Common — Be

By the end of your first listen to Common's sixth full-length, one thing is perfectly clear: he's one of the best rappers around today. This is his most solid, cohesive work since 2000's masterful Like Water For Chocolate and coupled with Kanye West's slick production, Chicago's finest MC is given the perfect canvas on which to paint potent images of his past experiences. With only 11 tracks, there's little room for misses and thankfully, Be is filled with hits ("The Corner" is one of the best hip-hop singles in recent memory). This is the hip-hop album you've been waiting for.

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