GeoReview: Common, BE

On Chi City , Common states, ãFor the Ghetto, trying make a get up stand up anthem.ä· Well party people, take your pick, there seems to be 11 tracks on BE that could serve that purpose. With each new project, Common has grown as an artist, sometimes a little too fast for his fan base but this time, on Common's 6 th release, he appears to have found the perfect balance in terms of being able to spread his wings artistically without losing track of us mere mortals.

On his latest project the Windy City pioneer addresses substantive issues of relevancy within urban communities such as self-hate, police brutality, spirituality, economics and love. Common shares his worldview with listeners from the perspective of your average student loan paying young man. On the J-Dilla produced Real People Common proudly proclaims: ãI Stand For The Blue Collar!ä, while on Love Is he drops subliminal jewels of wisdom like ãThe game of life is just a scrimmage.ä While intellectually stimulating, thought provoking and refreshingly down to earth on most tracks, Common shows he hasn't lost his edge on (the Kanye West produced track) Chi-City with lines like: ãThe game needs a make over, my man retired, I'mma takeover, tell these half time n*ggas breaks over.ä

This album is not a return to ãthe oldä Common. In fact, Com' takes another leap forward for himself and for the genre. One of the big differences between BE and 2003's Electric Circus is the Kanye West dominated production on BE . The two Chi City natives display a remarkable chemistry. Kanye's beats might make Common's message go down a little more smoothly than some of Common's previous work. But don't let the smooth taste full you, BE has a very strong and clear message. In fact, it has much more than one.

I'll give BE 4.5 GeoGlobes out of 5

For any questions or comments please contact  Jay at music@geoclan.com.

Post / Read a Review