to it.

Refreshing rap style and lyrics that feel a little differentiated than just gangster rap (im rich, I've got a big d*ck, I do drugs, etc.) At the very least I can say that I've never heard anything by common before this and am glad to have the exposure.

Ni conocía a este artista. Buen disco de rap que mezcla el hip hop y soul, muy arquetipico del rap de los 2000s, el sexto de Common y quizas uno de los mas exitosos de él, después de sacar álbumes bien criticados. Cuando empece a escucharlo me sonó un poco familiar y fui a ver los créditos y cache que lo produjo Kanye, y se nota su influencia, suena un poco a él, sin nada nuevo en producción pero con un sello distintivo, no conozco la discográfica anterior del artista pero parece ser que esta alianza con Kanye en la producción y composición le dio frescura. Buenos beats en general, me gusta el uso distintos instrumentos como contrabajo, percusiones, saxofón y pianos, etc ojalá le hubieran subido un poquito más el volumen a los bajos pero bien equilibrado en general. De su rap, letras no muy complejas, pero directas y conscientes, habla de "ser" y del ahora, de lo espiritual y cotidiano. Usa distintos recursos para rimar como coros y multisilabicas. Peeeero me paso que en la mayoría de las canciones me falto algo, dar un pasito más, siempre como al borde de hacerme agarrar la cabeza pero sin lograrlo como en otros discos del genero. Disco bien regular y por lo poco que leí considerado una obra maestra del rap de este siglo con buenas calificaciones. Para mi no alcanza el 4, esta más bien entre el 2 y 3. Creo que alcanza el 2,5 así que redondearé pa arriba. Canción favorita: Probablemente Be (tremendo sonido del contrabajo) y GO!

RnB bien mais pas top

Melodically rich, great production - so far, this is the most enjoyable hip hop album on this list.

Initially had some positive feelings about this album. But then on "Faithful" Common tries to imagine if he would "still be runnin' game" on god, if god was a "her." Lonnie Lynn, a man who has won every award available to a musician on god's green earth, wants us to join him in imagining if he would: -Get jealous about other men worshiping his woman (god) -Whether he would be more into god for her mind or her "heavenly body" -If he would still want his ex when he is "wit' her" (fucking god)

I don't quite know why -- but I didn't love this. Don't get me wrong, the material is phenomenal and a breath of fresh air, and it's by no means a bad record. I guess maybe it just feels a bit stale, or sedated, or something. Or maybe it's just a little too hopeful to grip me, which I guess is something for me to get into in therapy. Fave tracks: - Be (Intro) - The Corner - GO! - Testify - Chi-City - Real People - They Say - It's Your World - Part 1 & 2

I enjoyed this. Old Kanye is pretty smooth. Common is a cool character. Way better than modern rap.

Ok Robert Sims!!

Chill hip hop album. I remember when he was Common Sense. Don’t think it stood the test of time

banger conscious hiphop og boom bap rap. Mit første indtryk var at det lød lidt ligesom J-cole og tror også han har draget stor inspiration her. Teksterne er awesome og det er kanye west der har produceret det meste af albummet.

It's a good modern hip-hop/rap album. He mixes in plenty of elements of soul, R&B and hip-hop. Solid production by Kanye back when that was a good thing.

Makes me nostalgic for the early Adult Swim era of Hip Hop.

Liked the album, disliked the features

Day 126 Few enjoyable songs on here, really liked Testify. Not sure I’d come back to the full album in future 6/10 Highlights The Corner Testify They Say

Compared to his previous album, it’s clear that Common learned from past missteps, tightening Be into a lean 43-minute runtime with no bloat or filler. Once again, I found myself enjoying it far more than I expected. Common doesn’t fit neatly into stereotypical hip-hop or rap conventions; his beats and soundscapes feel organic, creating a relaxed, effortless vibe that sets him apart from many of his contemporaries.

This was much more enjoys than expected. That's due to the music bed underneath the songs being so jazzy and soul filled.

I’m not able to contextualize this, so it’s interesting to read what other people who are much more knowledgeable than me have said about it. It’s a decent listen, I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t one of those albums that immediately grabbed me and that I had to listen to again. I guess part of the problem with this project is that with a new album every day, if something doesn’t have an immediate impact, it’s probably not going into rotation so that I can grow with it. Oh well.

I liked the music... and some of the sampling (which is part of the music.) It was an easy album to listen to and I would probably appreciate it more if I dove into the lyrics and knew what the songs were about. Is this Common's best album? I did read that "The Corner" was one of his best songs.

- Wel leuk - 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 0 nummer al toegevoegd aan MMMM

Bieng certaines chansons sont répétitivess et les autres des masterclass 3.5 mais reecoute nécessaire

I loved the Intro, which was a promising sign. Reading the featured artists in the first track were Kanye and John Mayer felt like a double-whammy of "problematic" (though to very different extremes) and as I know nothing about Common, I looked him up. He seems like a great guy who genuinely tries to make the world a better place and then gets called hokey for it. I think this is probably more a warm summer day album, than a dark dismal UK winter day album, but I enjoyed it regardless. I like that it feels like a positive, uplifting album thanks to the lyrical content. And yes, I like the production. If only Kanye had stuck to producing records like this instead of becoming what he is now. Should be a 3.5 but I don't think this is quite a 4 for me, so: 3/5

Love the intro. Probably my favorite era of Kanye production, I love the sample and background vocals. Not sure if the vocals and production always work together as cohesively as I want tho

I'd say I'm pretty good at math. Sure, I don't have a PhD, but I'm a sophomore in high school taking- and having an A in- Precalculus. With that out of the way, this album is a pretty solid example of 2000s hip hop. The beats are good, and the flow is solid if not the best. The songs are well made and fairly enjoyable. Lyrics are excellent in that they don't rely overly on hedonistic and boastful tropes common in some rap from the period. Unfortunately, I found the album's sound a little repetitive and unengaging toward the end. It's far from terrible, however- even for this typical "intelligent kid" who nearly always has the answer and does consistently well on tests.

It's okay. I liked The Corner song.

I had high hopes, based on the cover alone, that this was going to be a smooth bass-y modern lounge thang, similar to John Legend, but it’s not. I love the idea of what this could’ve been. Common as a rapper is definitely of his time. His voice sounds irritated and doesn’t emote anything except urgency and confrontation, even in the more chill tracks…much like Kanye. The music slides into that old school R&B and Soul sound, which I love…like Kanye. Go! is nice. Testify is a good song. Chi-City is great…I love that this album is generally about Chicago. I guess if he wasn’t seemingly trying to rap like Kanye, I’d enjoy this more. I’ll still take Common over Kanye any and every day of the week though.

I discovered Common back in 2007 . I love his flow and the instrumentals he picks up. However, to be totally honest since I really struggle understanding the lyrics and I have no time reading them somewhere my fool appreciation is quite limited ha ha ha ha.

C'est certainement un album de rap des années 2000, oui

Smooth listen, very Kanye coded. Has made me curious enough to search out older Common albums to see if there's a difference.

It’s good but I’ve got better Common albums. Kanye’s production is also good, but the vintage soul sides idea was hardly as revolutionary as many have claimed.

It Be OK, but nothing really grabbed hold of me apart from the monologue at the very end and Go!

I liked it pretty good, but I don’t have a PhD in Maths, so maybe that’s why. 3.7/5

This was okay, started out pretty strong, I liked Be and Real People, maybe there was a third that had the more jazzy feel. Honestly though the rest of the album felt pretty much the same. 2.5 rounded to 3 only because I feel like the lyricism might feel stronger after a couple listens.

This was pretty ok, just an average 2.5-3 star hip-hop album for me. I understand why people like Common and I don't dislike his music, it just doesn't draw and keep my attention like other, similar, artists....

I liked some songs better than others - enjoyed it more than I thought it would - nothing felt amazing but was catchy - between a 3 and 4

Pretty good. Strong 3 or weak 4 for me.

...Or not to be? That is the question.

This album is warm and smooth but didn’t wow me, nothing really jumps out or hits especially hard. It’s like the easy listening version of rap/hip hop. Common is thoughtful and steady throughout and I like the laid back vibe, but not something I’d go back to.

These rap tracks are clean and deliberate. The music is funky, soulful, and intoxicating. The backup vocals provide a medium that Common builds-on to tell his stories. I had never listened to Common before today, but I will be looking for more of his albums to explore.

I've never listened to a Common album before, this was really good. Old school rap cadence paired with smooth jazz beats. Has a hipster coffee house feel. I liked it. But not something I'll revisit.

Meh, pas trop mon style mais pas pire

It's cool. The album starts very strong, it can't sustain that but it's a good hip hop album.

I don't listen to hiphop

Kanye is my favorite hip hop producer. To some that would sound like a controversial statement. To me it’s so uncontroversial that I think second place (RZA? Q-Tip?) wouldn’t even touch Ye at first. That being said, I’ve never listened to this album and am prepared to love it.

5/10

passingly familiar with this album..."GO!" takes me back testify is great, i like chi-city, the food album reminds me very much of the blueprint and the black album (jay-z, 2001 & 2003 respectively)

Not bad, could take a few more listens to really appreciate it.

It was OK I guess. Not that great, but i've heard far worse.

Um trabalho inteligente ao mesmo tempo que acessível. Ainda que bastante mainstream, influência de Kanye West, não perde a identidade. Mas, não supera a força e o impacto a Like Water for Chocolate

Meh

Generally, not a fan of hip hop (no I don’t have a maths phd) but I actually quite enjoyed this melodic album.

Rap is not my thing, but that's ok. I do like the music and the production, even if the actual rapping part just doesn't send me. 3 stars.

wow it's a hip hop record that is not unlistenable, finally

Quite good! Some real gems here (especially the title track), but many songs are held back by sparse instrumentation and production.

It's certainly not bad. I kinda like hiphop. But it didn't sound particularly unique. A solid 3/5.

I wish the beats were a little more distinct, flows as well all just a little too similar but for what it is it’s great. It does feel like Common kinda just coasted off this for the rest of his career though.

3.5 stars

It doesn't really slap. It's kind of slow and dated, but it's more thoughtful than most of today's music.

Я не великий прихільник хіп-хопу нульових, втім цей альбом має якусь позитивну енергетику. Слухати були приємно. 3.5

хороший, добрый, черный

I really liked this album. The rap mixed with Jazz really worked for me and I enjoyed it more as it kept going. My favorite song was Real People

"Easy-listening" rap. I enjoyed the soul elements and I thought Kanye's feature was great. Common has a nice flow, but he doesn't compel me to much further listening. I enjoyed "Real People," which I think Kanye produced.

An okay 2000s rap album from the guy who's now better known for those Microsoft commercials. Nothing bad about it just doesn't stand out.

uplifting, varied and elegant. Favorite songs: Chi City & the Food

Not a rap fan, but the music was nice and his voice pleasant.

A few pretty good tracks but overall not an amazing album

Not really my thing, so not the best way to start this challenge. "It's Your World" probably the best track that stood out.

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

Here we go, another hip hop album 'Intro'. But this isn't meaningless repartee about guns n pussay. A double bass with piano, gliding strings, and Isley brothers guitar (might be a synth). Indeed Mr Common even namechecks Coltrane here, a nod to that jazzy bassline. It's a great start. It's a clear precursor to Kendrick Lamar, lyrically and musically, and if nothing else deserves credit for that. But there is not nothing else. There's also the excellent vintage soul pacing, tight sampling and raps with stories to tell. It's very consistent to the point of being samey, but the lack of surprises is made up for by the smooth grooves.

Favourite Track: They Say

I never thought I would say this about a hip hop album, but if it were just the first 5 tracks, this album would get a 5/5 rating. Those first 5 tracks all hit different. I was really feeling it. The rest of the album didn't come anywhere close to that bar.

I like common (casually). I thought I would like this album. It’s ok! It’s lovely just not for me. Love “Go” ofc and “Real People” “They Say” is absolutely the standout.

Standouts Be Chi-City Real People

I’m probably not the audience Common had in mind for this album, but I still really enjoyed it. Before listening to Be, I had never heard of Common, but his rhythm, flow, and lyricism immediately stood out. He’s often described as an “intelligent rapper,” and that comes through clearly here — his storytelling feels purposeful, powerful, and genuinely engaging. The album blends sharp production with thoughtful writing, and it’s made me want to explore more of his back catalogue. Favourite track: Testify – an outstanding track. Least favourite track: Everything on the album is worth a listen. Album artwork: A simple, standard cover.

Common has a lot better albums but this a fun listen.

just call it an exhibition of Kanye West’s beat making and production— he stole the spotlight whether it was his beats or bars. Kanye really carried here while Dilla’s holding it down. it’s just hard to take yourself out of the thought that this album is an early display of Kanye’s experimental work. it added a whole other dimension to Common’s flows… which i liked at times. felt out of place and forced other times. i kept having to pause and really get a feel for their choices because even today, it’s so refreshing!

One of the very few hip hop artists I can appreciate (at times), but I never listened to this or any of his albums before. But as it always is, with hip hop and me, I can't enjoy it for more than 15 minutes. Honestly, I'm not someone who listens to lyrics that much, I'm mostly engaged with melody and song structures, which most hip hop tends to lack. Even so, although still not my cup of tea, this hiphop album is quite melodic, and Common's rapping is comforting rather than confronting (unlike his lyrics, which is a compliment too), so 3/5

Ah yes, I love this Kanye album feat J Dilla and that guy named Common who talks the whole time. Maybe I’m being a little too harsh, I actually enjoy listening to this album. 3/5

Solid

It's pretty good. -1 for K*nye

Even though i’m not a mathematician, hip hop isn’t my genre. In fact, I’m probably what the PhD maths guy would describe as a hipster with a humanities degree, and I didn’t much care for it. It’s very smooth, and a wee bit shiny but it’s too jazzy for me, and I found it quite annoying. I have no idea if it is technically good or not, but it sounds like it probably is. It just doesn’t speak to me.

Bit too slow and not aggressive enough for my tastes in hip hop, but not a bad album.

Enjoyed it! Intro was sick as fuck.

Felt like having a new Kanye album. Have never listened to him but instantly see the hype. Excited to listen again, very leisurely but infectious flow. And only 42 minutes a lot of hip hop albums are far too long this was perfect.

What the hell, sure. 3.5

3.5/5

When I first listened to this, I hadn't really had any serious exposure to Kanye's discography. Now that I'm coming back to this after that, the production is almost instantly recognisable. I'm going to assume this album has high ratings because of the Kanye production, but I'm coming to this as someone who listened to most of Common's early discography before Kanye's. I find Common really toes the time with the "lyrical spiritual miracle" type rhymes. Not that the lyrical content is like that all, but his flow comes across too try-hard if that makes sense. The emphasis on the rhymes in his songs is almost like he's looking for validation at being a technically good lyricist. It's particularly present on The Corner. I think upon second listen, I agree with my initial rating. Kanye is a great producer and I think Common is a good rapper (even if he's not my choice). While it might come across as a Kanye side project, I don't think it would be as good without Common. For example, Go! and Faithful wouldn't have been out-of-place on College Dropout. It does make me wonder what Kanye is like in the studio, if he's domineering or if his production style is so distinct that it's just hard to downplay his role on a project. Not a release that I'll come back to but it's a good entry point to Common and I think an enjoyable listen for any fan of Kanye's early work.

Spoko, od czasu do czasu fajnie posłuchać takiej muzyki

Always avoided Common because his aesthetic seemed kind of corny to me. I've been sleeping on this it's great! Solid production from early era Kanye West on this. And Common is a more than capable MC. Crazy that Common got to work with peak era J Dilla and Peak Era Kanye West.

Not my usual genre of music at all. Pretty easy listening hip hop with a jazz feel and laid back grooves and decent lyrics. Pleasant.

Used to like it a lot more when I was younger. Still a classic tho.

Good, but I like his earlier stuff better

Fine

You know that meme of the woman pulling a face after trying kombucha for the first time? When I saw that Kanye West was involved as a producer on this, I initially pulled the sour face, but then I saw that J Dilla was also credited on a couple of tracks so, well, maybe face? This is straight forward hip-hop/rap, but the usual barrage of mf’ing n-words is refreshingly low, and the backing music has a sort of 70s soul feel to it. As expected, the two J Dilla tracks are excellent (‘Love Is’ and ‘It’s Your World’), the latter featuring a chorus of kids saying what they want to be when they grow up, from astronaut to obstetrician including duck and first African American female president, something that could have been sappy but is actually quite sweet in context.

все тут есть в этом альбоме, но по мне чуть задушнил старина, включил канье веста хотя ты не канье вест , ты как бы круче (как эмси по крайней мере)

This album was smooth but in like a "I have nothing to grab onto" sort of way

I enjoyed the rapping, but the background music being smooth-jazz-ish mostly ruined it for me.

Lowkey decent.

Produced by Kanye and J Dilla, was never going to be bad. Enjoyable listen

Gets you in a vibes mood

Fine.

nice rap

Solid album! Nothing super stand out though.

Any album that involves The Last Poets has to have something going for it. Pleasant enough, but could have done without Kanye popping up, even if this before he really lost the plot.

Man has some sharp delivery. Quite soulful in places. Almost a Daisy Age album.

Not bad

Enjoyed this far more than the other album by Common

I started off really enjoying it but the last half about me enough to lower a few stars. First song was bloody great though.

OK as background music. For Starbucks or the lift.

Pretty evenly split between 2/5 songs and 4/5 songs. Overall, pretty solid hip hop / rap.

It's ok for what it is. 3 feels quite generous though.

Not bad.

Pretty good but some of the beats are distracting(Testify) but it was a pretty thoughtful album and Common has a smooth voice. Too much Kanye though would be a 4+ with less ye.

Good album. Not really in the wheelhouse of what I typically listen to, but I appreciate the work.

Nice album, nice vocals-especially from John Legend. But nothing to make me want to listen to it again.

Objectively solid hip-hop album, just not quite in my wheelhouse. Some legitimately great songs on here though, and I love Common’s voice. Best Track: Faithful

Solid lyricist with actual story line, theme and thought. This is the opposite of the random phrase mumbling that is nothing more than boasting like a brain dead rooster just strutting around. Solid 3 stars.

The flow is nice but not exactly my style. The best tracks were the ones featuring Kanye. All in all, a decent album.

Not sure what album I'm on, definitely 100+. I'm running out of things to say. I like Common, seems like a good human. Didn't realize he came up with the shambolic mess that is Ye, Mr. West, Yeezee, Kanye, or whatever we're calling him these days. He loses a little bit for me with that, but I guess you don't get to choose who your contemporaries are. I usually say that for me to like rap and hip hop, it has to do something interesting musically. This just about gets there.

I liked it. I had Like Water for Chocolate in my collection growing up and loved it as one of my all time favorites. This is a great album but i kept comparing it to LWFC and just felt it was not as good.

Feels like a both a high point and a dying gasp for backpack rap, like the genre had been wrung out and this was all that's left. Technically excellent, souful, committed, and nothing new. I bet Kanye's beats hit harder 20 years ago but having heard them for those 20 years, it feels...not dated, but not fresh, either. Kind just a normal part of the soundscape. Solid album, victim of its competency in that it doesn't do anything interesting because it does everything perfectly well. 3 is too harsh and also maybe a bit too much.

Cool to hear Kanye wests production on this. Feels like he is gone and this was a fun trip down memory lane. Nothing I particularly love here but it’s easy enough to listen to. Would listen again

I enjoyed the Kanye beats, wasn't as grabbed by Common's rapping. "The Food - Live" was probably my fave on here

This is a genre I can't get behind. Well-produced but not for me.

Hahaha, I can't believe this is on here! Common (Sense)'s corniest, most embarrassing album... and I still kind of like it.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would

Cool, classic, bouncy - nothing in excess. Not too mindful, not to brash, not too political, not too experimental, not too whatever. Just pleasing. Should hip hop be simply pleasing? Not for me to say

4 but minus .5 for Kanye & minus .5 for common’s acting career

this is one of the whitest hiphop albums to come out from a black dude

very good

Not a huge rap fan so this was very interesting for me to explore. Hope to learn a lot along the way.

Nah. Not bad, but can't call it "masterpiece". But I understand why others like it. Like, it's not half bad.

This album isn’t for me and I’m certainly not the target audience. Having said that, it grew on me as it went along. I really liked It’s Your World and its message.

I like this one better than the previous Common album that came up. 3/5 #162

I found it enjoyable but nothing that grabbed my attention. Could probably do with a few more listens.

Alright

Enjoyed Testify, well produced album by an absolute madman

Ye

for some reason the hiphop reminded me of hamilton which reminded me of jonathan groff which reminded me of glee so thanks common for the reminder to watch glee 😁😁😁😁

I love me some socially conscious hip-hop, but Common has always slid just a little too corny for me. Testify rules, though.

I liked parts of this

I only knew him as an actor and turns out he made a soulful and interesting album as well. I liked most of the songs.

Flawless is a good word for this album, in the sense that every note and word feels polished and produced to go right the pleasure spot of white people who like hip hop. Whether that’s the chicken or the egg is up for debate, but everything down to the album’s cover feels polished and lab-tested to be Common’s big comeback album with critics and fans. Which isn’t to say it’s bad. Kanye’s production feels rehashed from his big hits at the time, but they were hits for a reason. And Common is an excellent rapper, even if I find this a little toothless compared to “Resurrection” or “Like Water for Chocolate.” I wanted “Be” to be legendary, but it’s just kind of pleasant and forgettable (though that live recording of "The Food" from the Chapelle Show felt electric when we all watched it for the first time, and I like that they included it here instead of recreating it in the studio.) But all of this is a shame because of these three things: 1) Common felt for a moment like the epitome of socially conscious rap, the promised one after so many years of gangster rap hitting the zeitgeist which left little room for your Tribes Called Quest or Souls De La. 2) I saw Common live around this time and he was pure fire. He was alone on a stage and it felt like watching lightning. 3) There’s a moment on Jeen Yuhs where Kanye and Most Def freestyle what would become “Two Words,” and it’s also fire. In theory, Kanye linking up with all these guys should have been legendary.

I preferred the other one. This felt like an effort to make a modern ‘what’s going on’. I’ve never really liked Kanye West either

Solid

I liked the first half of this album. It was a nice change to hear a rapper who is talking about creating a wholesome future rather than destroying and living nihilistically. Unfortunately this whole album is tainted by the production and guest appearances by Kanye, a despicable human being. I hope Common has realized that not all relationships need to be maintained.

3.5/5

One of the discoveries I’m making that I’m really happy about is learning I actually do enjoy hip hop. It’s still not my favorite I have always been and likely always will be a rock and roll guy but it’s a genre I’m learning I do have an appreciation for. All this to say I liked this album, it’s upfront but not overbearing in its production it’s lean. Common is obviously skilled at what he does and the lyrics are solid. I enjoyed this album, didn’t love it, as I said I’ve never felt hip hop/rap is my thing but I enjoyed it.

6/10… rap / hip hop

Hip hop again. Dr. Octagonecologyst from yesterday was fun. This, on the other hand, doesn't do much for me. Whereas that is entirely possible this is due to me hearing that insufferable fuckstick throughout this album. And the reverence for even old West has always baffled me a bit. Were people new to sampling and hip hop then? Polished goo.

This one starts strong but kind of peters out and then ends with an extended... audio collage? Common is an upper echelon rapper, there's some pretty great pre-psycho Kanye production, but it just doesn't carry the momentum for me. I end up wanting to like it more than I do.

As already stated I am not really a fan of this genre, but you know what I quite enjoyed this album and I would listen again!

This was pretty OK. Do I ever want to hear it again? Not particularly.

Different

Common makes 90s rap to raise a family to. But Be is no Outkast, no Mos Def, no Roots. Definitely no Jay Electronica (who is not on this list and should be. Go listen to Act II: The Patents of Nobility and enjoy the new colours you can see afterwards). Three for the zeitgeist and for this solid counter to the Marshall Mathers LP

It feels very superfluous writing these as the musicians are obviously out making creative endeavours and I am not. But allowing for that Common’s writing shines through but sadly he is a very limited performer. Large parts of this album kinda felt like a bored and slightly condescending university poetry lecturer droning on about the work of someone far more insightful

Starts great, but some tracks are hit & miss in my opinion. Think this is a really solid album to get into hip hop if you think hip hop is only gangster stuff. Great album but I think there is better stuff out there and it feels slightly overrated. Also love all the Phd comments :)

I enjoy Common's positivity and themes, but I wish he would not hang behind the beat so much with his delivery. Some nice guest work from Kanye right before he became a star.

Decent, hadn't really come across Common before, will definitely give it a second helping and look for more stuff.

A new artist to me, but I really enjoyed this

Loved this when it came out, but as time goes on, I find myself less and less impressed with Common (don't get me started on his acting)...

The album has a mix of gospel, blues, soul, jazz and hip-hop. Common’s poetry of life in Chicago, Black history and culture gives a positive vibe to hip-hop, that makes Common a legend. Not many hit songs, but the lyrics are attention grabbing.

Pretty easy classic, KWest beats are top tier, gets a little lyrical miracle at times

3 Stars (8/15)

Ok this is a hard one to review. My first impression is that I really really liked it and thought it should be 4 stars easy, if not 5 stars. Its production is fantastic and songs are great. However I don’t like or condone the use of the N word, epically with the hard R. That makes this an album I would never listen to again personally. I’d also remove a star rating because of it. Then I find that Kanye produced this. I also have a hard time separating someone’s personal life from their art. That loses another star for me. I guess that leaves me with a three star album which is just a me thing. Without those two digs at it, it could be a phenomenal album for me. Instead I’ll never listen to it again.

Very of its era. I did not love it but it was a decent listen.

a bajillion times better than the first common album we got

can absolutely hear the 2005 kanye production in this one, even before he popped into the album. 3.5

actually really liked the sound of this record. very nostalgic.

Couple good songs on that album I liked, while others were easily forgettable

Ni tan mal, pero tampoco me llama tanto como para empezar a escuchármelo de continuo 😦

i've never been a big kanye listener but his production really shines through. a bit too god worshippy at times for me personally but solid overall.

Very lyrical but really liked it!! Just not an instant re-listen

Random thoughts: * 2 Common albums on 1001. I didn't realize I was missing a major artist of the past 25 years. * I did like this Common album better than the previous one. I enjoyed the Kanye influence and reminded me of the classic Kanye. * I enjoyed "Go!" and "Chi-City". "Testify" was weird and caught my attention both times I listened to it. I'm not sure how I feel about it though. * I wonder how Common feels about Kanye now. * Outro speech was weird. I didn't care for that much. * Overall, was pretty enjoyable and good. I'd definitely listen again.

rap meh

Lots of samples. Makes the music derivative. Good beats and interesting fills. I don’t relate to the lyrics which means little replay value, but I can see why this lands with it’s target audience. Solid overall.

I'm not a rap guy. However this is some of the best rap I've ever heard

Qué género tan sobrevalorado es el hip hop y cómo me molesta que la gente lo ponga al nivel del rock, el soul, el jazz o el blues. Musicalmente, nunca un álbum de hip hop será mejor que un buen álbum de, por ejemplo, rock.

Lekker albumpie straalde niet echt in iets uit. Maar wel lekkere luister

Not bad, but can't give Kanye a high rating

Have never heard this, nor anything by Common. It was a pleasant surprise. The tracks I liked I really enjoyed. The ones I didn't annoyed me. There are more tracks than I like than I dislike.

Prime (and pre-nazi) Kanye West production sounds excellent across the album. Common has some moments of real lyrical talent on the album as well. However, overall I didn’t take too many memorable songs from this album.

Better than I though

Still not massively my thing, but much more listenable to than, say, Method Man.

Favorite part of the album was on the first track when I thought it might be a jazz album. It all went to shit when I heard "yeah!".

Nice flow!! Great opening track. Not heard him before but this is goooood. Feel like you can really hear Kanye’s production in it, but such a good flow and vibe. Tight, good production, writing. Less inclined to the more R&B songs and much prefer the harder, rap flow. ‘The Food - live’ 🔥 (3.5)

Best Song: They Say. As much as I hate to admit it, Kanye's got a decent feature here, and the vibes are immaculate. Worst Song: Testify. Although I really like the chorus, the way the female vocals compete with Common's vocals during the verses sounds really busy and clumsy in a way that makes me feel like I can't focus on either part properly. Overall: About the same as the other Common album on this list. Something about his style and delivery feels relaxing and welcoming to me, while also not being so revelatory that I think to come back to it ever. Jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type music.

Not a bad rap album. Actually had music that wasn't terrible and the lyrics weren't annoying. 3/5

I dont like rap.so to be fair 3 stars freom someone who should not rate a genre he does not listen to. The middle.

It's nice but I think I liked "Like Water for Chocolate" better, if nothing else because more of the beats and such stood out to me compared to here where there were some big highlights but not all around consistency like that other album. It's also funny-sad to get reminders that even as far back as 2005 Kanye was rapping about going to mental institutions, which speaking of, his production is nice but eh I prefer the work in the last album. I might comeback to both back to back to compare them in the future

Fine. A bit incongruous to see how much influence Kanye had on this given what a horrible person he has revealed himself to be. Some pretty dated gender politics on display. Nothing especially groundbreaking happening here.

It's just not catchy enough to be so preachy, and the chipmunk soul thing just ages less well every year

This is one of those albums that really, REALLY grew on me after a couple of listens. On my first listen through, I found a lot of the songs same-y and annoying. After like the fourth playthrough though I generally liked every song. The only ones that I didn't really like were "Faithful" and the end of "It's Your World." Also, listening to Kanye in any capacity just makes me sad knowing how terrible of a person he is now, so as much as I like the song "They Say", I just can't truly enjoy it fully. Besides that, I enjoyed very much of this album. A few days ago I mentioned growing a lack of interest in Jazz music and that upsetting me greatly, I'm glad to say that the opposite is true for Hip-Hop. I've pretty much enjoyed all the albums I've rolled so far, this being no different. "Be (Intro)", "The Corner", and my personal favorite "Chi-City" all absolutely SLAP. I kind of want to rate this one a 4, but I also skip a few songs per listen, and unfortunately it's getting a Kanye Tax, so it's a 3.99/5. Realistically this is a 4 though.

je sais pas trop quoi en dire, pour du 2005 j’ai pas trouvé ça révolutionnaire non plus mais c’était tout de même un bon album qui s’écoute plutôt bien! assez répétitif quand même, et k**** w*** boo👎

More musical than a lot of this genre. Closer to Gil Scott Heron than Dr Dre

Pretty average. The couple times Kanye showed up, he completely overshadowed Common. Overall a nice album, but a little boring

Common s'interroge sur ce que c'est que d'«être» un homme. J'ai bien aimé l'aspect collaboratif. Un album sage sur tous les plans.

It’s hard not to hear this as part of Kanye’s greater history. At the time one of the big strikes against Ye was that he couldn’t rap (source: me) and needed better ghostwriters or maybe just a mouthpiece to present his productions, lyrical concerns, etc. Enter Common, fka Common Sense. I always liked Common and felt he was maybe the sole credible link between the Native Tongues crews of the early 90s and where hip hop was going in the 00s. He had a believable left-of-center perspective and actual flow, charisma, etc. Hooking up with post-Blueprint and Dropout Kanye, becoming part of the pre-GOOD Music troupe alongside John Legend, et al, well, it was a nice moment there leading up to MBDTF. “The Food” was so great I made an mp3 from the Chappelle Show live performance a year before, which is more or less what they did for Be. It’s a great capsule of time well lost - Kanye the underdog producer backing up Common, Chappelle putting his fist up in a Black Power salute, the Sam Cooke sample, Common and Ye telling somewhat relatable stories of poverty. Today, Common is perhaps better known as a reliable supporting actor and everyone else...

I like the music and he’s got really good flow but there was nothing catchy about it. No hooks

Not bad, enjoyed it more than I expected. Wasn't paying too much attention, so I have no idea what he was saying.

Surprisingly good. Would never listen to it but it was real chilled and relaxed. Enjoyed it. 3/5

fun Je vais y revenir

Ça s'écoute ben, bonne vibe mais j'trust pas Judge Sims.

Meh. Better than the same old rock, but Common is a bit wordy trying to say what he wants to say. Lyrics aren't very profound or emotional. Some songs were good, this deserves 3.5 stars rounded down. - Hard to rank rap against all the rock that came before - Most popular song 'Go!' is majorly underwhelming - Kinda corny by modern standards, does feel like of course a couple white guys liked this rap album

When I saw that this album was produced by Kanye West, I knew it would probably be a pretty decent album. I'm not a tremendous fan of either him or his music, but I was excited to see what Common Sense could do with a Kanye-type beat. I would say this album held up as a pretty good hip hop/rap album. My favorite was the live performance from Dave Chappelle's show of the song Common (otherwise known as the Kanye feature song). That performance was a great listen, but an even more fun watch. Overall, I liked it. It's not the best rap album I've had on this generator, but it is not even close to being the worst.

I liked it.

I'm bouncing between 2 and 3. But I am bouncing, so I guess that makes it a 3? Not my style and the heavy R&B influence grates on my nerves, but I recognize it's well done for what it is. Let's call it a 2.6, rounding up.

“It’s Your World” is an all timer… the rest didn’t age well. Way too much k**y*

Love the sweet soul samples, excellent beats, rich texture, Alvin and the CMs pitched up gospel, and then I realized it's early Kanye before he broke bad. So, now I have mixed feelings. Common sounds great, and while a few of the tracks lack, all in all a good Friday soundtrack.

Actually got to do two laps on this one. Not hitting as strongly as it did when I first heard it. That may be to the Kayne influence not aging well, or the fact that John Mayer was involved, just not getting the same feels as I did as a younger man.

Not my preference for rap but good overall.

gott fágað snemm 2000 rapp. kanje er á tökkunum og kveður fáeinar rímur. oft sögð með bestu rapp plötum síðustu áratuga, er ekki alveg samþykkur en á skilið aðra. 3,5.

Clean beats, good production, good rhymes. A classic.

I like Common - I bought this when it came out some of this album is great but he gets tedious after a few tracks

Old enough for me to comprehend. New enough to offer some fresh ideas. The real listening gold comes in the form of Kanye's production. Not to take away from Common's flow - still solid thoughtful and creative after a decade - this album's sound is inventive and warm. And that inspires as honest a performance as you will hear from Common. The man has a total mastery of the fundamentals. 3.5 stars

Music for Microsoft ads. Still better than current rap music though so yet again that's worth something.

Nice listen. Chill vibes and good lyrics.

This sounds like a Kanye West side project with a very uncharismatic rapper making the tracks less good than they otherwise would have been without him badly rapping on them.

I hate handing it to Kanye for obvious reasons, but the production on this is a fairly big improvement over Like Water For Chocolate, and I thought the production on that one was already pretty good! Unfortunately, the songs still don't really stick with me, which prevents this from being as good as it could be.

Common's push into the mainstream. This was a really interesting time as rap evolved into something softer, gentler, etc.

A good album. 4

Las vibes som excelentes pero hay mucha lyric que no me llama mucho la atención y hay temas que no me pinta mucho escuchar. Hay joyitas igual. The food por ejemplo. Y GO! Si no tuviera versos jajaj

Cool

VERY 00s.

A solid rap album.

The Corner is a nice song. Not my usual genre of listen but gotta admit, album is full of catchy rhythms. A few of the lyrics are a little strange, but I guess that's par for the course for the genre.

Chill beats and good stuff but didn't hook me

Feel-good and prime Kanye-collaborated. I feel Shad owes Common a beer for the inspiration.

3.5

‘Common’ a word I’d use to describe most of Len Houmous’ 14 wives. 3.1

This is a truly honest hip-hop album—I get it now. It’s easily one of the best in its genre. “The Corner” is a masterpiece. (A surprising statement coming from someone like me, who usually listens to progressive rock…) It’s genuinely calming. I think I’ll turn to this album whenever I’m feeling upset. During “Love Is…”, I actually found a sense of peace. Thank you, Common.

舒服的饒舌

The peak way to listen to this album would be through the speakers of a 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible, driving down a bustling city street.

I don't really care about this album, but gotta give it an extra star bc the math guy gave Mariah Carey a 1

I have no real complaints, but also nothing really sounded essential to me. It was all very nice, and maybe that’s the problem. It was lacking some edge. And I have to admit that it’s jarring to hear the Kanye of that time period in 2025 context. Good album, not great.

This is what we lost

A good hop Hop album, but no more or less to me. Solid Soul samples, some conscious and soulful raps to fit. But it’s a little too slick and doesn’t aim to push the boundary. Just a bit too mainstream sounding, but also not much to dislike here either.

yeah it's a good rap album, nothing special for me

I liked this a lot better than the other Common album I had. It’s less soul and more hip hop. I remember the song “The Food” from the Chapelle Show. It was my introduction to Kanye and it was inspiring back then. Common’s social commentary is lucid without sacrificing flow and the beats are solid here.

Solid listen but still prob don’t need to go back for a while

While I’m not usually a big hip hop fan I actually locked into this pretty quickly. I liked the melodies and beats chosen for the underscore. The lyrics were good. Would listen to this again. 3.5/5

Good beats and good songs. Not all were a hit, but had some stand outs

Not something I'd have chosen but he's good and I like the background plinky-plonky tunes. Didn't really listen to the lyrics as I was reading a book.

Started well, but a little too much R&B for my liking, and I was bored by the end. 3 stars.

A third hip hop album that is sort of ok. Unlike the other two, the artist doesn’t seem to be a Nazi, the lyrics aren’t full of misogyny, the music part has more of a soul sound and less of the rubbing a balloon sounds, and he’s from Chicago, so I’m feeling generous today.

I enjoyed this a little more than expected. I went into this album with a negative mindset, mostly due to the Kanye hype, but if I’m honest I quite enjoyed it. It won’t be on high rotation, but I’d be happy to revisit it. Of course I need to mention that Kanye West appears to be a controlling antisemitic, misogynistic narcissist, but he has some good tunes!

Nisam očekivala da će mi se ovo imalo svidjeti ali stvarno nije loše. Tu mi je negdje skoro na nivou onog rapa koji mi je sasvim ok. Dobar vibe. Najgore je kad se Kanye i John Legend pojave (ne samo iz ličnih razloga). Ne znam da li bih samoinicijativno opet slušala ali mi ne smeta.

Our boy Common from Silo. Loved this, surprisingly. Not by style, but enjoyable enough for a second listen. Would be better without Kanye though...

It was alright. I enjoyed some of the musical moments, like the opening of the first song.

This is not rap that holds much appeal for me. I like more of a sharp edge to my music. This was soft.

04/04/2025 Never heard of this before. It was okay.

Kanye’s amazing production (feat. Common’s mediocre rapping) ”Let be,” as Shakespeare would put it.

I don't think Common is for me. The production on this album is consistent and solid as all hell, except for common. I'm just not crazy about his flow. Kanye and J Dilla as fucking incredible though.

Didn't really pay much attention to this album so don't want to rate it too low a score. Must say I liked the musicality of this although the lyrics did not seem to hit home.

Tykkäsin kaikista RnB ja soulsampleista. Paljon melodiaa räpin lisäksi joka teki tästä kieltämättä miellyttävän kuuntelukokemuksen!

i like Chubb Rock better

Ganz ok, immer wieder nett mal n Rap Album vorgeschlagen zu kriegen, aber das war jetzt keins was ich mir kaufen würde. Mittelmaß

Good but i dont care i probably wont listen to this again probably should maybe i will maybe i will force myself to like it.. fuck it.

Common has always been an artist who is out of place and time. He feels like if you took grandmaster flash and stuck him in a time machine and brought him like 40 years ahead. Idk, he just has this old man flow. And idk if it's the samples he uses but those also just feel older. He's not bad just not a rapper I'm ride or dying with.

Un common-ly good

Grand

Pretty good! It was a fun listen

☆•~putaria lírica ~•☆

I like this one.

I bought Electik Circus when it came out and played it a good few times. This is quite as eclectic but still streets ahead of most of the hip hop dross we’ve had to listen to so far!

I can’t believe the top review for this record (as of March 2025) is from someone complaining about someone trying to use their PhD in Mathematics as justification for not liking hip-hop. Lame.

Legal

I'm a STEM guy, but I'm quite partial to a bit of hip hop. Perhaps it's because I'm also a vaguely rounded human being? Anyway, this was fine, but not too exciting. I liked the soulful production, especially when a bit of brass came in, but I'm not desperate to listen to it again.

Enjoyable but potentially forgettable

Fun! Final song was great. Purely not giving it 4 stars as I’m saving that for the albums that really blow me away but this was incredibly enjoyable! Loovvveedddd the bass in this especially. This was just what I needed for a warm day

Better than i expected