Common – "Be" Review: Common’s Finest Album
- Daniel Rasul
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Quick Verdict
Be arrived on May 24, 2005, and is Common’s finest album — a 35-minute, 9-track statement of remarkable focus and formal coherence produced almost entirely by Kanye West, with contributions from J Dilla. It debuted at number two with 116,000 first-week copies and went gold. Where Common’s earlier Electric Circus had divided his fanbase with its genre-crossing experiments, Be is his most direct and accessible album without compromising his lyrical intelligence: “The Food,” “Go,” and “Recognize” are three of the finest tracks in his catalogue. Kanye’s production is his most understated and soulful of the mid-2000s period. J Dilla’s two production contributions are among the finest in the catalogue. “Testify” is the most narratively inventive track on the album. Rating: 9/10.
At a Glance
Album Details
Context: Common’s Finest Album
Common had spent much of the early 2000s navigating the commercial compromises that Electric Circus’ experimental failure had forced on his career — the album’s rock and electronic influences had alienated the hip-hop audience that Resurrection and Like Water for Chocolate had built, and its commercial performance had been disappointing. Be was his course correction and his finest achievement: executive produced by Kanye West, whose G.O.O.D. Music label had signed Common after Electric Circus, the album stripped back to the soulful, sample-based Chicago hip-hop that Common does best and gave him a production environment — warm, deeply soulful, rhythmically inventive — that matched his lyrical register precisely. J Dilla’s two production contributions — “The Food” and “Dye Hard” — are the album’s most formally perfect tracks. Kanye’s seven productions are his most understated and soulful of his mid-2000s period. “Testify,” in which Common narrates a courtroom scene from a woman’s perspective, is one of the most formally inventive narrative rap performances of its decade. Erykah Badu’s contributions on two tracks give the album its deepest connection to the neo-soul tradition that underpins Chicago’s hip-hop aesthetic. The album is 35 minutes of sustained quality without a wasted moment.
Track-by-Track Review
Final Verdict and Rating
Be is Common’s finest album and one of the great short rap albums of the 2000s. 35 minutes, 9 tracks, no wasted moments. Production and lyrics both score 9.5. J Dilla’s contributions are among his finest production work. Kanye’s production is his most understated. “Testify” is one of the most formally inventive narrative tracks in rap. A 9/10 masterwork of focused intention.
Final Rating: 9/10
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Be Common's best album?
Be is Common's finest album at Rap Reviews Daily — a 9/10 record of extraordinary focus and formal cohesion. Many fans also rate Like Water for Chocolate highly, but Be's combination of Kanye production, J Dilla contributions, and Common's most focused and accessible lyrical performance gives it the edge.
What are the best songs on Be?
The five essential tracks are: "The Food," "Testify," "They Say," "Southside," and "Dye Hard." The Food is the album's greatest track with J Dilla's finest production on the record. Testify is one of the most formally inventive narrative rap performances of its decade.
Who produced Common's Be album?
Be was executive produced by Kanye West, who produced 7 of the album's 9 tracks. J Dilla produced The Food and Dye Hard — two of the album's greatest moments. No I.D., Common's longtime Chicago collaborator, contributed to the album's production framework.
What is the rating for Be?
Rap Reviews Daily rates Be a 9/10. Production and lyrics both score 9.5/10. It is Common's finest album — 35 minutes, 9 tracks, and no wasted moments.
Comments