Common's Be 2005 album anniversary

XXL Magazine used May 24, 2026 to spotlight the anniversary of Common’s *Be*, directing attention back to one of the most cited rap albums of the mid-2000s. The post matched the album’s original release date of May 24, 2005, which is listed by major music databases and review aggregators. Fans on X and Instagram responded by naming favorite cuts including “The Food” and “Love Is,” turning the date into a fresh round of track-by-track argument rather than a formal reissue announcement. ### Why does May 24 matter for *Be*? May 24, 2005 is the release date attached to *Be* across reference listings for the album. The project arrived as Common’s sixth studio album and his first released through Geffen and GOOD Music after *Electric Circus* in 2002. XXL’s anniversary post on May 24, 2026 gave the date new circulation online. The social response was notable less for new information than for the speed with which listeners returned to specific songs, with “The Food” and “Love Is” among the tracks named in replies and reposts, according to the supplied social briefing. (metacritic.com) ### What made this album distinct when it came out? (music.youtube.com) Kanye West was the primary and executive producer on *Be*, while J Dilla also contributed production. That lineup helped define the album’s sound: soul-heavy, compact and more stripped-down than the more experimental approach of *Electric Circus*. The guest list also helped fix the album in its period. John Legend, Bilal, John Mayer, The Last Poets and Kanye West appeared across the record, and songs such as “The Corner,” “Go!” and “Testify” became central to how listeners remember the album. (music.youtube.com) A 2025 anniversary edition released on streaming services expanded the original set with bonus material and instrumentals. (metacritic.com) ### How did *Be* perform commercially? Billboard reported that *Be* debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 185,000 copies. That figure remains one of the clearest shorthand numbers attached to the album’s original run. RIAA’s public Gold & Platinum system provides the industry benchmark for album certifications, and multiple music reference sources describe *Be* as a gold-certified release. (music.apple.com) The RIAA search portal is the authoritative source for certification status, though the search result excerpt available here did not surface a direct album-specific entry. ### How was it received by critics? Metacritic lists *Be* with a score of 83 based on 26 critic reviews, labeling it “universal acclaim.” AllMusic’s review also framed the album as a return after the divisive response to *Electric Circus*. (billboard.com) That critical standing is part of why the album still prompts anniversary discussion. The supplied social briefing shows fans arguing over deep cuts as much as singles, which suggests the record’s reputation now rests on the full sequence, not only its best-known tracks. (riaa.com) That is an inference from the pattern of song mentions in the anniversary discussion. ### Why are fans still split on the best song? (metacritic.com) “The Food” has long held a special place because of its live-club energy and its role in the album’s sequencing, while “Love Is” draws listeners who prefer the record’s more reflective side. Other regular contenders include “The Corner,” “Go!” and “Testify,” all songs that remained prominent in later anniversary coverage and reissue descriptions. (metacritic.com) The 2025 expanded edition gives newer listeners an easy way to revisit that debate. Apple Music and YouTube Music both list *Be (20th Anniversary)*, and Common’s official YouTube materials tied the reissue to bonus tracks, instrumentals and retrospective interview content. ### Where does the anniversary go from here? The 2025 reissue remains the clearest next stop for listeners returning to the album after the May 24 anniversary posts. (antimusic.com) Common’s expanded *Be (20th Anniversary)* is already on streaming platforms, and the official playlist materials point fans to the bonus tracks and instrumentals that were added for the milestone edition. (youtube.com)