>'I be', she be, they be' etc. instead of 'I am, she is, they are' is
>colloquial. How are you? I be fine.
Not exactly. Usually this question would be answered with a dropped copula,
though I hear it used more in the third person than the first. "I'm fine,"
but, "He fine." But never in the negative.
The question above is about how you are in this moment, but "be" most often
comes into play to indicate an continued, ongoing state, as in "He be
picking up girls" (implied: on a regular basis). And, "She be ready most of
the time." But when you get there to pick her up, someone tells you "She
not ready."
Max