In 2005, Common released his sixth album, Be, to both commercial and critical success. Now, in honor of its 20th anniversary, a deluxe edition of the record is being released on both digital and vinyl.
The digital deluxe edition of Be features new-to-streaming remixes and instrumental tracks. The physical deluxe edition will be released on vinyl, offering fans both the original songs and instrumental tracks together for the first time.
Be was a return to form for Common after 2002’s experimental record Electric Circus. He enlisted both Kanye West, fresh off The College Dropout, and frequent collaborator J Dilla, remembered today for his artistry and innovation. Blending 70s soul and contemporary hip-hop, Be showcased Common’s vision for conscious hip-hop. The album produced a number of memorable singles, including “Testify,” “The Corner,” and “Go!”
Be debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, and went on to achieve RIAA Certified Gold status upon selling over 500,000 units in the USA. In 2024, Billboard named it one of the 100 Greatest Rap Albums of all time. Upon release, Pitchfork wrote that the album “comfortably ranks alongside Resurrection and Like Water for Chocolate as Common’s best work to date,” and celebrates that the rapper “refreshingly looks to generations both past and future for the answers to the big questions he’s searching for on Be.”
Common explained the meaning behind the title to AllHipHop: “The album is entitled Be because the hardest thing to do is to be yourself, although many think it’s the easiest it’s really not. Being is just to exist, you don’t have to try hard to do anything because God gave us each an individual and unique characteristic that is the core of who we are.”
Check out the 20th anniversary edition of Common’s Be now.
