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 ...

LOS ANGELES -- Common was trying not to crack a smile. The rapper-turned-actor-turned-author was in the midst of having his face powdered in preparation for an interview with a cable music channel.

Hip-hop has always been music’s mirror to the social and political climate in a reflection that crosses global boundaries, and a new generation of artists has rewritten the definition of rap to make ...