My Fellow Blogger Max, is gonna post my review of Commons "Be" over at "Hiphopisntdead.blogspot.com, in about a week, but since i got my own blog to put up reviews, im gonna post it here(Just don't tell him)lolz anyway enjoy the review.
Commons (Or Lonnie Lynne) career hasn’t been all that spectacular. he isn’t flashy like Jay-Z, he's not a loud mouth like his boss, Kanye West, he isn’t exactly militant, or gangster like 2-Pac, and he's certainly never gotten the recognition that he deserves. (He never went platinum) Common is a poet (like nas, when he's not shaking his ass with puff daddy in music videos) and like most poets, He's Just happy to be doing what he does for a living. In the year 2005, a year that Texas “took over the rap game" for 6 months it was refreshing to hear some music that wasn’t about Grills, syrup, and some guy yelling his name after every freaking verse (How did HE go platinum!?). That is the reason that I appreciate Commons sixth studio album be. After the the disaster that was electric circus, an album in which common got all André 3000 on us (I blame Eryka Badu) the Chicago poet was put into a similar situation as new York emcee Nas, after his Nastradamus album (damn I hate that album) minus the Jay-Z beefing. Unlike nas's Nastradamus, (which I truly believe was spawned by Satan himself), I felt that electric circus was an alright, but not spectacular album (hell, I’ll take that album over Universal Mind Control any day). Anyway, people didn’t like that Common was taking his music in a different direction (again Eryka Badu) and that his fashion sense was becoming increasingly suspect. (Anyone remember that Come Close video??). For many people, Be was a return to form for the Chicago emcee, as it received rave reviews from the source(5 Macs to be exact) , it became his highest selling album(it went gold) and it returned common back in to the mainstream (kinda). Common was said to have modeled this album from Nas's Illmatic (Coincidence anyone?) so that explains the short track listing. Note: I did not say that this album was on the same level as Illmatic, so fan boys shut the hell up.
1.Be (Intro)
I was actually surprised when I found out that kanye produced this track (As well as most of the album) this song has a nice relaxing feeling to it, and it is a departure from kanyes usual chipmunk fare (sped up soul samples for those who don’t know). Anyway Common gets straight to the point, and it sets a really good mood for the album.(which is high quality hip-hop)
2. The Corner (Feat Kanye West)
This song is the closest that common would come to "street song"(Oh wait, I forgot the song “the Bitch in Yoo") anyway, common rips the temptation and tempress sample apart, and kanye doesn’t fuck up the hook. The lost poets in the song weren’t a bad touch either.
3. Go!
Apart from the quirky title (why is there an exclamation point?) this is a cool song to listen to. And it won’t get you into trouble if you listen to it with your mom (well aside from the "bathroom with your ass up" line, hey even good guys get horny!) the video was creative also.
4. Faithful
This is kind of a continuation of go, and these two songs really mesh well when you listen to one after another (at least to me when I’m high, but that’s another story) this song is also produced by kanye west, and I like the fact the he added a harmonica to the song, because without it, I don’t think it would’ve sounded as complete as it would've. The extended singing at the end does wear a bit thin though.
5. Testify
When I first heard this song, I regretted it, like that ugly girl that u regret from that party last night, or lil Wayne (Okay not that much) but after listening to this song again, and watching the video one Saturday afternoon, I began to appreciate it more. On that note I still hate the beat, and I personally don’t think that it flows well with the rest of the album, but that’s my opinion.
6. Love is...
The first song on the album that was produced by the Late, Great, J-Dilla. I feel that this song should have been right after Faithful, and Testify should have been a bonus track. Commons opening verse proves why he should be mention not only as a rapper, but as a gifted poet as well. This song is a personal favorite of mine.
7. Chi-City
This song is alright. I wouldn’t feel bad if I found out that they left it out of the album, because it just doesn’t have that special...something. The beat doesn’t do anything for me, and I don’t particularly like the hook. So like a 5th grade teacher with a student in need of a bathroom, I’ll give this song a pass.
8. The Food
This is the song that made me buy the album. I remember watching Chappell’s Show (Damn I miss that show) and seeing Common, and Kanye perform this song, And my first thought was " When does this album come out!?" I like the fact that they used the performance from the show, as I feel that it wouldn’t sound as "Alive" if they did it in a studio.
9. Real People
I really like this song. It makes me feel like I’m one of those arrogant assholes who go to those coffee shops, and listen to free verse poetry. I remember seeing him perform this song on David Letterman, and I think that it Sounds better live, that on the album, but that’s just my preference.
10. They Say
This song isn’t the greatest song on the album, but it helps to even it out. I don’t really like john legend on hooks, but I’ll take this song over the Shit that he has with my parole officer Ricky Ross. (I’m not a bad guy; I’m just a guy who makes bad choices, like buying The Massacre)
11. It's Your world Pt. 1 & 2
Ah, well kiddies, here we are, the final song on the album (well 1 and a spoken section from Commons Father) and I’m happy to report that J-Dilla Laces common with what could be commons greatest song on the album. After Common gets done doing what he does best, some kids manhandle the mic from him, and start spewing out random careers they want to pursue. Everthingthing was all gravy; until I heard some kid (presumably 4 or 5) say that he wanted to grow up to be a duck. Yes ladies and gentleman, he said that he wanted to be a DUCK, I know they say kids have wild imaginations (hell, I thought I was a power ranger for a short period of time) but what the hell kind of job would you have if you were a duck? Besides working at Six Flags as Daffy Duck, being a duck is not an attainable dream. I’d like to think that Common just stopped the music and question what the hell did this kid mean, and then proceed to smack the Loony Tunes outta him, but that probrobly didn’t happen. Any who, after the children relinquish the mic, Commons father proceeds to say thing about life, and what it means to "Be". While I like that touch, I don’t think even he knows what the hell he's talking about, And the things he says may seem like they mean something, but upon closer inspection, they mean absolutely Zilch.
Final Thoughts: Be marked the start of another chapter in Commons career. A career in which he became more known for "Smokin Ace's", than his rapping side. It also marked the begining of commons and Mr. West's relationship within the music biz, and it showed that Common Still had the hunger in him to make good music. While this album may not be the "classic" that it’s been labeled, it's still a damn good album that is still enjoyable till this day. I'd reccomend a "buy".
Best Tracks: "Go!, The Food, Love is...,It's your world pt 1 &2
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