>I thought Be was slightly better but that's only because
>Common is the far better MC. Production-wise it's Late Reg
>tho, but only slightly.

I agree that Common is way better (by miles, even).
I felt Kanye came with a concept and delivered. Common did too, for the most part, but it felt more like a "rebound from a fall". Kanye seemed to be on some Michael Jackson "Fuck This... I Wanna Destroy The World" shit. I don't quite remember getting that vibe from Com on this album, though there was a lil of it.

>Really? I wouldn't say this is the first time. "...in a circle
>of FAGGOTS, your name is mentioned"
>"you still rockin hickeys, don't let me find out he did it"
>etc. He'd been doing taht type of shit for years. And to be
>honest I don't think it was "shock" verses as much as it was
>just a guy we were always so used to being conscious and
>socially aware saying some shit that you wouldn't otherwise
>expect him to say/believe.

Yeah. Well, what I mean by that... is that Common saying that AFTER flipping the script on EC started to feel like he was doing it more to prove he was still not to be fucked with on certain subjects rather than just those classic "WTF did Common just say" moments. On LWFC I felt Com was just RIGHT there with the rawness. Though placement ("Nag Champa" reuse of that old verse) was odd, it still felt like those moments when Com would catch you off guard back then. (See: "Car Horn" and the "tossing salads" line). I kind of thought that was dope about Common. Sure he was hanging out with the boho crowd but he was still a raw dude from Chicago who could offend. My favorite of such lines (besides the aforementioned "circle of faggots" line) was the one where he said someone "raps like a dude with his nipples pierced". LMFAO.

EC and "Between Me, You, and Liberation", "Come Close" was like him becoming full boho. And it seemed like some of that kind of shit was over. Then he was like "NOPE... ROLLBACK"

it's hard to quantify that, it's just the emotional feel I got from hearing that line on Be. I laughed at it anyway.