Common:
Be

Release Date: 23 March 2005

Reviewed By: Matt Tomer

1. Be (Intro)

2. The Corner

3. Go!

4. Faithful

5. Testify

6. Love Is...

7. Chi City

8. The Food (Live)

9. Real People

10. They Say...

11. It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)

12. So Cool

The Game - The Documentary
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Common has always represented the positive side of hip hop music. Earlier in his career, then known as Common Sense, he was quickly wedged into the class of "conscious rappers" - a less popular, but equally influential league of artists that chose to rap about something contrary to that of the trendy gangster rap that dominated airwaves. During that period, Common was an artist was labelled a "positive" emcee because of what he spoke; always sending an insightful message, and rarely wasting a single bar as he tackled the changing state of hip hop, race, and love. In 2005, he is as positive as ever, but for different reasons.

Whether ‘Be’ is your album or not, it will be hard for Cash Money fan-boys and hip hop purists alike to deny its truly relieving nature. How long has it been since an artist of Com's calibre could be seen on MTV, in between videos for ‘In Da Club’ and ‘Get Low’? Actually, it's been a good two or three years, when the eccentric ‘Electric Circus’ was released to mixed reviews. Many have and will continue to put ‘Be’ as the official "return" of Common, and with stellar production handled by Kanye West and J Dilla, he is given all the opportunity to satisfy the fans that have been anxiously waiting.

Lyrically, ‘Be’ is very aptly titled, in that anyone who hated Common before will probably hate on, while long time fans will likely enjoy what's in store. Those fans who thought that 2002's ‘Come Close to Me’ was a bit sappy and overly simplistic might appreciate ‘Love Is’ for Common's much tighter writings, accompanied well by J Dilla's slow-paced melody. The track is complimented well by the raunchier crossover hit ‘Go’, where Common reveals his sexual side, without becoming the slightest bit immature, over Kanye's gentle drum pattern.

On ‘The Corner’, we're given a magnified glimpse of Chicago street life, with Com recalling the happenings of his hometown. West's beat is stripped down as to allow some truly detailed rhymes, while the Last Poets handle the bridge. ‘Testify’ sees Common narrating the story of a man and woman during a murder trial, but even though one can't help but be drawn in by the story, the beat is repetitive and annoying, easily standing as the worst on the album.

‘Be’ holds a very steady flow from track to track, rarely straying from the soulful vibe attained on nearly every composition. Midway through the album, however, many listeners will be disappointed to find that the addition of the track ‘Food’ was limited to a lower-quality version recorded straight off the ‘Dave Chappelle Show’. Although still an enjoyable listen, ‘Food’ will surely leave some wishing it was a better copy. This minor misstep aside, ‘Be’ does not dissatisfy.

Most impressive about Common's sixth solo LP is the chemistry found between producer and emcee. In short, Kanye West truly is his ideal beat-maker. Cuts like ‘Real People’ and ‘Faithful’ are so soulful they could make almost any emcee sound good, but Com's inviting, jazzy flow sounds so at home it almost isn't right. With nine of the 11 beats to call his own, Kanye pulls out all the stops, showing off some of his best production work to date. Detroit beat-smith J Dilla shows up for the remaining two tracks, and although he doesn't quite live up to Kanye's contributions, he surely does not disappoint.

‘Be’ is nothing short of a triumphant "return" for Chicago's most revered emcee. While not his best album to date, it is his best album in some time, and leaves no reason for fans to neglect picking up a fresh copy.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Top Three Tracks:

Be

Real People

They Say

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