Common shares the honors with Kanye in the hard-knuckled "Southside." Never losing control of his project, Common drops knowledge "The Game" behind a dirty pastiche of DJ Premier scratching over chopped up take of Sefyou Yohannes's "Tezeta". "Black Maybe" is one of the most ambitious tracks in that it delves deeply into the psychology of the most destructive beliefs of the black identity. "So Far to Go" is a hauntingly sensual collaboration with Common and the late underground producer J-Dilla. J-Dilla's penchant for unusually sampled material compliments the easy inflections of featured singer D'Angelo's vocals.

"Finding Forever" may be a bit plodding in tempo to some, but it scores with a diverse range of sampled material and warms the heart in a more community-inspired, mellowed feel different from "Be". Kanye's upcoming album "Graduation" better be up for the challenge.