Yes to the comeback of the new millennium. Yes to soulful beats smelted together by descendants of Hephaestus, legendary producers J Dilla and a young Kanye West. Yes to the South Side of Chicago welcoming back their prodigal son. Yes to Hip Hop’s crusading minister re-introducing himself to the new generation.
“Yes” is the way Common’s sixth album, Be, begins with a juxtaposition of a jazz cello, Kanye’s signature gospel chipmunk, and then the iconic boom-bap of a Hip Hop record made to shake your speaker.
The album’s title track, and intro, is a triumphant declaration of returning to his roots and abandoning the experimental nature of the Soulquarian sound he attempted to harness in Electric Circus. The album reaffirms Common as a warrior-poet of sorts.
Common reminds listeners that there are many aspects to a poet and even more to words.
In tracks like The Corner and It’s Your World (Part 1 & 2), Common gets The Last Poets and his father to perform spoken word on the album. Common’s trait of adding poetry to this particular album led him to stand out from the gangster rappers of the year such as The Game.
What is the purpose of a poet if he cannot use consonants and vowels to create murals depicting the everyday trials and tribulations of being human? What is a champion of the people if he no longer fights for them? What is a leader if he loses the respect of those who believe in him? Common is quick to reassure his people that the man they gambled their hope on has not forgotten them.
Real People, Love Is…, and The Food allows the listener to bear witness to the realities of a Chicago native. Whether it be the convoluted path Black men and women walk, the generational cycle of ignorance preventing people from loving, or a collage of the scenes that are intrinsically intertwined within the South Side of Chicago.
Testify showcases Common’s ability to create lyrical mosaics that create a world beyond the moral limits of the sheltered being. West’s sampling of Innocent ‘Til Proven Guilty by Honey Cone creates a desperate plea that ensures the listener lets her testify.
Although Common describes what love could do to a victim, the two tracks prior; GO! and Faithful are more positive viewings of love. As a poet aims to move a person and a rapper aims to move the crowd, what are both without affection?
GO! is a raunchier side of Common that only his more intimate partners knew of, which he reveals to the audience to great fanfare. The track makes the listener a fly on the wall suffocating under the steam of intimacy while being pulled in by a beat curated by a brilliant young Mr. West.
Faithful explores the nature of men and the real question: “I was rollin’ around, in my mind it occurred, What if God was a Her?” Would he still try to attempt something unholy with the purest being? Would a single word of the Lord be enough to tempt him? Would it be worth it when he has a woman and kids at home?
The second verse is him describing the Godly woman as his wife’s best friend. After fighting temptation, he returned home and confessed to his thoughts, and was welcomed as a prodigal son figure. His lady embraced him saying “Baby you a blessin’ and my best friend.”
But what is a warrior who is unable to go to war? Common sharpens his metaphysical weapons with a silver tongue and attacks the bravado of challengers with a silver tongue. As tracks such as They Say and Chi-City serve as his whetstones.
They Say is Common’s rebuttal to critics saying he went the commercial route and lost who he was. He reminds them “in the scheme of things I never lost a rhyme” but still wants to evolve and pursue success in every possible avenue as he knows “We can’t play the hood forever.”
Chi-City shows that a pen is far more dangerous than a sword or bullet. He calls out those who “rape the culture,” and challenges them with the history of the culture they try to extort. In everything he does, Common makes sure that anyone who bets against him cannot even come close to him as everything he does has a greater reach.
Overall, with the foundational beats constructed by J Dilla and Kanye West, Common returns home after traversing the abstract with the Soulquarians. Upon his arrival, Common makes his native Chicago a base of operations as he wages war against the same critics who first went on the offensive against him. This is the beginning of his campaign to re-establish himself as the conscience of Hip Hop.
