Search - Common :: Be (Clean)

"The present is a gift and I just wanna Be"

Scott D. Gribble | Baltimore MD | 05/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We've all been waiting for the resurrection of Common. Whether you liked "Electric Circus" or not, you knew deep down you missed the Common that sounded hungry. After his verse on Kanye's "Get `Em High" and his appearance on Chappelle's Show, it looked like his next album would usher the return of Common. "Be" has finally dropped. It is his most focused effort since "Resurrection" because its production is almost completely handled by a fellow chi-town resident. Instead of No I.D, we get his one time apprentice and current hot commodity - Kanye West.



Musically the album feels like a balance between "Resurrection" and "Like Water For Chocolate", heavy in samples, yet a solid amount of live instruments. "Be" starts out with a simple bass cello plucking, almost identical to John Coltrane's "Resolution" from Love Supreme. Slowly other elements come together, until Common's voice drops and blesses the mic. The title track is short, focused and to the point perfectly capturing what the album is about to accomplish. The single "The Corner" is the actually the darkest track on here. The incredible depth of sampling drives the track. For the lighter "Go!" Common uses a nice stop-and-go flow to rhyme ("Freaky like the daughter of a pastor/ said I was -bate for her to master/ 'Little Red Corvette', na she was faster").



To me, "Faithful" is simply beautiful. It's one of those introspective Common raps at its perfection. The typical Kanye West speed-up sample is taken to the next level, and used almost like a muted horn throughout Common's verse. You can't even be mad there are only two verses, because they're so deep and satisfying on their own. "Testify" allows Common to masterfully tell the story of a court testimony. Although it's short, it gets the Slick Rick stamp of approval.



Kanye releases a hold on "Be" and turns over the production of "Love is..." to former Common collaborator Jay-Dee (aka J-Dilla). You can't tell at all though, it fits right along with the rest of the tracks, brilliantly sampling Marvin Gaye's "God is Love" amongst other things. The title is pretty self-explanatory, but it doesn't ever get cheesy like on "Electric Circus". Kanye comes back and trades the sped-up sampling for some classic scratching on "Chi-City". The horns and drums give the track a dark-jazz vibe. On here Common sounds the most intense, perhaps in part because he's repping his home town ("What you rapping for? to Get Fame or to get rich?/I slap a n***a like you... and tell e'm Rick James B***H!!"). Whatever the case, it's another spectacular track.



I've been listening to "The Food" Mp3 since this summer, which was directly ripped from the Chappelle Show performance. You might be surprised as I was when the track opens with Dave introducing Common and Kanye. Instead of re-recording the track, they left the performance as is from the show. It doesn't seem like a smart move at first, but then again why do it over again? The performance was flawless the first time, and it really adds a lot to the feel of "Be". Regardless "The Food" is an amazing track and as mentioned earlier Common is hungry ("It's all good in the hood like racks in gyms/ throwbacks and Timbs/ blacks and rims/ whether on ball courts/ attires of all sorts/ we never fall short/ with us it's all Force like Air one's/ some waves some handguns/ the days of the fair one is over for/cats is colder than 4 below/ with self I go toe-to-toe/ Wondering if it's for the art or for the dough/ Though I know to grow a n***a gotta learn to let go/ Though I know the dough I got to bring back to the ghetto").



Some Grover Washington type sax and upbeat horns lace the entire length of "Real People" the production could actually stand on it's own as a jazz track (I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing is lifted from one sample). John Legend lends the chorus to "They Say" and Kanye drops a verse. Overall it's laid-back and pretty simple. Really good, just nothing that stands out as outstanding. Well, except for Common who has been killing every verse and still hasn't faltered once on this album ("Played my cards right, they say I went too left/ They show me Strange Love like I was Mr. F/ Played chess in this game of pawns and knights/ now I claim King like Don a Frank White/ They say my life is comparable to Christ/ the way I sacrifice and resurrected twice/ they say the crochet pants and sweater was wack/ seen `The Corner' now they say `That n****'s back!' ")



"Be" ends on the magnum opus "It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)". The whole thing should be listened to at one time and the end provides a perfect closure for "Be" (it's always great to hear "Pops" at the end of a Common album).



The album really is not heavy with curses and contains no lyrics about violence or objectifing women. Really there is no reason you should be offended by getting the un-edited version, but if a clean version of "Be" is nessisary, it won't take away from the music too much.



As stunning as it sounds, it's not even debatable that Common lyrically surpasses any other of his previous efforts. No doubt Common has fully resurrected. Lyrically and musically it's a work of genius from start to finish. You'd be hard-pressed to find faults in this piece of art, it's the perfection of what a Hip-Hop album should be. Is it a classic? Only time will tell what kind of impact it will have. Regardless, of what it will be... "Be" is a masterpiece right now.

(10/10)"

Return of the B-Boy (4.5 Stars)

Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 06/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Finally, the return of Common the MC. While Electric Circus wasn't bad, it felt a little forced with its spaced out beats. With the release of Be, Common gets back to what made him so dope in the first place -- ill lyricism and smooth, neck jerking beats. The production is largely handled by Kanye West (with one or two assists from Jay Dee) and the result is one of the most sonically cohesive rap albums of the young year. Tracks like "Faithful", "Be", and "Chi City" have that signature Kanye West flavor. The drum arrangements on "Go" are just plain crazy and "Faithful" has a spectacular ending that you can just get lost in. "It's Your World (Pop's Reprise)" is dope from start to finish. Every song on the album stands out in terms of production.



And now, the flaws. They are very small, but there are one or two. The lyrics on "The Food" are kind of weak and it suffers from a suspect hook. The album is kind of short too. It checks in at about 45 minutes. Other than that, you'd be hard pressed to find a flaw on this album.



In short, Be is a must have release. Common definitely will redeem himself if you thought Electric Circus was suspect (which I didn't). The beats are on point, the songs all flow well, and Common is rhyming with that swagger again. The result is a classic LP. It's good to see that gems like this can still be found in the mainstream. Highly reccomended.



Standout Tracks: Love Is, Faithful feat. Bilal & John Legend (My Favorite), Be, Chi City feat. Kanye West, Go, They Say feat. John Legend & Consequence, It's Your World (Pop's Reprise), and The Corner feat. The Last Poets & Kanye West"

Listen to what the Windy City blew in!!!

Joshua Fields | Seattle, WA USA | 05/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Common is now back with a classic album. Not that the Electric Circus was not good but, BE feels much more common don't you think? This album is very solid. My favorite tracks are "The Corner", "Food", "Faithful", and "It's your world." I have to be honest I've been listening to this album for about a month and a half before it's release date. I thought there would be perhaps some more tracks on the final album cut because it was leaked early. However despite this disapointment, this album ranks right up there with the best hip hop has had to offer over the years. Again Common provides his listeners with a wide range of topics that deal with everyday life, and not the fairy tales we see in music videos today. Quite simply Common delivers and hooking up with Kanye West wasn't a bad touch either. What are you doing still reading go and get this album!"