So today Common's new album "BE" comes out. For those of you who don't know, Common is an MC from Chicago who's long been hailed as a great if underappreciated artist. Fans had been a little wary of his moves into left field of late (dating Erykah Badu, increasingly unusual style of dress and music), but everyone has been hailing this new album as a classic or near classic. I listened to it a few times on an online preview, and while I initially thought it was good not great, I've liked it more each time I've listened and now think it lives up to the hype.

The album is pretty short-about 43 minutes, 11 songs. Kanye West, a fellow Chi-Town native, produced 9 of those tracks and appears at a few points, mostly on choruses, on the album. Since the album is named BE (which apparently also stands for Basement Elevation, though I'm not sure exactly what that means), I did notice the word "be" and the concept of being throughout the album. I also noticed various songs getting stuck in my head at different points (I won't bias you by telling you which). A few things might be a little problematic for a "conscious" rapper like Common (like the sex fantasies on one of the songs and accompanying girl-filled video), but Common's stuff is deeper and more thought out than a quick glance or listen might reveal (for instance, I wondered about him writing a verse on one song from the perspective of a prostitute, but found out that it is actually based on a conversation he had with a real person). Check it out on www.bet.com/music (you might have to create an account in order to listen).