Be

by Common

Overview

Electric Circus cost and won Common some fans. It was very exploratory, especially so for a rap album released in 2002, containing developments -- some of which soared, some of which sank -- that few longtime followers could have foreseen. Listeners either felt Common was picking up fresh, new inspirations, or that he was just being distracted by a whole lot of ill-fitting nonsense. With Be, it seems the MC has realized that not every album that's sprawling and eclectic is as good as Electric Ladyland or Songs in the Key of Life. More notably, he might've been struck with the fact that a high percentage of excellent albums are around 40 minutes in length and are built on a unified sound. Be is highly concentrated, containing 11 songs and involving two producers and a small number of guests. It's a 180 degree turn from Electric Circus, and in a bizarre way it's both a progression and a back-to-basics move. Kanye West and Dilla are key to the album's steadiness, rooting the sound in '70s soul and soul-jazz. That's no shakeup, but the two producers deserve some form of award for stringing together a consistent sequence of productions that is never monotonous, dull, or all that flashy. Even lead single "The Corner," heard well before Be's release, falls into the fabric of the album on first listen, as if that were where it belonged all along. Lyrically, Common comes back down to Earth -- the narratives are sharp as ever, the gripes are more like observations than screeds, and the eccentricities need to be teased out rather than swatted away. 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. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	05/24/2005
Label:	Universal Distribution / Geffen
UPC:	0602498819029

Tracks

1. Be
2. Corner
3. Go
4. Faithful
5. Testify
6. Love Is
7. Chi City
8. Food
9. Real People
10. They Say
11. It's Your World
12. So Cool

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Common   Primary Artist,Rap,Vocals
The Last Poets   Primary Artist,Spoken Word,Guest Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Kanye West   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
John Legend   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Kids   Primary Artist
Lonnie Lynn   Vocals (Background)
DJ Dummy   Turntables,Scratching
Luna E   Vocals (Background)
Bilal   Vocals (Background),Guest Artist
A-Trak   Turntables,Scratching
John Mayer   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Derrick Hodge   Double Bass,Bass (Acoustic)
James Poyser   Various Instruments,Strings,Keyboards,Co-Producer
Karriem Riggins   Drums,Percussion,Co-Producer
Dave Chappelle   Vocals
Num Amun-Tehu   Percussion
Mister Lonnie & The Kids Lynn   Vocals (Background)
Num H.S. Amuntehu   Percussion
The Kids   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

James Poyser   Audio Production,Composer,Performer,Instrumentation
J Dilla   Audio Production,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Kanye West   Audio Production,Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Stanley McKenney   Composer
Angelo Bond   Composer
Bob Power   Mixing
Honey Cone   Performer
Common   Executive Producer
Ahmad Jamal   Performer
Eddie Cornelius   Composer
Gregory S. Perry   Composer
Elgie Stover   Composer
Karriem Riggins   Composer,Producer
Greg Perry   Composer
General Johnson   Composer
Eugene Record   Composer
Thomas Bell   Composer
Lonnie Lynn   Poetry,Composer
Sam Cooke   Composer,Performer
John Mayer   Composer
Linda Lewis   Composer,Performer
Marvin Gaye   Composer,Performer
Jared Robbins   Mixing,Mixing Assistant
Jason Agel   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Modulations   Performer
Anthony Kilhoffer   Engineer
Ceasar Frazier   Composer,Performer
The Temprees   Performer
Anna Gordy Gaye   Composer
Thom Bell   Composer
Manny Marroquin   Mixing
D.J. Rogers   Composer,Performer
Dave Chappelle   Introduction
The Chi-Lites   Performer
Choker Campbell   Composer
Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose   Performer
James Nyx   Composer
Umar Bin Hassan   Composer
Jay Dee   Producer
John Legend   Composer
Abiodun Oyewole   Composer
Andrew Dawson   Mixing,Engineer
Tom Coyne   Mastering
Steve Tolle   Mixing,Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Linda Epstein   Composer
Ric McRae   Engineer
John Monopoly   A&R
Cass Bird   Cover Photo
Don-C   A&R
Darren "ROCK" Darnell   Engineer
Jahaun Johnson   A&R
John Stephens   Composer
Frank Hendler   Mixing,Mixing Assistant
Olivia Fischa   Make-Up
Jared Zastrow   Engineer
Taylor Dow   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Christian Lantry   Photography
Bob Curington   Composer
James Nyx, Jr.   Composer
Charles Hunt   Engineer
Dawn Haynes   Wardrobe
Kids   Performer
Derrick Dudley   Executive Producer
Hulis Mavruk   Art Direction
Francis Forde   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Rick McRae   Assistant Engineer
Willie Lester   Composer
Stanley McKenny   Composer
Leon Moore   Composer
Mike Chavez   Engineer
Caesar Frazier   Composer
James Yancey   Composer
Dewayne Julius Rogers, Sr.   Composer