>And Be isn’t the “return to form” for Com lyrically.
>One could argue LWFC was more style over substance lyrically
>and EC he went back in with the pen,

Very very well said. He was FAR superior lyrically on One Day ... than he was on LWFC. LWFC is just a better album sonically. EC was a sonically risky effort but you nailed it, he went back to straight spitting on EC and I think that's a big part of why I always had a high level of appreciation for it even if it was hit or miss compared with his 3 previous albums, all of which I think are near-perfect.

He was still spitting on Be too, it was only a "return to form" in terms of the safe production. That isn't to say it doesn't deserve the critical acclaim it gets, I think it does. I just hate that Comm himself, as well as critics and many fans, use Be to directly and indirectly denounce EC.

Re: how hard he was spitting during the EC era, there's a Sway freestyle he did during that time period that I used to have saved on an old laptop that is soooo so so dope. I can picture it in my head now (even tho I remember none of the bars lol). But he's dressed in that EC-era garb and just so clearly in a fucking *zone* while he's freestyling. He has the whole studio mesmerized. I wish I could find it. Anyway I only bring that up because I always thought that that freestyle was a good visual example of why folks should take EC more seriously. He was rapping his ass off on that whole joint.