Latest Release
- MAY 22, 2024
- 1 Song
- Like Water For Chocolate · 2000
- Be · 2005
- Wise Up - Single · 2024
- Electric Circus · 2002
- Resurrection · 1994
- Finding Forever · 2007
- Be · 2005
- 90s Hip Hop Deep Cuts · 1998
- Glory (From the Motion Picture "Selma") - Single · 2014
Essential Albums
- Intimate yet expansive in its depiction of his Windy City, Be is Common’s return to his street-poet roots after the quirky Electric Circus. There’s a starkly real yet ultimately positive worldview throughout, because Common brings as much thoughtfulness to a track about gangbanging (“The Corner”) as he does the gorgeous self-love anthem “It’s Your World.” It’s the equivalent of listening to riveting stories from your pops . . . but over a soulful, scratchy beat.
- Instinct fuels Common during his pre-artistic makeover era. The most enjoyable tracks are the ones where Com lets his guard down and lets us peek inside his mind. "The Question" ponders the imponderable, in a way that Tribe Called Quest did on "What?" He exacts revenge on some stick-up kids on "Payback is a Grandmother." The finest moment is "The Sixth Sense," a collaboration with DJ Premier that has everything a hip-hop track should have: smart lyrics, sharp hook, plus beats and scratches. With Common flying by the seat of his impulses, Like Water For Chocolate serves as a reminder that he is a rapper first and social theorist second.
Artist Playlists
- He spent the first part of his career becoming one of hip-hop's premiere lyricists.
- The Chicago rapper’s clips reflect his decades as a hip-hop sage.
- Sophisticated flows, sharp politics, and bright orchestration.
- The thoughtful MC's diet of conscious soul and righteous hip-hop.
- Clyde Cyrus, soho & GHOSTOF9
More To Hear
- Common and Questlove discuss their creative processes.
- The artist and chef share their message of nourishment.
- The artist and chef share their message of nourishment.
- Featuring K. Michelle, Common, Will Packer, and DJ Touré.
- Common details the journey behind his sophomore album.
More To See
About Common
Common earned his stripes in the 1990s and 2000s as one of the foremost voices of conscious rap, and he rose to become even more. The Chicago native surfaced in the early '90s, working with producer No I.D. and putting their city on the map with 1994's Resurrection, which featured “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” a song that famously personified hip-hop and lamented its commercialized violence. Over the following two decades, he continued to use his lyrics to comment on Black sociopolitical issues—whether alongside production from sampling wizard J Dilla on Like Water For Chocolate (2000), fellow Chicagoan Kanye West on Be (2005) as a signee to West's GOOD Music label, or jazz luminaries Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins for Black America Again (2016). With an Emmy, a Grammy, and an Oscar on his mantle, he’s only a Tony Award away from coveted EGOT status, and he’s become one of hip-hop’s most trusted ambassadors, using his platform with purpose and conviction.
- HOMETOWN
- Chicago, IL, United States
- BORN
- March 13, 1972
- GENRE
- Hip-Hop/Rap