Maps of Music

Be (2005)

Where the lyrics of Be take you, and where it was really made.

Common's comeback album was mostly produced by Kanye West, who also ran the label that released it, and it opened at number two on the Billboard 200.

Key places

Recording at Sony Music Studios, New York (2005)

Recording site Sony Music Studios — Sony Music Studios in New York City is listed among the recording locations for Be. The pin sits on the studio building's coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording in Burbank (2005)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — Encore in Burbank, California is listed among the recording locations for Be. The point is placed at the city center of Burbank, not at the studio itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording in Clinton Township (2005)

Recording site Pay Jay — Pay Jay in Clinton Township, Michigan is listed among the recording locations for Be. The point is placed at the township center, not at the studio itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Be: sixth studio album by American rapper Common
• Released May 24, 2005 by Geffen Records and GOOD Music
• Common's first album under Geffen, after MCA Records was absorbed into Geffen in July 2003
• Primarily and executively produced by Kanye West, with additional production from J Dilla
• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200
• Broadly rooted in classic hip-hop fundamentals, with a lean and direct sound

Background

• Positioned as Common's comeback after the commercially disastrous Electric Circus (2002)
• Electric Circus lacked promotion once MCA Records was absorbed into Geffen
• The alliance with Kanye West helped spark public interest in the project
• Released by West's own label, GOOD Music
• Common said he wanted to be himself and not worry about his past as an artist
• Many beats West made that Common rejected for the project later appeared on West's Late Registration

Recording

• Most tracks produced by Kanye West
• "Love Is..." and "It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)" produced by J Dilla
• "It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)" also credited to James Poyser and Karriem Riggins as co-producers
• Many tracks built on samples of older soul, funk and R&B records
• Recording locations listed as Encore in Burbank, Pay Jay in Clinton Township, and Sony Music Studios in New York City

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Lonnie Rashid Lynn, born March 13, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois.
• Began rapping in the late 1980s at Luther High School South in Chicago.
• Formed the rap trio C.D.R., which dissolved by 1991.
• Debuted as a solo artist in 1992 under the name Common Sense, later shortened to Common after a lawsuit from a reggae band of the same name.

Career

• Released Can I Borrow a Dollar? (1992), Resurrection (1994), and One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997) on Relativity Records and then MCA Records.
• Gained mainstream success through the Soulquarians collective, especially with Like Water for Chocolate (2000), produced largely by J Dilla.
• Electric Circus (2002) was experimental and less commercially successful.
• Signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music; Be (2005) and Finding Forever (2007) followed, with Finding Forever debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
• Won Grammys for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Southside" and Best R&B Song for "Love of My Life" with Erykah Badu.
• Later albums The Dreamer/The Believer (2011), Nobody's Smiling (2014), Black America Again (2016), and A Beautiful Revolution Pts. 1 and 2 (2020–2021).
• Won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Glory" from Selma (2014) with John Legend.
• Acting career includes Hell on Wheels, Wanted, Date Night, John Wick: Chapter 2, and Silo.
• Won a Primetime Emmy for "Letter to the Free" from the documentary 13th.
• Made his Broadway debut in Between Riverside and Crazy (2023).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: the album received an average score of 83, based on 26 reviews
• Andy Kellman of AllMusic: Be is not likely to be called groundbreaking, but it is one of Common's best and one of the most tightly constructed albums in recent memory
• Andy Greenwald of Blender: Be picks up where Kanye West's The College Dropout left off
• Raymond Fiore of Entertainment Weekly: the album's leanness signals strong growth even without pushing sonic boundaries
• Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian: not quite 2005's best hip-hop album, but a lean and vibrant masterclass in hip-hop fundamentals
• Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork: the lack of instant-gratification couplets may disappoint at first, but each verse's intricacies become more rewarding with repeated listens
• Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone: West made Common both catchier and edgier at the same time
• Will Hermes of Spin: Common's hungry raps keep the music moving even when it flags
• XXL gave the album its highest rating and called Common's work a flawless album
• Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave an honorable mention rating of three stars
• Laut.de gave the album its highest possible rating

Reappraisal

• HipHopGoldenAge called Be Common's magnum opus
• Rolling Stone and Billboard included Be on their lists of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time in 2022 and 2024
• Complex called the album one of the classics of the last decade in 2012
• The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Records

• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 185,000 copies
• Top 10 in Norway (number 8) and charted in Switzerland, the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and France
• Certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2025
• Nominated in four categories at the 48th Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album
• Common's lyrics earned him the Lyricist of the Year award at the 2006 BET Hip Hop Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• In an AllHipHop interview, Common denied that the album title stood for "Before Erykah."
• Common said the title means being who you are and being in the moment without trying too hard.
• The first single, "The Corner", features the Last Poets, whom Common said brought newness and some nostalgia to the song.
• "Testify" received a "mini-movie" video with acting parts from Taraji P. Henson, Bill Duke, Steve Harris and Wood Harris.
• "Testify" samples "Innocent Til Proven Guilty" by Honey Cone.
• In 2011, German rapper Max Herre praised Be and named it as a model for the future projects of his production team KAHEDI.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org

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