This past weekend cause I popped it back in for the first time in a while. You beat me to it. I'm lazy.


>1. Is it a great LP or classic?

Absolutely a great LP. Short, concise, great beats, Common tore it the fuck up. And it was his "comeback" of sorts (even though I'm on the pro-EC team), and you could hear how hungry and determined he was to prove he hadn't "fallen off".


>2. Where does it rank among Common LP's

Ummm let's see...

1. Resurrection/LWFC/One Day...
4. Be
5. TD/TB
6. EC
7. FF
8. CIBAD

So it's kinda middle of the pack, I suppose, but since Res, LWFC and One Day are interchangeable at #1 I guess it could technically be considered 2nd in his catalogue.


>3. ...general statement

Like I said, I'm on the pro-Electric Circus team, I really like that album. Common was still on another planet lyrically, and I enjoyed the "out there" production.

But that said, because of all the backlash it got, this was seen as Common's last chance to prove he still "had it" and he seized the opportunity 10-fold IMO. Lyrically, every song is on point. The Be Intro? Sheeeeit.

Production-wise, people call it a "sleeper" (some people, that is). I don't see it that way. Kanye gave Common soulful samples (which he rocks best over) and allowed Comm to flex his lyrical muscles. Dilla's two beats are standouts for sure but Ye didn't fuck around, either. They both felt they had something to prove on that album, I feel. And they did.

I listened just this past weekend so it's kinda fresh in my mind, which is good for this post. There's just a lot of feeling in that album and I still really love it.