On the album's 20th anniversary, it's much easier to recognize Be as a crucial intersection record — not simply for Common, on his way to becoming rap's hokey, well-intentioned uncle, but for hip-hop ...

Fox News’ Sean Hannity dedicated 10-minutes of his program last night to shit on Common, and criticize Michelle Obama for inviting the “controversial rapper and poet” to her White House Poetry Night.

Well before Chance the Rapper became a household name, Common called him up. No, not to work with him. A decade ago, Common simply dialed, at the behest of his grandmother, to give a 14-year-old fan ...