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 commercialised 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.