Album Review: Common's "Be"

Along with The Roots, Lauryn Hill, and the BlackStar brothers (Talib Kwelli and Mos Def) Common has firmly secured his position as a significant director of the second alternative rap movement. Common has grown a loyal following with his Liberal verses laced with cadenced jazz rifts that draw direct correlation with the trailblazing conscious rappers of Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. Common in his latest album is able to accomplish the feat of staying true to his background while branching off into more commercial audiences.

Three years removed from the controversial “Electric Circus” production, Common seems rejuvenated and focused with the state of the art instant classic “Be”. The 2002 released Electric Circus received mixed reviews, with many experimental tracks that didn’t serve the smoothness of Common’s style and consequently seemed to drag on even though the album did have many noteworthy tracks.

Perhaps it was his friendship with the up and coming Kanye West or perhaps it was his breaking off of his connections with Erika Baduu but “Be” was a breath of fresh air for most Common fans. Produced mainly by Kanye West, Common seems to have found his voice and his true message with this heart-felt and consistent album.

A compact and thorough album “Be” maintains its focus with steady 70’s jazz and R&B rhythm’s that serve as a platform for Common’s lines rather than a overshadowing it with gaudy production. “Be” is reminiscent of an “Illmatic” or “Black Star” album because of its short production, one sole guest-appearance and complete lack of fill in tracks. Both Kanye West and Dilla deserve tremendous credit for one of the best produced albums that keeps a common sound without boring its audience.

From the very first track Common seems sincere and focused as he allows one of the great introductory lead-ins in recent memory. The exponentially upbeat track “Be” is a song that the most lyrical Hip Hop fan will find himself repeatedly vibbing-on even though it is a two minute track with only : 45 seconds of verse.

“Be” is the type of Album that has a few stand-out classics and no disappointing tracks. The lead single is “Corners” which was released previous to the album but still neatly fits into the album’s foundation. This track boggles the hip-hop psyche describing all of the Chicago urban temperament with only rhyming one consistent syllable(s) per verse.

Common’s verses throughout the album are tight and imaginative but do not show his true rhyming potential as one of the best lyricist of all time. He keeps most of his lines basic but effective as he describes the many elements of his surroundings. From his ill-gotten love affair’s “took em out to eat but they wasn’t really eaten, might of got a lil head but I wasn’t really cheatin”-Faithful, to his progression as a man and a father “waiting for the lord to rise I look into my daughter eyes, and realize Imma learn through her. The messiah might even return through her.”-Be. Common still flexes his muscles as a great lyricist but does not bog down his meaning with eccentric rhyming schemes.

By far his most commercially successful record “Be” hits with the breadth of Common’s unique approach. This work for Common is a crossover album that delivers him into previously unknown commercially successful territories but also serves as a return to the basics of conscious Hip-Hop.