Few emcees in Hip Hop have built a catalog as rich and varied as Common’s. Over the course of three decades, the Chicago native has developed a voice that moves between head-nod street talk, poetic reflection, and sharp-eyed social critique—without losing the groove. Whether backed by the jazzy bounce of No I.D., the dusty drums of J Dilla, or the polish of Kanye West, Common brings a grounded presence to every track: part philosopher, part block reporter, always deliberate with his words.
He started in 1992 with Can I Borrow a Dollar?, but it wasn’t until Resurrection (1994) that his style sharpened into something unmistakably his. Tracks like “I Used to Love H.E.R.” redefined allegory in Hip Hop. As the years rolled on, he delivered focused albums like Like Water for Chocolate, Be, and Black America Again, each one with its own tone and purpose. Common isn’t stuck in nostalgia or trend-chasing—he’s always writing forward.
His style is conversational but locked into rhythm, often letting lines breathe before snapping back with a tight punch or unexpected metaphor. He can be direct and cutting, as in “The B**** in Yoo,” or mellow and open-hearted, like on “The Light.” He raps with the ease of someone who trusts the beat to carry the mood, but he never coasts—there’s thought in every phrase.
What makes picking just 15 songs so hard is how deep the catalog runs. Whether it’s a reflective album cut or a radio single with mass appeal, Common has made records that hit on different levels: emotionally, politically, and musically. These 15 selections highlight some of his sharpest writing, strongest performances, and most memorable production. We’re not saying these are the only tracks worth your time—far from it. But if you want a wide-angle look at why Common matters, this is a good place to start.
If one of your favorites didn’t make the cut, don’t worry—there’s no shortage of heat to dig through. Drop your picks in the comments and keep the discussion alive. Hip Hop grows stronger when we talk about what moves us.
15. The Bitch In Yoo (1996)
“A bitch n***a with a attitude named Cube / Stepped to the Com’ with a feud / Now, what the F**K I look like dissin’ a whole coast? / You ain’t made sh*t dope since AmeriKKKa’s Most…”
Common pulled no punches on “The Bitch in Yoo,” a precise, bar-heavy response aimed at Ice Cube, Mack 10, and WC after they took offense to his earlier single “I Used to Love H.E.R.”. Over a stripped, eerie No I.D. beat with Sonny Carson samples adding tension, Common dismantles Cube with a calm, measured delivery that cuts deeper than shouting ever could. He doesn’t just call out Cube’s contradictions—he unpacks them, line by line, flipping Ice Cube’s past work and public image back at him with surgical timing.
The structure is tight and unrelenting: two long verses that build in intensity, with a chorus that swings like a hook in a boxing match. Common’s tone is steady, but his intent is sharp. There’s no wasted motion here—every bar lands clean. This wasn’t about shock value; it was about clarity. “The Bitch in Yoo” proved Common could throw lyrical punches and still keep his composure.
14. The People (2007)
“And the struggles of the brothas and the folks / With lovers under dope, experiment to discover hopes / Scuffle for notes, the rougher I wrote, times was harder / Went from rocky starter to a voice of a martyr…”
“The People” rides a steady soul loop lifted from Gil Scott-Heron’s “We Almost Lost Detroit,” flipped by Kanye West into something warm, driving, and built for reflection. It’s clean and confident, a fitting introduction to Finding Forever, with Common sounding grounded and clear-eyed from the first bar. His verses glide over the beat, celebrating everyday resilience while tying personal insight to something bigger—community, culture, history. There’s a quiet strength in how he speaks to the people, not just about them.
Kanye’s production leans into a Dilla-inspired swing, pairing clipped vocal chops and crisp drums with a bassline that hums under the surface. It gives Common space to move with his usual balance of poise and intent. The result is a track that moves easy but carries weight, with lyrics that feel rooted in lived experience. “The People” earned a Grammy nomination, but its real value is in how steady it holds.
13. Making A Name For Ourselves ft Canibus (1997)
“I make my living off of singles like Latifah / In between sheets like reefer with blunted senses / You couldn’t make a statement if you was from a sentence / I’m cold with numb intentions…”
On “Making a Name for Ourselves,” Common links with a hungry, razor-sharp Canibus for a no-frills lyrical onslaught. The beat—courtesy of No I.D.—is stripped down and rugged, built around a raw loop and boom-bap drums that leave plenty of space for two emcees to flex. Common, fresh off trading blows with Ice Cube, sounds energized and confrontational, throwing down tight rhyme schemes with surgical precision. Canibus meets the moment with barbed lines and dense wordplay, balancing aggression with control.
This track doesn’t waste time on hooks or polish—it’s about impact. Both emcees treat the mic like a proving ground, piling syllables and metaphors into verses that come fast and sharp. While One Day It’ll All Make Sense leans into personal storytelling and introspection, this track is pure sparring. No gloss, no filler—just two sharp pens cutting through a dusty beat, each verse hitting like a clenched fist on a tabletop.
12. Sweet (2011)
“How can I say this, f*** it I’m the greatest / I am the A-list for all these great debaters…”
“Sweet” is Common at his most combative—brash, bitter, and locked in. Built on a tough, soul-snarled loop by No I.D. that flips Doris & Kelley’s “You Don’t Have to Worry,” the track charges forward with a purpose. The tone is sharp from the jump, as Common unloads verse after verse aimed at soft targets in the rap world—particularly the rise of “singing rappers.”
The delivery is loud, defiant, and unrelenting. Common throws sarcasm and heat in equal measure, leaning into the raw edge that defined early records like Resurrection. Whether or not Drake was the intended target, the line between subliminal and direct feels thin here. It’s the kind of record that dares any offended party to respond.
Released as the third single from The Dreamer, The Believer, “Sweet” is anything but subtle. It’s a lyrical elbow thrown in a crowded room—loud enough that whoever it hits knows it was meant for them.
11. The Game (2007)
“Punchlines are like jab hits to rappers / Whose careers now ashes it’s too many slashes / In his name, came in the game these gun-clappers / From weak lines to clothing lines to an actress / I seen em dashing smash hits / I yell run n**** run while I cook up classics…”
“The Game” is a purist’s anthem—sharp-edged boom bap filtered through Common’s grounded perspective and lyrical finesse. Kanye West laces the track with a gritty, soul-drenched beat, while DJ Premier scratches together a chorus built from classic bars, giving the song an old-school energy that never feels dated.
Common, fresh off the success of Be, sounds reinvigorated here—steady, self-aware, and quietly furious. He threads together social commentary and braggadocio with poise, swinging at everything from superficial celebrity culture to rap’s identity crisis. Lines like “I never kissed the ass of the masses” speak to his refusal to compromise, while name-dropping Serena, Cassius Clay, and Aldermen grounds the track in realism.
Nestled deep in Finding Forever, a record too often overshadowed, “The Game” is a standout moment of stripped-down clarity. It’s not flashy, but it doesn’t need to be—this is Common doing what he does best: speaking truth with style over beats that knock.
10. The Light (2000)
“I never knew a luh, luh-luh, a love like this / Gotta be something for me to write this / Queen, I ain’t seen you in a minute / Wrote this letter, and finally decide to send it / Signed sealed delivered for us to grow together / Love has no limit, let’s spend it slow forever…”
“The Light” is a landmark in Common’s catalog—tender, vulnerable, and enduringly resonant. Released as the second single from Like Water for Chocolate, it stands out not just for its subject matter—a sincere love letter to then-partner Erykah Badu—but for how gracefully it breaks from rap’s typical treatment of romance. It’s warm without being soft, poetic without being preachy.
J Dilla’s production is key here. Built around a glowing sample of Bobby Caldwell’s “Open Your Eyes,” Dilla’s beat is a masterclass in soulful boom-bap—his analog era at its richest before his shift to more electronic textures. Over that warmth, Common delivers one of his most emotionally candid performances, grounding his affection in everyday gestures and thoughtful promises.
With “The Light,” Common reshaped what intimacy could sound like in Hip Hop. It earned him a Grammy nod and, more importantly, a permanent place in countless personal playlists.
9. Gettin' Down In The Ampitheater" ft De La Soul (1997)
“Thoughts fermented, I rode rhythms and words tinted / Many lips profess, I’m verb centered…”
“Gettin’ Down at the Amphitheater” is a time capsule of golden-era flair, delivered with a rawness that only Common and De La Soul could pull off. Pulled from One Day It’ll All Make Sense—a 1997 gem that bucked the year’s commercial trends—this No I.D.-produced track is a cipher session in full swing. The beat is loose, funky, and tailor-made for mic mastery, while each MC brings their A-game with witty, layered verses that blur the line between freestyle and finely-tuned craftsmanship.
Common’s verse is dense and cerebral, blending Five Percenter references with industry shots and stylistic flexing. Meanwhile, Dove and Pos from De La Soul match his energy with swagger and irreverence, anchoring the song in that Native Tongues spirit—playful, smart, and battle-ready. It’s one of those rare tracks where every bar matters, and the chemistry feels both spontaneous and deliberate.
This is a reminder of what rap sounds like when it’s done strictly for the heads, with zero compromise and maximum groove.
8. Sum Sh** I Wrote (1994)
“When I’m alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall / And in the back of my mind I hear a wack-ass rhyme / And I catch Alz-rhymers, then forget it, I get charged / Like a n**** in position with a stolen card of credit…”
“Sum Sh** I Wrote,” the closing track on Resurrection, doesn’t always get top billing in Common’s catalog—but it absolutely should. This is pure, uncut lyricism: no hook, no gloss, just Com Sense (as he was still known then) letting the pen bleed. The production is stripped down to a fat bassline and dusty drums, giving Common all the space he needs to flex. And flex he does—this is battle rap through the lens of a poet, with multisyllabic punches, clever reversals, and classic ‘90s Chi-town swagger.
It’s the kind of track where every rewind reveals a new gem. Common moves between streetwise barbs and introspective observations without missing a beat, proving that even early in his career, he had the rare ability to be both raw and thoughtful. Resurrection is packed with standouts, but “Sum Sh** I Wrote” distills the essence of the whole album into a single, furious burst—an underrated classic that shows Common at his sharpest and most unapologetically Hip Hop.
7. Retrospect For Life ft Lauryn Hill (1997)
“I wouldn’t choose any other to mother my understanding / But I want our parenthood to come from planning / It’s so much in my life that’s undone / We gotta see eye to eye, about family, before we can become one…”
One of the most emotionally vulnerable songs in Common’s discography, “Retrospect for Life” is a bold, heartfelt meditation on abortion, responsibility, and fatherhood. Released as the lead single from One Day It’ll All Make Sense, the track finds Common reflecting on a real-life experience with quiet remorse and conflicted love. His verses are intimate and poetic, laying bare the internal tug-of-war between fear, guilt, and the ideal of doing the right thing.
Lauryn Hill’s haunting chorus—built from an interpolation of Stevie Wonder’s “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer”—adds emotional weight, while No I.D.’s stripped-down, piano-driven production (inspired by Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You”) provides the perfect soulful backdrop. The result is a record that feels more like a letter than a rap track, with Common speaking to his unborn child as much as to himself.
In a genre often focused on bravado, “Retrospect for Life” stands out as brave in a different way: by being honest, tender, and completely human.
6. Ghetto Dreams ft Nas (2011)
“I want a bitch that look good and cook good / Cinderella fancy, but she still look hood…”
“Ghetto Dreams” marks a standout moment on Common’s The Dreamer, The Believer, bringing together two of Hip Hop’s finest lyricists—Common and Nas—for a raw, back-to-basics collaboration. The track was born from a casual studio session, where Common and producer No I.D. crafted a beat that aimed to channel the energy of early Hip Hop classics. Nas joined in later, recording his verse using a handheld mic, contributing to the track’s gritty, unpolished feel. Both artists bring their A-game: Common reflects on the allure and dangers of street life with his signature introspection, while Nas matches him with his sharp, vivid storytelling.
The production, a hard-hitting throwback to 90s boom-bap, perfectly complements the fierce lyricism. “Ghetto Dreams” is a clear return to form for Common, following the mixed bag that was Universal Mind Control. The track serves as a reminder of why both Common and Nas are respected as two of the greatest to ever touch the mic, blending storytelling, lyricism, and nostalgia into one powerful statement.
5. Resurrection (1994)
“I stagger in the gatherin’ possessed by a patter-in / That be scatterin’ / Over the global, my vocals be travelin’, unravelin’ my abdomen / It’s slime that’s babblin’ grammatics that are masculine…”
The title track from Resurrection (1994) is a quintessential moment in Common’s early career, demonstrating his unique blend of punchlines, wordplay, and vivid storytelling. Released as the second single from the album in 1995, “Resurrection” is a perfect display of the Chi-town rapper’s evolving style. Produced by No I.D., the track features a timeless sample from Ahmad Jamal’s “Dolphin Dance” and a catchy hook inspired by Smooth B’s “No Delayin’,” with DJ Mista Sinister’s scratches amplifying the track’s energy.
The song’s smooth yet upbeat rhythm provides the perfect backdrop for Common’s lyrical mastery, delivering lines that are as clever as they are thought-provoking. The track’s title and the repeated refrain add a sense of triumphant return, alluding to Common’s rise in the rap game after his debut album Can I Borrow a Dollar? didn’t quite break through. The track marks a transition, a rebirth, and sets the tone for the rest of the album.
“Resurrection” remains one of Common’s most celebrated tracks, blending old-school influences with fresh ideas and laying the groundwork for his status as a Hip Hop legend.
4. Rewind That (2014)
“This one’s for my man J Dilla / As I say these words, my eyes fill up / Cuz wasn’t non realer than James Dewitt Yancey / So I’mma dedicate this to Dilla and his family / In Q-Tip’s basement, I first met Jay Dee / I still remember the first beat he played me / He came to the Chi laid three that was crazy…”
“Rewind That,” from Common’s Nobody’s Smiling (2014), is a reflective track that blends nostalgia and emotional weight with lyrical depth. Produced by No I.D., a long-time collaborator and friend, the song feels like a heartfelt conversation with the past. Common recounts his early days in Hip Hop, reflecting on his journey and the changes in his relationships with producers like Twilite Tone and No I.D., both of whom played significant roles in his career. However, the track is also a tribute to the late J Dilla, one of Common’s greatest influences.
The song’s concept is rooted in the idea of regret and the impossible wish to rewind time, but Common turns that introspection into a message about moving forward. The emotional weight of the song is deepened by Common’s vulnerability and his acknowledgment of the struggles that come with growth and change.
“Rewind That” is one of those rare tracks where the artist reaches beyond the music, allowing listeners to see the human behind the lyrics. It’s a fitting reflection of a legendary career and a tribute to the lost friend who helped shape it.
3. The 6th Sense ft Bilal (1999)
“The perseverance of a rebel I drop heavier levels / It’s unseen or heard, a king with words / Can’t knock the hustle, but I’ve seen street dreams deferred / Dark spots in my mind where the scene occurred…”
“The 6th Sense” is an iconic track from Common’s 1999 album Like Water for Chocolate, and it is one of the finest moments in his career. Produced by DJ Premier, this track is a masterclass in both beat-making and lyricism. Common delivers a complex, socially-conscious commentary on the state of Hip Hop, blending his signature sharp wordplay with the introspective depth seen in his earlier work. The beat, jazzy and soulful, gives the track a timeless feel, while Bilal’s haunting hook adds a layer of emotional richness.
At its core, “The 6th Sense” is about authenticity in a time when commercialized, materialistic rap dominated the charts. Common critiques this shift and calls for a return to the essence of Hip Hop, which he ties to the power of music to uplift and inspire. His verses are layered with reflections on the role of music in both personal and collective healing.
However, the track is more than just a critique—it’s also an exploration of contradictions. The skit at the end, which connects seamlessly into the next track, flips the script on the theme of authenticity. Here, Common ironically portrays a character who perpetuates negative stereotypes, highlighting the complexity of the rapper’s role in shaping culture.
“The 6th Sense” remains a highlight not only of Like Water for Chocolate but of Common’s catalog, offering both social commentary and deep musical introspection.
2. The Corner ft The Last Poets (2005)
“Memories on the corners with the fo’s and the mo’s / Walk to the store for the rose, talking straightforward to hoes / Got uncles that smoke, and some put blow up they nose / To cope with the lows, the wind is cold and it blows…”
“The Corner” is one of Common’s defining tracks, proof of his ability to blend social consciousness with powerful storytelling. Featured on his 2005 album Be, the song captures life on the streets, illustrating the harsh realities of urban neighborhoods. Produced by Kanye West at the height of his musical influence, the track is driven by a beat that fuses soul with a raw, gritty edge, sampling “You Make the Sun Shine” by The Temprees and “What It Is” by The Temptations. The rhythm, though smooth, has a sharpness that reflects the tension Common seeks to convey.
Lyrically, Common paints a vivid picture of life at the intersection of poverty and resilience. He explores the lives of those who, despite their circumstances, continue to fight for survival, injecting each verse with personal reflections and powerful imagery. His words are a direct call to action, urging listeners to acknowledge the struggles of those living on the margins of society.
The track is further enriched by the contributions of The Last Poets, whose spoken word verses lend a historical context to the song’s narrative. As pioneers of spoken word poetry and early Hip Hop, their appearance on the track adds weight and authenticity to Common’s vision, tying the song to a broader cultural and political movement.
“The Corner” encapsulates Common’s commitment to social justice while returning to his roots, offering a blend of reflective lyricism and compelling commentary on urban life. It remains one of the standout tracks of his career, embodying the soul, struggle, and spirit of Hip Hop at its finest.
1. I Used To Love H.E.R. (1994)
“I met this girl, when I was ten years old / And what I loved most she had so much soul / She was old school, when I was just a shorty / Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me…
Common’s I Used to Love H.E.R. stands as a quintessential moment in Hip Hop, not just for its artistic mastery but also for the profound impact it had on the genre’s trajectory. Released as the lead single from his 1994 album Resurrection, this track is widely considered one of Common’s most iconic pieces of work, and for good reason. At first listen, it may seem like a nostalgic love song about a woman, but the genius of the track lies in the reveal at the end: the woman is actually a metaphor for Hip Hop itself.
Using the phases of a romantic relationship, Common navigates through Hip Hop’s evolution—from its pure, soulful origins to its commercialization and shift away from authenticity. The acronym H.E.R., which stands for Hip-Hop in its Essence is Real, speaks to the purity of the art form Common first fell in love with, and the track paints a vivid picture of how that connection has morphed over time. In doing so, Common deftly critiques the state of the genre in the mid-’90s, calling out the gimmicks, the business-driven focus, and the loss of soul.
The song’s impact extended beyond its initial release, sparking debate and even a brief feud with Ice Cube, who perceived the track as a diss aimed at West Coast Hip Hop. Despite the controversy, I Used to Love H.E.R. became a landmark moment in Common’s career, shaping his reputation as one of the genre’s most introspective and thoughtful voices. It also inspired countless tracks from other artists, including The Love of My Life by Erykah Badu and I Still Love H.E.R. by Kanye West.
More than a diss or a love song, I Used to Love H.E.R. is a timeless reflection on the ever-changing relationship between an artist and the art they create. It remains a powerful, poignant commentary on the evolution of Hip Hop, and is a testament to Common’s ability to weave social commentary with personal narrative in a way few others have.