Be

I enjoyed this one

Kind of generic mid oughts hip hop. Great production amd fun to listen to, but I can't ever see having a hankering for this one.

As much as this is Common’s record, Kayne’s fingerprints are all over it. If possession is 9/10ths of the law, Kanye is guilty as charged. A Sunday afternoon feeling. -TomB

Hmm leuk maar niet iets waar ik vaak naar zal luisteren.

Testament to Kanye honestly. Hit or miss on the trax but when they do hit they are a spectacle for the ears

Off to a strong start, then it gets lost in Kanye rants where lyrics take priority over sound, except the lyrics are mid. Thankfully, it finds its way back to more creative sound in Testify

Be is a meaningful step forward from Like Water for Chocolate, and the reason is mostly Kanye West. His production here sits in that sweet spot of his 2005 peak — warm, soulful, sample-driven, and immediately alive in a way that gives Common’s flow a cleaner and more inviting frame than the more abstract Soulquarians textures of the earlier record. The beats are genuinely strong, the storytelling is thoughtful, and the whole thing moves with a confidence and concision that demands respect. At barely 35 minutes there’s no wasted motion and no indulgent detours. And yet the fundamental equation doesn’t quite change. Common’s delivery, for all its intelligence and craft, still fades into the background rather than cutting through it. The music underneath is doing more work than the rapping on top, which is a problem when the rapping is supposed to be the point. It’s not that the flow is weak — it’s that it never generates the kind of urgency that makes you reach for a record again by choice. This is a genuine 3 rather than a charitable one. The quality is real, the improvement over earlier work is audible, and the record absolutely earns its place on the list. It just doesn’t earn a place in regular rotation. Better than much of its genre, not quite compelling enough to demand return visits.

He's a good lyricist and, probably, because of the soul sound, it hasnt aged itself out. I assume what is missing for me is that emotional feeling in his work.

Pretty conflicted on this. A lot of the instrumentals were good and it had a decent flow, but some of the lyrics were abysmal

It was good. I’ll spare you my favorite track

Solid, lean album with iconic Common lyrics and beats

Not bad as far as rap goes

A lot of gems! You can definitely hear the Kanye production

I got both Common albums in the same week. This one is better than the first one, but it's still mostly meh.

Be is chill and thoughtful, but sometimes feels like background music for deep thoughts instead of centerstage.

3.5

3.5

I was putting this one off, considering my rating on the other Common album. This one I really got into it at the beginning especially with the Jazz influence. In fact, when this leans further into the Jazz side, rather than the R&B side, I really find myself enjoying the album, "Be (Intro)", "Real People" and "It's Your World". I also liked "Go!", and "Chi-City" pretty well. But there are more than enough tracks that I really couldn't get into and "The Food" being my least favorite. I probably should go back and reassess "Like Water for Chocolate", but it feels a little bit daunting considering it's about an hour and a half long and I didn't give it a really high score the first time. This one's about half as long and I liked it a lot better (7.25)

I took a maths degree and failed it twice. Failed it harder the second time around which is probably why I prefer this second Common record a little bit more. Beats are better thanks to Kanye and has a bit more of that chipmunk soul. I find Common to be a pretty average rapper (I’d grade him ‘Be Minus’) so the one track that Kanye pops up and raps on near the end is easily the best of the lot.

Common has bars! It’s a solid record.

i kinda glazed through this one but i would love to listen to it in community at my next bbq. it’s got a lot of flow and is kinda soulful. first ever common album

Light rap

Good sounds in the songs but didn't go beyond that for me

- Feels weird to be listening to uplifting, conscious rap and then there's Kanye the creep all over it. - Smooth vocal flow. - Some soulful/funky grooves, though they didn't really go anywhere, so it kind of lacked the forward momentum that I wanted instrumentally.

A solid 00s hip hop album with Kanye's fingerprints all over it, though it doesn't hit the same as some of Ye's own albums.

Pleasant and upbeat with great production.

Decent Music.

3.5 ?

Not an album I'll go back to as it's not my thing but it's a well done album. You could hear Kanye's production throughout for better or for worse. I'm okay with it as long as I don't have to hear him sing.

Good stuff. Didn't really know him before, but he's talented.

I never really got into Common back in the day because I was too busy listening to NWA and Death Row kind of rap and I thought ¨backpack¨ rap was lame. Who knew his positive messages would still hold up 20 years later? Holds up much better than Kanye's reputation, that's for sure, but can't blame Common for that.

2026-03-07...

Common Be uncommon. Rappers, and hoopers, and lots of naggerin’ throughout. Very contentious subject matter in most songs, which is what gets him on The 1001 Must Hear List. Hippity hop still not my style but this album is listenable from start to finish. (2.7*s) I wanna BE free to BE me!

Not awful but not for me. 3

I’m not a math major but I think this works better when you don’t pay attention to the words. I added the title track to my Generator playlist.

Very smooth record. Lyrics are great, production’s great, just gets a little too stale at times for a 4

I listened to The Corner about a billionty times when I was in undergrad. I still love that song, but it might be the only one on this album I really like. The chipmunk backing singers get a bit grating and I find the hiphop/R&B balance tilts too far towards the latter for my tastes. Great album cover though.

I usually dislike modern R&B, but this one weren't annoying and kinda fun, but not enough to really enjoy it

Great music and lyrics. I can see how this hit home with so many people.

Really good.

common? the actor? not bad. good production.

I think it was a good album, Kanye's influence as the producer can be easily heard. It is soulful, but it felt like a spark is missing, to be counted as a memorable album.

This is produced by Kanye and the first word of the first song is "Ye". Coincidence? I think not. In my mind, when I listen to this, I am watching a street skateboarding video.

Its rap its geil. Hört sich nach was gutzes an

•standouts: the corner, go!, love is…, they say •runners up: be(intro), the food •favorite: the corner

Não entendo muito de rap. Achei um álbum bom e bem produzido

Can't believe it's been 20 years. I remember seeing Common and Kanye on Chappelle doing The Food. I hate to say it, but the best songs feature Kanye. Yuck.

I'm not a huge hip-hop fan, but Common is Chicago's poet. His lyrics are super smooth. It's too bad Kanye went crazy because those two could have had some amazing collaborations.

Chill rap

Overall Rating - 3.36/5 (6.73/10). I like this better than most of the hip-hop I've had thus far.

Great sound and voices. a bit repetitive in some songs

3 1/2 stars

This seems like exactly the type of thing I'd enjoy, but did some reason I didn't really like it. Nothing bad, but nothing that really made me want to listen again

Pretty solid mid 2000s rap album but personally feel like it’s missing a big banger or two

Ok

Decent, but a bit '...meh'

More thoughtful RNB... but the chip on shoulder is a little to in the face fir casual listening

It was good for the genre but not my type. Did like Kanye on it.

Not a huge rap fan outside of a few 90s albums, however this was a pleasant listen.

Pretty good. Solid music. Enjoyable. Really like the sprinkling in of Kanye West.

I don't really have anything to say about this album as far as the "1001" list. There's at least one other Common album I got on here. I think the beats and samples are good, they seem to draw from jazz and it certainly makes the songs easy to listen to but not necessarily groundbreaking sounds. The rapping is similar it isn't bad it just doesn't stand apart from contemporary acts. Albums like this make me question the curation of the list and not because I think it's bad but what was the criteria that sets this album apart from other hiphop in the 2000s? It feels arbitrary and that I'm just listening to 1 specific person's subjective taste and nothing else. That could even just be what this list is by definition. I'm 250 albums in now and I'm wondering if it's worth continuing.

I didn't listen to much hip hop and I didn't hate this, but it also didn't convert me. Common has a lot of smart and poignant lyrics that I appreciated.

At least it's Kanye composed. Klasikinis Love is... Milijoną kartų reiteruotas. Repčiką lyginant su moterimi. Naujausia iteracija J. COLE Fall off albume. Kalbėdami apie "old Kanye, chop up the soul Kanye" turi omeny kompoziciją kaip Common Be. Best tracks: GO!, Testify. Worst tracks: everything else. Common ain't got no bars. Gerai pasakoja istorijas, bet net girtas jo nepavadinčiau "žodžių kalviu". Galiu suprasti albumo svarbą muzikos žanro istorijoje, galiu suprasti konceptų pradžią, bet negaliu gerai vertinti. Du patikę gabalai yra tik dėl Kanye kompozicijos. Didžiąją dalį darbo albumo metų atlieka kompoziciją, bridge, hooks, intros, leidžia pakvėpuoti. I mean I'd do the same with ye beats. All in all. Overhyped, overproduced, overrated turning stone in hip hop story telling story. 6.4/10

7/10 - Favorite song: faithful

Not something I’d gravitate to but vibes were high

Not that familiar with Common but this was good enough. Stand out track was Testify (I even paused the album to watch the music video for that one) but I’m not sure that isn’t in big part due to the Honey Cone sample, which is amazing. I feel like it’s the samples I’m going to be humming today rather than Common. Wouldn’t object if someone else put this on but probably wouldn’t select it again myself. Will search out more Honey Cone though.

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I was going to. Great samples, beats, and felt very melodic in places.

Not my thing

hey isn't this the guy in John Wick 2

Decent album, with a couple of bangers. One of Common's better albums for sure

Would normally give this 2 stars, but maybe Common is growing on me? I used to be pretty anti-Common for whatever reason. I think I had a slew of his music downloaded and he would come on on repeat far too often.

Actually quite enjoyed this one

I can see it was a great album for his time.. I enjoy it but it didn't make me want to listen to it gain 3/5

Listenable, but not outstanding

Hipster humanities graduate here. I’d say this is a good hip-hop album for people who don’t usually like hip-hop (like me). It’s quite a soulful album, sonically and in the emotion behind the album. The storytelling and character building is also great on songs like ‘Testify’. Never going to be my favourite album as it’s not my genre, but it’s a good listen.

Despite the 3 star rating, I did rather enjoy this. It’s just that rapping as a vocal style isn’t really my cup of tea. That said, the heavily soul-influenced production (by Common’s fellow Chicagoan Kanye West no less) is great, especially on the title track/intro, which is probably the highlight of the album musically. I enjoyed the album lyrically for the most part as well; it has a generally positive vibe despite not shying away from discussing real social problems/issues and different aspects of the black American experience. My rating could quite possibly go up with further listens.

Fav: They Say (3/5)

Throwback soulful music with a rapper whose style and lyric have impressed.

Great ‘oldschool’ hiphop.

Just fine.

I haven’t listened to Common before. . It’s not bad. 3.5 stars

Sixth album??? I didn't know Common made so much music, I know him purely as an actor. The rapping isn't too bad though.

It was a bit out of my typical stuff i listen too so it was a new experience

🤷‍♀️

This was pretty interesting. I would like to listen again to pay better attention to the lyrics but even as inactive listening it was pretty good.

I can’t say I’ve ever called myself a Common fan, but I’ve spent time with this record before. I can’t say I’m surprised to see it pop up on this list. Common feels like the least offensive version of hip hop you could play for someone looking to get into the genre (in a good way!). The vocal samples in the hooks (like “GO!”, “Testify”) root his songs in classic R&B vibes and that make this an easy entry point for the hip-hop curious. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of Kanye West fingerprints all over this record and I don't love that. Even still, I'd consider a vinyl copy of this one. 3.5

Some good stuff. I remember when Common, Chapelle, and Kanye was a cool trio. Sigh

I liked the lightness and strong rhythm-y base tracks

Not my usual style of music but I didn’t hate it. The grooves and lyrics kept drawing me in.

Uma boa surpresa. Não sou tanto do rap, mas gostei de algumas

I enjoyed this very much, thank you for sharing random generator person. Tom. Not listened to this before, really enjoyed it. I will definitely listen to this again.

Thought after the first couple of tracks I was gonna to enjoy this more than I did. Common definitely has a little more to his style than similar rappers but it never progressed to something really interesting. Another 3!

Solid rapper isn't he? Some nice riffs and thoughts on life. Didn't mind it one bit.

Common can definitely rap and he has a good voice for it. I'm not sold by this though, it feels over produced to the point that it loses me. Not sure that makes sense. Some of the Kanye bits are pretty decent, back when he wasn't mad as. I definitely preferred the previous album of his we had. This was more mainstream sounding. 2.5 but 3

I honestly expected this it to be R&B. I'm not sure why I thought Common was a singer and not a rapper. But. Here we are. The backing tracks are fun, and very much of a piece. They all have that shag-carpet, "brown" feel to them. At times I found them distracting, particularly where there is a vocalist on the loop that the rapper is trying to rap over. Too many people talking. I had to skip the last 30 seconds to a minute of many of these songs, as they just repeat the chorus endlessly. It's fine. THREE STARS

pas mal, franchement c’est bien

Eh

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.