>To me the only albums I'd accept to be called outright "bad"
>are UMC (not even debatable IMO)


I can rock with that, but this post did remind me to listen to "Punch Drunk Love" tho. Still love that joint. I also liked 'Inhale', 'Announcement', 'Sex 4 Suga', 'Make My Day', and the title track. I always wanted 'Gladiator' to have a stronger beat and thought it coulda been pretty good but that beat was really weak. The bad songs were really bad tho lol... and I understand why folks wouldn't like 'Make My Day.' I don't hate the album tho, considering I like at least half of the songs on it even they aren't the most memorable.


>and Finding Forever (which
>was more corny/hit and miss than outright "bad" to me).


Yeah I don't think that album was bad at all.


>He's got his classics or near-classics (Resurrection, LWFC,
>Be) and greats (One Day, Black America Again, there's an
>argument to be made for EC as well IMO) then a bunch of
>middle-of-the-road/below his standard of greatness efforts
>(CIBAD, TD/TB, Nobody's Smiling, August Greene, and this new
>joint).


I haven't sat down and given this new one a good listen yet, but I pretty much agree except for EC. That's a classic to me idc lol... if only for how polarizing it still is. I just think it was both ahead of its time and too far from what most expected from Common. So much beauty in that album from the music to Common's sense of freedom. But I digress.

Overall, this post made me realize he doesn't have any "bad" albums according to my taste. Mainly because his love of and dedication to Hip Hop is always present in every one he makes.