Be

When I got bored of trying to stay with the words, my mind drifted to the music. That's when I realised I was putting more effort into listening to this album than the artist did making it.

"The present is a gift and I just want to be" "I guess knowin' I'm weak is when I'm really bein' strong" "Be gleeful everyday, for being the best swimmer among 500,000" "Be a brilliant soul, sparkling in the galaxy, while walking on Earth" Really well produced. Loved all the beats. I appreciated the themes in this one too. "Be" is very apt. Common's dad, "Pops", apparently does spoken word poetry at the end of his albums. It was the perfect way to end the album. Beautiful

kanye mixed with common pretty good stuff

Ok!! How has this not been on my radar... The Corner, so good. Testify, the layering! Thinking strong 3, maybe even 4. Could see this getting in to my rotation... Real People is real groovy, love the game show theme vibes in the sample

Incredibly tight album. There’s not a dull moment, every track is great. Incredibly slept on these days which is a crime

Great album.

I didn't expect this to be a horny for God album. The beats were great at times but my god the lyrics are uncomfortably salacious. 3/10

solid

Atmospheric and dramatic.

Quite the talent involved here (Kanye West, J Dilla, among others). It's heard in the production (notably Kanye's fingerprints), which pairs well with Common's deliberate introspective style and lyrical content. Arguably Common's magnum opus too, but I've only listened to two of his albums in full. This doesn't rise to a 5 for me for some reason, but it's a nice & easy soul-filled listen.

Not bad

Be is an album I have heard raved about from front to back for many years on end, but when I finally got around to it I agree that it is a great project, but I can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed at the same time. This album is nothing short of uplifting as each song beams this ray of sunshine onto the listener as Common acts as a therapist for the listener for 42 minutes by using his flows and word play to raise the spirits of any and all in need. The production here is easily my favorite part of this entire album as it may be some of my favorite of the 2000s period, the range of instruments and just how gentle they all are makes this album feel like a memory foam pillow to lay your face right into as it surrounds you with this lush embrace. There are so many stand out tracks here such as Be (Intro), GO!, Faithful, The Food (Live), It's Your World, Pt. 1 & 2. Even with how great this album sounded I didn't really think it blew me away more than it impressed me. Again I want to reiterate this album is far from being bad whatsoever but in terms of my favorite Rap albums this one really isn't hitting super high for myself. I think at that point it just comes down to personal preference, and honestly other than the overarching message of this project I didn't connect too strongly with it all. Still a very solid piece of 2000s music but I think its' just a great album and nothing more.

Okay, this was better than expected

Chill, but not something I’d go out of my way to listen to again. 3/5

liked the jazzy elements

No me esperaba que este disco de hip hop me gustará tanto pensé que tenían un límite de tres estrellas, pero al parecer el límite es cuatro jaja, kanye en este tmb jaja

pretty awesome - GO! my fav so far

I don’t know why I listened to Common so late but I'm glad and I did. This is my second listen, after discovering it a few months ago. I already liked it but it’s another revelation. This one is not only a lyrical achievement but also a masterfully crafted RnB album, with perfect hooks, opening the field for pop rap.

What rap could have been

A fine album

Sorry, didn't connect.

One of my favourite hip-hop albums. The production is amazing, Kanye was a force at this point. Common can be a little too happy at points but overall he's an awesome rapper

Immaculate

rap not really my style but can't deny this was pretty good

"Be, be here, be there, be that, be this. Be grateful for life, be grateful to life."

This album was pretty solid I don’t love commons singing voice but Kanye’s production could pull together just about any album into a masterpiece The lyricism here is very good as well and the songs where Kanye sings I really like Also I really like the live song in the middle of this album and is both a fun change of pace and just pretty interesting 3.5 or 4/5 Favorites: faithful, love is, go, they say, the food

Be great.

The Marvin Gaye of Hip Hop according to Kanye, and the truth of this starts with the album cover and goes deeper. The Last Poets add weight to this.

Когда убирают рэпера становится даже терпимо

На удивление вайбово

Это ж надо так совпасть, что нам выпало два подряд альбома продакшена раннего копатыча. Не особо фан чипманк соула, но альбом хороший

к своему стыду скажу, что впервые вижу это имя, а звучит прям интересно - 4 издалека по карттинке даже подумал, что это marvin gaye а вот буду ли я переслушивать - не факт

a beautiful moment in time when kanye was stable and making these beautiful contributions to so many.

Pretty good hip hop album tbh. I’m really vibing with it and definitely has some standout songs that I’d play again.

I loved every second of this album. The production is artfully crafted and the lyrics are thoughtful and flow great. Probably my favorite tracks are Testify, They Say, and The Corner.

its your world

A groovy album well worth a listen from someone I never heard of before. But it's not exceptional either. I might listen it again some day.

Conscious hip hop over prime Kanye and J Dilla beats

★★★☆☆ I had listened to this before but never actually rated it, and going through it track by track was a little more uneven than I expected. When this album hits my preferred hip-hop groove, it's really good. “Chi-City” and “They Say” were easily my favorites, and “Faithful” and the long closing track “It’s Your World” were strong as well. There were also a few tracks that didn't do much for me, and “Testify” was the clear low point. That repetitive background vocal drove me nuts. 😂 The second half of the album was definitely stronger for me than the first.

I could see this becoming one of my all time favs at some point. Overall great album.

I didn't think I knew any solo Common songs, but actually Go! was very familiar (although not really my thing). As a whole not bad to listen to, and I particularly enjoyed the vocals in Testify

Definitely good, but not my thing

Bra

STARK fyra

Kan någon utföra hypnos på Kanye så att han blir som han va 2005 igen? Snälla

Väldigt mitt mellan 3 och 4 här men det är nog bara en 3a i min bok trots att det var bra!

Najs

Good

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.

The dude from Silo! This is quite soulful hip-hop, much better than your bravado ridden average rappers. Life in the Silo sounds better than New York or LA. This was a relic worth keeping.

its cool Fave: Go! Rating: 6.1/10

Sounds like most 2000's hip hop I know. That's not a bad thing but it would never be my first choice

This was decent hip-hop album overall. You can really hear Kanye's influence all over this thing, but Common is a MUCH better lyricist and overall has a better flow than Kanye in my opinion. That said, I didn't find the songs quite as memorable as a lot of Ye's. Not one I see myself returning to a whole lot, but pretty solid overall.

10/02 Nothing memorable

I'm always a bit sceptical when it comes to rap but I enjoyed this. You can tell pretty early on that it's produced by Kanye, a lot of the songs sound like some of his earlier stuff. This album flows really nicely, has some decent lyrics and is fairly short which is always a plus.

liked, not loved, sometimes i can appreciate this type of music but its not my go-to

Good. Really good. Anything during this time period that Kanye had his hands on is pretty much a guarantee. I’m learning that I really like Chicago rap. Chicago music as a whole really — blues and jazz as well. I know that common is a rapper, but I always just knew him as kind of a personality, and this might be the first time I’ve really listened to him, and this album is great. There are a few songs that rise above the rest, but I think the strength in this album is not standout songs, but the entire thing casting a great vibe on the listen. The whole thing is really cool and pleasant to experience. I appreciate this one. And I like the “Be” theme.

Really solid, just nothing exceptional

A very confident album. I think its hits from top to bottom? I vibed to it. 4 stars! Its not 5 stars for me.. I'd give it 4.5 if I could, but I can't

There is a type of rap music in my head, basically only existed from 2001-2006, that I call “Chapelle’s Show Music.” It’s music that would be on Chapelle’s Show. It’s a very specific type of music. Socially conscious rap. Everyone is standing around a room vibing, the rapper is usually wearing a pageboy cap. I associate it with Common, Mos Def, The Roots, etc. I swear to god I almost laughed in public when one of the tracks from this album is LITERALLY A LIVE CUT FROM CHAPELLE’S SHOW. I sincerely had no idea that was coming. But it proves my point. No? This isn’t bad. Common is an inconsistent rapper, going from embarrassingly corny in some songs to perfectly acceptable in others. He’s never exemplary. What saves this album, and what I didn’t realize before I started listening to it, is that it’s essentially a Kanye album too. He produced almost the whole thing, and this is CLASSIC Kanye production. The album started and by the second track I thought “This sounds like Kanye,” and ran to Wiki to confirm. And then he vocally features on practically half the tracks. It’s just a sound that I love, that takes me back to this warm feeling of nostalgia - middle school, early high school - and it’s totally Kanye. Obviously I’m not gonna listen to the guy now. But it was nice to hear new-to-me music from a genius in his prime.

hip hop might be my top rated genre on here so far, but every hip hop album on here so far has been *very* good. this album is another instance of hip-hop where it's also kinda calm and sometimes jazzy, which i just love. both parts of "it's your world" were the best parts of the album - i was especially a sucker for when the kids talked about their dreams on that track. that track alone could maybe push this to 5 stars.

Pretty solid but I listened to it awhile ago and forgot to review…so I don’t remember much other than liking it. 3.5/5

A good album by Common. We'll produced

Album 332. Be (https://open.spotify.com/album/2UuvBxV56QWWj2uviGS0up?si=13tyPN4iRs6MKlUDOmes7A) — Common (2005) This album is regularly in my playlist/hip-hop rotation. I love most of it. Be, GO! and They Say are ultimate bangers. I like to compare Kanye🌟 and Taylor on this list. Like...the first one has 3 albums, but the cat lady has just 2 etc. But as I learn and listen more and more, the gap is getting bigger and bigger. Can we get much higher? (https://t.me/falton1001/109) 🟥 Kanye is so monstrous🌟🌟🌟 and has so much influence that it can't be ignored. They say because of the fame and stardom I'm somewhere in between the church and insane asylum I guess it's messin' with my health then He produced Lupe Fiasco (https://t.me/falton1001/609), Jay-Z, whom I'm waiting for, and many other artists. But God don't ever give me nothin' I can't handle So please don't ever give me records I can't sample This album is no exception, it was primarily produced by Kanye🌟, it featured Kanye🌟. It almost feels like Kanye's🌟 That's one of the reasons why it's so good. Moreover, it feels like Kanye🌟 isn't the guest on the tracks, Common is. Common is great, no shit. He has Like Water For Chocolate (https://open.spotify.com/album/72GMOkq47rXzdAMJrjf4RV?si=Ds_nSZ2gRaq-zLNGug9XZQ) on the list too and it was produced without Ye🌟. I can't wait to listen to it. And it's a shame the review is all about Kanye🌟, but that's exactly what the album is about. Kanye🌟 himself or his beats are so bright that Common gets left in the shadows. I'm not giving it the highest rating rn, but we can really get much higher🟥 4/5 Liked: — Be (Intro) — The Corner — GO! — Faithful — Love is... — Chi-City — The Food — Real People — They Say — It's Your World

meh

Nostalgic and heartfelt, a side turn of music that rap forgot

Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Good - I remember really enjoying this album years ago. Immediately the intro shows off some incredible production. The Corner is pretty good and GO! is very nice. This album has such a light, smooth feel to it that is rare in hip hop that isn’t overly cartoonish. Testify is a good track and I really like Love Is… The Food is another good track and the live feel is really cool. Real People is a great tune as is They Say.

Smooth and cool and good lyrics. But not remarkable enough to rage more than average on this list for me. I kept picturing Common as Robert Sims on Silo though.

OH WOW I DIDN'T EXPECT TO GET SUCH A GREAT ALBUM SO SOON!!! This is an album I've thought was perfect for a LONG time! 01. Be (Intro) It's legendary for a reason. Beautiful instrumental, with an absolutely killer flow!! 02. The Corner (feat. The Last Poets) I never cared for the chorus too much, but those verses are flawless. 03. GO! Despite not sounding it, this is one of the sexiest songs ever made. 04. Faithful Just beautiful. Incredible lyrics, luscious beat. 05. Testify Extremely unique song! It's incredible, one of my favorites. 06. Love Is... So soothing. Everything about this song is simply perfect. 07. Chi-City If the chorus was better this would be another flawless track. Fortunately, these verses are nuts. 08. The Food (Live) Better than the studio version lol. 09. Real People Has unfortunately always been my least favorite. It's still great, but doesn't even begin to compare to the rest of the album. 10. They Say (feat John Legend, Kanye West) Couldn't be smoother. 11. It's Your World (Part 1 & 2) Perfect in every way. The second half makes me cry. I love you, Common. :') If you couldn't infer, I personally find this album perfect. No question.

Nice voice.

Not really my type of music. Too many of the songs went on too long. I will state that "Testify" was probably the best for me because it told a story.

Not really my thing. I don't like the monotonous beats, but he does well conveying a story.

Really refreshing. Was beginning to get a little bored again, and this one's drawn me back in. Get to enjoy Kanye without the Kanye (mostly) and better rapping too. Might be premature as I've only listened to it once, but enjoyed every song on it. Great album. 8.5/10

It's nice

This one brought back memories. This was the first rap album I bought as a preteen, and I haven’t heard it in 20+ years, but it got plenty of play back then. It harkens back to days of socially conscious bars and Kanye West the producer, not the rapper, at his peak. This album is excellent on every level, beginning to end. Go!, The Corner, They Say, Real People, and It’s Your World top my list of favorites (so half the album, I guess). It’s a great listen, it’s aged like fine wine, and I’m so glad it popped up today.

I can appreciate Common, I can respect him for singing/rapping about social values and not being "gangsta rap" but I just cannot enjoy it anymore.

Telling my grandkids this is Kanye. Also F that PhD guy, as a physicist this shit slaps (4/5)

More like 3.5/5

I enjoyed this. Twas enjoyable

We like this album

It is one of the better hip-hop albums that I have heard. It's not really my style of music and the lyrics aren't relatable at all to me. I find nothing in it but I can say that in term of sound, if hip-hop were my style, this is the album I would be listening to. It is certainly one of the best in the genre, just not the best for me. I respect the creativity and the collaborations that helped create this album.

Really cool album, feels like a sunday morning. Though I think it gets a little lost with party stuff, the true core of this record feels like someone reckoning with how to live actively in their community with all it's quirks. Young kanye on this is sick, good rhymes and cool collabs.

No es el tipo de música de mi gusto.

4/5

Enjoyed this, but the production feels rather dated now - that Chipmunk thing gets a bit tiresome.

Até gostei

One of the best hip hop albums ever

Shit. Didn’t listen. Will circle back.

Great beats. Warm and soulful and the rapping fits perfectly. Loved this.

Some solid beats but maybe not the most engaging rapper

Fine. I guess, as I've learned from another review here, as a simple STEM professional I'm not really equipped to assess this properly. But seriously, it was pretty good but not something I'll go back to

BE - Common (2005) I'm biased. Common is one of the most underrated lyricists out there, and I've listened to this album so many times over that it's hard for me to look at this with an open mind. Genuinely a beautiful album. If I could rate it 6 stars, I could. PhD guy is a dumbass.

great stuff

Solid

It did not save my review from yesterday. That's annoying. Anyway, it was something along the lines of: I have not listened to a lot of Common but I like this and I should listen to more Common. This doesn't quite rate as 4 stars for me but I like it more than I like a lot of my 3-star stuff. (I didn't even notice Kanye was on this until reading about the album later, but that's not too surprising - I don't know his music very well either.)

Rap. With kanye

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

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

I liked this one, it’s different from what I usually listen to but it was good.

Be is an interesting album. It’s very good. Solid throughout. No skips. The intro is so good, it’s a shame it’s so short. It’s not a groundbreaking hip hop record, but it’s soulful, funky and direct. Kanye West as a producer here does a good job of letting Common shine here without imposing too much of his own influence on the proceeding. Be has a very steady, chill vibe, but Go and The Corner are jams that standout. 4.2