Be

Listening to an album everyday from 1995 - 2025: Album 11 (2005)

Honestly, I think Be is great, but maybe just shy of a masterpiece. The vibe is immaculate; Kanye's production with all those warm soul samples is fantastic, making it feel classic and easy to listen to. Common’s lyrics are sharp, but tracks like GO! and Chi-City let it down and slow the pace of the album down a lot for me. It’s concise and well-made, which I really appreciate. My only real issue is that it feels a little too safe—it's incredibly well-executed, but it doesn't push many boundaries. It's a stellar hip-hop album that I recommend highly, but for me, it just misses that revolutionary spark that would make it a perfect record