It's your world: Common, Kanye and the conflicted promise of 'Be'

It's your world: Common, Kanye and the conflicted promise of 'Be'

In 2005, two Chicago titans made a generational classic and then sprinted in opposite directions, each daring the rest of hip-hop to follow them.

‘Be’: When Common Returned To His Roots

In the run-up to recording his sixth album, Common was at a crossroads. His fifth outing, 2002’s Electric Circus, was a boundary-pushing release that gleefully cycled through nu-soul, leftfield hip-hop, and psychedelic rock. If the album cover’s homage to Sgt Pepper’s didn’t get the message across, maybe fans would note that Common had coaxed a guest turn out of Prince: a sure sign that the former was working without boundaries and had elevated …

It's your world: Common, Kanye and the conflicted promise of 'Be' - TPR: The Public's Radio

In 2005, two Chicago titans made a generational classic and then sprinted in opposite directions, each daring the rest of hip-hop to follow them. The post It’s your world: Common, Kanye and the conflicted promise of ‘Be’ appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.