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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Be
by Common


9.1

based on 26 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 79 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

The rapper's follow-up to 2002's love-it-or-hate-it 'Electric Circus' was produced largely by Kanye West. For some reason, John Mayer guests.

LABEL:	Geffen
RELEASE DATE:	24 May 2005
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rap

NOTES: Some versions come with a bonus DVD.

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Entertainment Weekly

Be's leanness signals awesome growth even without pushing sonic boundaries. [27 May 2005, p.136]

E! Online

A sprawling, varied disc that's as laid-back as a cool summer afternoon.

Spin

Even when the music flags, Common's remarkably hungry raps push it along. [Jun 2005, p.102]

Vibe

Overflowing with passion, honesty, and optimism, Be gets to the root of human experience--all the while staying beautifully soulful and funky. [Jun 2005, p.156]

Q Magazine

Common's best album so far, one that proves hip hop can be both smart and mainstream. [Jul 2005, p.114]

Filter

Although Kanye's production work has certainly been more spectacular in the past, his subtle tweaks and inversions on Be provide Com with a revamped template. [#16, p.94]

Pitchfork

The lack of instant-gratification couplets may disappoint at first, but each verse's rewarding intricacies become more evident with multiple listens.

cokemachineglow

Sure, there’s no “Watermelon” or “Communism”, but Be’s wit presents on a grander scale than a dependence on sprinkled, chucklable oneliners would allow.

Uncut

The record's feel, like West's College Dropout, offers a rich jukebox of gospel-tinged R&B flavours over which Common scatters his gems. [Aug 2005, p.97]

New Musical Express

Gives hope to a hip-hop stuck in a mire of mediocrity. [18 Jun 2005, p.64]

The Guardian

Though not quite 2005's best hip-hop album - [Kanye] West retains that honour for himself - Be is a lean and vibrant masterclass in hip-hop fundamentals.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

After blasting off into outer space with Electric Circus, Common returns to more solid ground with Be, but thanks to West, Poyser, and Jay Dee, the sounds are often nothing short of heavenly.

RapReviews.com

Common's naturally smooth flowing voice is a pleasure to listen to, making even the times when he is overreaching his grasp that much more tolerable in comparison to lesser peers.

Village Voice

West presents Common with a real challenge: rich rhythmic compositions that demand equally vivid verses. The elder MC responds with sharp Polaroid poetry, and the result of their collaboration is an uncluttered journalistic counterpoint to the rambling memoir that is The College Dropout.

The New York Times

"Be" is certainly a triumph, but if it isn't quite the all-time classic Common was hoping for, that's because it sounds a bit too straightforward. [25 May 2005]

PopMatters

Be is Common getting his "grown man" on.

Rolling Stone

West is the producer Common has been waiting for all of his career: He makes Common both catchier and edgier at the same time.

Prefix Magazine

The album is an extremely satisfying listen, but if Common is to lead the revolution, he has to make more of a statement than a great bass line and some tight rhymes.

All Music Guide

Be isn't likely to be referred to by anyone as groundbreaking, but it's one of Common's best, and it's also one of the most tightly constructed albums of any form within recent memory.

Blender

Be picks up where West's The College Dropout left off. [Jun 2005, p.113]

Tiny Mix Tapes

Regardless of the modernist leanings of Kanye's techniques, the album retains an organic feel that rivals Com's hemp beanie and Erykah Badu's incense.

ShakingThrough.net

Be won’t win many points for daring, but in terms of user-friendly hip-hop charged by a refreshingly positive undercurrent, it more than hits its hard-to-miss mark.

Paste Magazine

In a year that has also brought the envelope-pushing production work of Edan’s album Beauty and the Beast, the rehashed soul sometimes comes off limp, too content with itself and its well-worn form to challenge the genre’s status quo.

Dot Music

Lazily accomplished without ever truly igniting, a classy update on a slightly dated hip-hop sound.

Stylus Magazine

So frustrating then, for such a multitalented rapper, to have his supposed magnum opus weak, stale, and far more aged than we’d expect.

Slant Magazine

Each neo-soul nod to the R&B sound of Detroit, immediately post-Holland-Dozier-Holland, sounds more claustrophobic and limited than the last.

The average user rating for this album is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 79 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Music Lover gave it a10:
This was the best album of 2005. People will look back at this album & hopefully they will see it the same way I see it: as a classic. Common brings lyrics from the heart & mixes it in with jazz-type beats. The only thing I wish was different was the fact that "The Food" was live. I didn't mind having the live version, but I would've preferred the studio version. However, it's still a perfect hip-hop album. It's definitely one of the top ten hip hop albums of this decade (so far).

Vo M gave it an8:
Great hip-hop album with brilliant lyrics and addicting beats. 'Be' can capture a broad range of audiences.

Jacob W. gave it a10:
'Be' is quite possibly Common's best album and that is saying A LOT. Albums like this are what giving real hip-hop fans hope that hip-hop is still alive and well.

niyi m gave it a10:
this is a hip hop classic. period

Dan A gave it a9:
If you don't know what makes Be special, you don't know what makes musical quality. Could've had more tracks though.

Teddy G. gave it a10:
No, comment except to say, that this is a classic!

P K gave it a10:
If you are looking for rap about 'chains hangin low' and 'hustlin rocks' dont listen to this album...if you wanna listen to more real shit and deeper verses...go ahead and buy the cd...kanyes music(samples..lol) are good too...classic in my opinion...

Be by Common

Be
by Common