Common Linkage

Prefixmag.com: Be is, of course, still largely jazz-focused feel-good music. It’s not Resurrection 2, as it has been billed in some circles. It’s a natural progression, even from its predecessor, 2002’s supremely disappointing Electric Circus.

Metacritic score currently: 86

Rocky Mountain Telegram: "Common has come up with the best hip-hop album of the year so far by finally, skillfully, revealing the qualities he shares with the average Joe."

AP: The buzz on this album is that it's going to save hip-hop. Do you think hip-hop needs to be born again?

Common: I definitely think it needs some repairing. I can say, as a fan, it ain't been satisfying and feeding my soul the way hip-hop has always done in the past. I think that I'm one person that can bring a balance to it. Hip-hop has become so much of a business, so much of a hustle, that the art of it has lost its purity and its innocence.

MSNBC: "A master storyteller with an exacting eye for detail, Com crafts characters in these 11 songs that won't simply "Be." They grow, make choices, learn. With all their flaws and glory, they form the city and the black community that he loves and wants to celebrate before the world."

Rap News Network: "People might dance to it in the clubs or listen on the radio for a minute. But a lot of the hip-hop music being made doesn't stick to their souls," Common says. "I wanted to create something timeless and ageless."

Rolling Stone: "The not-so-secret weapon here is Kanye West, who produced nine of the tracks and appears on four. West is the producer Common has been waiting for all of his career: He makes Common both catchier and edgier at the same time."

Allhiphop: "Common And De La Soul Hit The Road With John Legend"

Vibe interviews Common

Common Interview from Electric Circus era (Look for an interview with Common by Jalylah Burrell at Prefix next week too)

Common: Corners (Live on Leno) (WMV HI / WMV LO)