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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.
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BlenderBe picks up where West's The College Dropout left off. [Jun 2005, p.113]
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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.
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Lazily accomplished without ever truly igniting, a classy update on a slightly dated hip-hop sound.
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A sprawling, varied disc that's as laid-back as a cool summer afternoon.
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Entertainment WeeklyBe's leanness signals awesome growth even without pushing sonic boundaries. [27 May 2005, p.136]
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FilterAlthough 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]
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New Musical Express (NME)Gives hope to a hip-hop stuck in a mire of mediocrity. [18 Jun 2005, p.64]
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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.
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The lack of instant-gratification couplets may disappoint at first, but each verse's rewarding intricacies become more evident with multiple listens.
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Be is Common getting his "grown man" on.
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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.
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Q MagazineCommon's best album so far, one that proves hip hop can be both smart and mainstream. [Jul 2005, p.114]
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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.
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West is the producer Common has been waiting for all of his career: He makes Common both catchier and edgier at the same time.
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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.
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Each neo-soul nod to the R&B sound of Detroit, immediately post-Holland-Dozier-Holland, sounds more claustrophobic and limited than the last.
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SpinEven when the music flags, Common's remarkably hungry raps push it along. [Jun 2005, p.102]
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So frustrating then, for such a multitalented rapper, to have his supposed magnum opus weak, stale, and far more aged than we’d expect.
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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.
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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.
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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]
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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.
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UncutThe 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]
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VibeOverflowing 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]
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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.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 146 out of 163
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Mixed: 6 out of 163
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Negative: 11 out of 163
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Aug 5, 2014
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Jul 16, 2020
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Apr 6, 2016