Is Common's "BE" a classic by today's standards??

[Funkadelic Funkmasta]

Can anyone here send me a link to the original version of The Food ( not the live version ). The live version is so fucking wack, it totally ruins the vibe of the album. Other than that it's a classic. No doubt. Especially by today's standards.

[workofamasta]

I would say yes. One of the top five of the new milennium for sure, the beats and vocals mesh perfectly and Common is definitely one of the best emcees out right now. So many standout tracks and not a weak one among the whole album.

[Sun Tzu, Tha Soul Controllah]

shit is 7.9 outta 10 it's aight

[CeeDub204]

Come on, give it a couple of more years. how the fuck could you call it/or don't call it a classic after its been "officially" released for like a week or two?

I gotta agree, only time will tell.

[cutthroat]

It's no Resurrection, but still a pretty good album. I wouldn't call it a classic though.

[repo]

three of four ninja stars
kanye beats get boring

[Hyder]

the album was okay, the good tracks were really good. but the bad tracks were really bad. kanye is a terrible producer.

[whitey]

everybody is on kanye's dick right now so when he puts out something thats good people are gonna jump all over it and say its classic. its all in the timing.

and faurthermore,

how can people say that it is classic when you havent heard it for a long time?

on the opposite end of the spectrum, i think a lot of people ("real hip hop heads" and a lot of people on this site) will immediatly say "o kanye put that shit out, i dont like dude blah blah blah" and don't give it the respect it deserves.

[Ironlungz]

BE is a classic by today's standards, but to place it on the same level as Illmatic, Ready To Die and 36 Chambers is another issue. Like someone said in an earlier post, you have to give it some time and another listen before calling it one of the all time greats. That's why the call it all time because the judgement is made after some amount of time. . . .not a couple of weeks after.

BE should be considered for 2005 Album of the Year. Common deserves props. But in the world of Soundscan, rap beefs and platinum sales it seems like 2005 could be the year of 50 Cent. I hate that it could wind up that way because of the content of The Massacre which is NOTHING. BE had a lot more to offer lyrically and production wise, Kanye kills anything else that comes out this year unless the RZA drops a gem.

WORD!

[RapLevelated]

modern day classic
not an all time classic
10/10

peace

Yep

[Burkey187]

Tank u RZAREC... this album is amzin

[PolitiC]

i think its an classic cuz he and kanye west are starting a whole new wave of rappers actually thinkin....

[Witty]

i am a HUGE fan of common and he is a top 10 MC for me....Ressurection is probably a top 7 album for me, and "One day it will all make sense" is probably a top 40 album for me (I own probably over 150 hip hop cds, so thats saying something), I also enjoy "Like Water for Chocolate" a lot...but is BE a classic? No. Is it a solid album? yes. Is it better than most of the crap out today? yes. but still in no way is it a classic. Could you ever compare BE to:

Eric b and rakim-paid in full
BDP-Criminal Minded
De La-3 feet high and rising...fuck it de la's first 4 albums
Tribe's first 3 albums
Wu tang-36 Chambers
Organized Konfusions first 2 albums
Common's ressurection
etc etc etc

no...it would be ludacris to say that BE can compete with those. First of all, i think BE was a step down lyrically for Com...don't get me wrong, he still drops some great lyrics (especially on "Chi City" and "Corners") but he doesnt live up to his lyrical brilliance on all of the tracks. Now for the beats...I am not a big Kanye fan, but I think hes a good producer....but the beats, they werent very innovative nor were they that good...I give production a respectable 8/10 but it was just kanye up to his old sped up tricks. Don't get me wrong people, I like this album a lot, and bump it often, but classic is being thrown around a little too much.

peace

[Witty]

Of course it is a classic, there are no skips, no wack beats, Common comes correct on every track.. its better than Ressurection overall. Quality Hip Hop in this new millinium is scarce, but Common gave us a jewel right there. If it isn't a classic it will be in time. I agree with XXL stamp and thought the source was wrong not to give it 5 mics. nothing Wu has come out with since maybe Supreme Clientele is as good.

explain how its better than ressurection? that album is flawless and timeless...Out of every classic hip hop album I own, it probably has the most replay value....everytime I listen to it, I catch a new line that common spits..."Im a warrior and still don't have to shogun" on "thisisme" was the last one I caught.

[mn2683]

explain how its better than ressurection? that album is flawless and timeless...Out of every classic hip hop album I own, it probably has the most replay value....everytime I listen to it, I catch a new line that common spits..."Im a warrior and still don't have to shogun" on "thisisme" was the last one I caught.

i totally agree, every time i listen to ressurection i find new things, and respect it even more...BE is a classic album if u only count the years 1998-2005, but to say that its on par with 36 chambers, ready to die, illmatic, resurrection, is going a bit far