ROCKIN' THE COMMYE COMBO

By: B -- 6/15/05

If you were to ask a casual rap listener to list a few of the artists that represent All That Is Right With Hip-Hop, you can be sure Common will be named among their first few. However, if you were to ask this same person to name, oh, five of Common’s best songs, they’d likely mumble something about “The Light” before shamefully trailing off. To most, Common is to rap what Colin Powell is to politics; the dude you claim to admire if you hope to sound knowledgeable on the subject.

I know this because I’m one of the guilty parties. I’ve been maintaining my appreciation for Common since I first heard his work many years ago. I dug his heartfelt, socially conscious lyrics, but his minimal rhythms behind the words (a sure sign of how strongly he felt about his message) made his music hard to love. I respected the hell out of Common’s work, but I wasn’t necessarily interested in listening to it.

Which makes Common’s new album Be that much more satisfying. With the ubiquitous Kanye West as the producer (the man is in so many places I wouldn’t bat an eye if I’d heard he’d been cloned), Common has released his most focused effort, an album just as likely to be played by casual fans as elitist rap snobs (if there is such a thing).

Buy Common's Be on Amazon

CRITICAL RATING: 8.5

POP RATING: 7

B’S RATING: 8

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