Be (Common album)

Infobox Album |
Name = Be
Type = studio
Artist = Common


Released = May 24, 2005
Recorded = 2004–2005
Sony Music Studios
(New York, New York)
Encore Studios
(Burbank, California)
Pay Jay
(Clinton Township, Michigan)
Genre = Hip hop
Length = 42:43
Label = G.O.O.D./Geffen
Producer = J Dilla
Kanye West
Reviews =
*Metacritic (83%) [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/common/be?q=Common link]
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:j6rx28oq053a link]
*"Blender" Rating|4|5 [http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=3368 link]
*HipHopDX Rating|4.5|5 [http://cdn.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.525 link]
*Okayplayer Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews/index.php/weblog/more/be/ link]
*Pitchfork Media rating-10|8.6 [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/16278-be link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|4|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/common/albums/album/7330979/review/7349116/be link]
*The Source Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.thesource.com link]
*Stylus Magazine (C) [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/common/be.htm link]
*"USA Today" Rating|3.5|4 [http://www.common-music.com/discography/default.aspx/pid/1696 link]
*XXL Magazine Rating|5|5 [http://www.common-music.com/discography/default.aspx/pid/1696 XXL]
Last album = "Electric Circus"
(2002)
This album = "Be"
(2005)
Next album = "Finding Forever"
(2007)Singles
Name = Be
Type = studio
single 1 = The Food
single 1 date = October 8 2004
single 2 = The Corner
single 2 date = March 1 2005
single 3 = Go!
single 3 date = June 14, 2005
single 4 = Testify
single 4 date = September 27 2005
single 5 = Faithful
single 5 date = October 8 2005

"Be" is the sixth studio album by rapper Common, released May 24, 2005 on G.O.O.D. Records. Primarily produced by Kanye West, the album peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and became Common's second album to sell over 500,000 copies. "Be" also became a critical success, receiving general favor and accolades from many critics and magazine publications. Common considers it, along with "Like Water for Chocolate", to be one of his favorite albums.cite web | last = Hamilton | first = Tiffany | url = http://allhiphop.com/features/?ID=1083 | title = AllHipHop Feature - Common: Invocation | format = | work = | publisher = | accessdate = April 28 | accessyear = 2007]

Conception

Background

"Be" was touted as Common's comeback album after the commercially disastrous "Electric Circus". His previous album lacked promotion following MCA Records's absorption under Geffen. His new alliance with Kanye West helped to spark public interest in the project, as the album was produced by West and released by his own label G.O.O.D. Music. Nas's debut album "Illmatic" was the biggest influence on "Be". The results show that Common was clearly aware, and perhaps agreeing, with the negative criticisms about "Electric Circus". In comparison to that album, "Be" is lean, immediate, and commanding, yet also restrained in its musical ambitions. Many believe it to be his safest album. Of the reaction to the album, the rapper said: "I don't think Electric Circus was as focused. Though I'd done some progressive hip-hop, people know me as the b-boy. When I showed them something different, a different style of b-boy, there were like, "Hold up. You can be Afrocentric, but what's this rock shit that you're doing?" [ [http://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/common-050921.shtml PopMatters Music Interview | Resurrection: Common Walks ] ] Many of the beats created by West, and which Common rejected for the project, later appeared on West's studio album "Late Registration".

Title significance

In an interview with AllHipHop.com, Common denied that the album title stood for "Before Erykah."cite web | last = Hamilton | first = Tiffany | url = http://allhiphop.com/features/?ID=1083 | title = AllHipHop Feature - Common: Invocation | format = | work = | publisher = | accessdate = April 28 | accessyear = 2007] Common explained the concept and the album title in a 2005 interview for SixShot.com:

ingles

="The Corner"=

Common gave his reasons for featuring controversial spoken word recording artists, The Last Poets, on the album's first official single, "The Corner": "They gifted at writing. They voices is incredible. They took my song to a higher level. And that's what hip-hop was about to me. It would have a message. It would take you to the next place. It was fresh as people say -- something new. They brought newness to what "The Corner" was and they also brought some nostalgia, too. Just them being from the '70s and being used in hip-hop and their spirit brought something pure to it. They gave me a better understanding of the corner after that. I knew those who had been listening to hip-hop would know who the Last Poets were and if they didn't they would feel it in their souls sooner or later. And I also felt good about introducing some of the youth to the Last Poets." [ [http://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/common-050921.shtml PopMatters Music Interview | Resurrection: Common Walks ] ]

"Go!"

"Go" was the album's second, and highest charting single. The song featured Kanye West and John Mayer, however all the verses are performed by Common. The video for the song included shots of Common surrounded by numerous models.

="Testify"=

The album's third single, "Testify" received a type of promotional video known as a "mini-movie"; a term coined by Michael Jackson to describe a music video with a complex plot and a suitably long running time, often with intermissions between the song's parts. The video featured acting parts from Taraji P. Henson, Bill Duke, Steve Harris, and Wood Harris, and received notable spins on specialist channels such as MTV2. The song samples "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" by Honey Cone.

Reception

Critical

"Q" considers "Be" to be Common's best album. [ [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/common/be Common: Be (2005): Reviews ] ] Common's lyrics on "Be" earned him the Lyricist of the Year award at the 2006 BET Hip Hop Awards.

Grammy Nominations

"Be" was nominated for four 2006 Grammy Awards:

* Best Rap Album, for "Be"

* Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, for "The Corner" (featuring The Last Poets) (from "Be")

* Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, for "They Say" (featuring Kanye West and John Legend) (from "Be")

* Best Rap Song, for writing "Testify" (from "Be")

Accolades

Information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net.cite web | last = | first = | url = http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/A4184.htm | title = Be at AcclaimedMusic.net | format = | work = | publisher = | accessdate = April 27 | accessyear = 2007]

ingles

Unused Tracks

* My Way Home (produced by Kanye West) appears as a Common solo track on Kanye West's album Late Registration.
* So Cool (produced by Sa-Ra) appears on "Common Remixes".

References

External links

* [http://www.common-music.com/about/features.asp?assetid=1152562&count=1&artistid=231&title=XXL+Magazine+Calls+BE+A+Classic XXL Calls 'Be' a Classic]
* [http://www.freshhiphopnews.com/common-kanye-new-album-finding-forever/ Common Hoping To Get Kanye To Work On His New Album Tentatively Titled "Finding Forever"]