That's one of the most important things with being a MC: be you." The biggest thing I gotta do is be myself, that's what MCing is about. I know with all the conscious music, there's going to be music where I battle MCs like I did on 'The Game,' getting at 'em. I ain't afraid of it, I ain't trying to stray from it, I embrace it. (See why all eyes are on Common to see if he can repeat the success of 2005's Be with his latest release.) The album is mature and reflects the Com's essence. He didn't try to reach and do the ringtone, bubble-gum, substance-less type of music just for a few more sales. That's a good feeling."įans will be happy to know that, with Finding Forever, Common stayed in his lane. "Because of the success of Be and other things I've been doing and working on, more people are paying attention to what I'm doing. "It's a new feeling for me, because I feel like more people are appreciating already," he said recently in New York. Besides being thrown into the middle of our Hottest MCs in the Game debate - he ranks #9 - there's another topic up for discussion: Which of his albums is better, Be or the just-released Finding Forever? Both LPs have been heralded as classics by fans and critics, and while determining the quality of the releases is subjective, it goes without saying that FF is his highest-profile release ever.