Common Be Turns 20 Years Old Today

Five years and one day apart, we had a couple of hip hop classics released. Yesterday was the 25^th anniversary of the released of Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP. The instant classic from Common Be was released 20 years old today. Common Be turns 20 years old today and it was his first album with GOOD Music. As we all know, GOOD Music is the label of Kanye West. Be was touted as Common’s comeback album after the commercially disastrous Electric Circus. The Food was the first single from the Be album. The Food was performed live on the Dave Chappelle Show back in March of 2004. This live version is featured on Be, although a studio version does also exist. The studio version was released on The 20th Anniversary Edition of “Be” Which Released on May 23, 2025.

The Corner was the second single from the Be album and it was released closer to the project release. Kanye cooked up one of his dopest beats on this one. The beat along with Common hard-hitting lyrics was a perfect mix. The Corner felt like Common was going back to his Resurrection days. Go! was his second single and once again it was produced by Kanye West. Go! would become the most successful single from the album. This was another great record from the Be album. Testify would become the fourth single from the album. Testify was memorable for me because it was one of my favorite tracks from the album and released on my birthday. The song was a critical hit garnering a nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 48th Grammy Awards. Common would release another single to wrap up the album.

The Be album has been praised ever since it was released 20 years ago. Many believe that this is the best album from Common. All music publications have praised the Be album and it’s one of the best rap albums over the last 20 years. Common’s lyrics on Be earned him the Lyricist of the Year award at the 2006 BET Hip Hop Awards. In 2012 Complex called the album one of the classics of the last decade. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The Be album from Common is a classic and my favorite project from him. Check out my top 5 tracks from the gold selling Be project. After that, check out the track listing and stream link for the Be album.

Top 5 Tracks: Go!, The Corner, Testify, They Say, and The Food (Live)