Common's new album BE gets classic XXL rating

[West Coast Veteran]

Music is supposed to mirror life. With 11 tracks that focus on feeling not filler, the Chicago champ formerly known as Common Sense has birthed ‘05’s top LP with the impeccable Be. The album’s first single, the impenetrable inner-city anthem “The Corner,” sets up the initial statement for the man born Lonnie Rashid Lynn: He’s neither that rapper on Resurrection not the one on Electric Circus-he’s evolved into a synthesis of the two. On Be, Common plays poet and documentarian, showing us the triumphs and tragedies that occur in Ghetto, USA. And with Be’s co-pilot, Kanye West, supplying the lion’s share of the score (nine of eleven tracks) by stepping up even his production game with layers of bluesy yet granite-hard compositions, joints like the jazz-fueled “Real People” reflect Common’s penchant for “showin nigga’s lives like UPN.” In fact, the CD’s cohesive sound can be attributed to the synergy between Common and Kanye.

Common’s wordsmith wizardry soars beyond stylistics: It excels at photographing real life. On “It’s Your World,” Comm recounts his own coming of age and the story of an aspiring songstress turned prostitute. Over soul-stirring strings and a marching drum track courtesy of K-Dilla (the producer behind the LP’s remaining two tracks), Common recalls, “I remember in high school she had a passion to sing/Now she see herself in a casket in dreams.”

While label support and the times heavily influence whether great music can be crowned classic, if nothing else Common has created a flawless album. By giving us himself completely and speaking to and for us as complete people, he’s birthed the total package.

Damn I wonder if it's that good. Electric Circus was doo-doo IMO but every other Common release has been strong to classic. And with Kanye on most of the tracks and having only 11 tracks meaning less chance for filler than it may be that good. I thought Com fell off with his whole Erykah Badu brainwashed style but he may be back to at least his Like Water For Chocolate days.

[Suffice]

this is good news. Looking forward to this one

[white Boy]

holy shit, wens the reales date?

[_That_Cracka_J]

Tight shit...can't wait to hear it.  When's it droppin?

[The Watcher]

is that Food track on this?

[West Coast Veteran]

is that Food track on this?

yes...

heres da tracklist

1. BE
2. The Corner f/ The Last Poets
3. Go
4. Faithful f/ Bilal & John Legend
5. Testify
6. Love Is
7. Chi City
8. The Food
9. Real People
10. They Say f/ Kanye West & John Legend
11. It's Your World/Pop's Reprise f/ Bilal

(produced by Kanye West, except 6 & 11 produced by Jay Dee)

[Leggy Hendrix]

really looking forward to this...Food and Corners are both dope...

[Capo Di Tutti I Capi]

Sounds interesting, I need to check it out. Thanks for the information

[Lil Jay]

definitely gonna swoop this up

[Elevz]

XXL? Wow, this really must be hot...

This shows the influence a magazine like XXL has... We'll all be running out on the day of release, to get the album... Including me!

[smartass]

i would expect nothing less after that bullshit called electric circus

[notorious^q8I]

I bet it has an old skoolfeeling
1 mc and 1 producer (except 2 trax)
these kinda albums always end up with a nice theme

[PLANT]

Cant Wait...

[bjax]

so yeah, when is this thing coming out?

[NewJack]

Can't wait for this. I heard Go was supposed to be featuring Kanye and John Mayer. Could that be missing in the listing or am I getting bad info?

RELEASE DATE PLEASE?