"Huh?” That’s the reaction a lot of fans had upon listening to Common’s last album, 2002’s Electric Circus.Sure, Circus’s spacey instrumentals and rock influences pushed the boundaries of hip hop. But at what cost? Gone were the tight, vivid verses from 1994’s instant classic Resurrection.Good-bye to the jazzy beats from ’97’s One Day It’ll All Make Senseand 2000’s Like Water for Chocolate. Such albums solidified Common—alongside peers Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and the Roots—as a linchpin to the unofficial second coming of the Native Tongues movement. Moreover, with recent records like Mos’s The New Dangerand Kweli’s Beautiful Strugglefalling somewhat short of expectations, one can only wonder: Has hip hop’s conscience, its nourishing soul food for thought, started to lose its flavor?
Not so fast. With fellow Chi-Towner Kanye West behind the boards, Common returns with his sixth and perhaps best effort to date, Be. Like a train ride through the ’hood, the concise, 11-track opus steamrolls through the images, stories, and emotions of urban folks getting by any way they know how. Overflowing with passion, honesty, and optimism, Begets to the root of human experience—all the while staying beautifully soulful and funky. The lucid block imagery and stripped-down beat of Be’s first single, “The Corner,” sets the raw, back-to-basics tone for the rest of the album. Pounding drums and a sparse bass riff open up space for Common to fire away photographic descriptions like, “Church services, murderers, Arabs servin’ burgers,” and, “We talk shit, play Lotto, and buy German beers.” Over the friendly soul-jazz of “Real People,” he balances stark images of “anointed hustlers in a fatherless region,” with the hopeful strength of the line, “Somehow through the dusk I can see the dawn.”
Common’s egalitarian vision comes through even harder on “Testify,” a narrative about a girlfriend going through the tribulations of her boyfriend’s trial, and “It’s Your World,” a tale about a college dropout who becomes a prostitute. Reminiscent of Tupac’s “Keep Ya Head Up,” Common’s details of heroines standing by their hustlin’ men while associating with “thieves and baseheads” capture the utter despair of being backed into a corner. But for all of Be’s poignant moments, the largely ’70s-laced production keeps the album triumphant and head-nodding throughout. Jay Dee drops wicked drums and a chopped Marvin Gaye vocal sample on the warm and fuzzy “Love Is.” Kanye stretches a trumpet note over a twisting wah-wah guitar and record-scratching on the battle song “Chi City,” prompting Common to shoot off venomous punch lines. Heavenly vocals from G.O.O.D. Music family member John Legend and neo-soulster Bilal lift “Faithful”’s reflection about the guilt of cheating on a woman, while the cozy electric keyboard runs, crisp snares, and hungry verse from forever-young rapper Consequence keep the vibe of “They Say” upbeat and authentic.
If anything, Be gets docked for Common’s recycling of topics and lyrical tricks (we’re familiar with the pedophilic uncles, children of a lesser God, and juxtapositions “between this and that”). Some will argue that lines like “I stand for the blue collar” are selfrighteous. Still, he more than makes up for these banalities with his evolution from a 40-toting street poet to an earthy soulchild to a dynamic artist. Yes, Common Sense is back and better than ever. Grab a plate, and feed your mind, body, and soul.
Copyrights
Andrew Simon. Common - BE (G.O.O.D. Music). Copyright 2005 Vibe.com.
