Common

Resurrection is not only considered Common's breakthrough album, establishing him as one of the hip-hop's premier lyricists; it also helped set the template for boho rap in the post-Native Tongues era. The bouncy, lo-fi swing of the title track gives way to "I Used to Love H.E.R.," which uses a love letter to an ex as a metaphor for a critique of mid-'90s hip-hop culture. Chi-town producer No I.D. produced almost every track, and his jazzy sketches give the album an appealing cohesion.

As more and more former B-boys and B-girls find jobs in hip-hop outside of the spotlight –
as label heads, video directors, stylists, journalists – a trend is making itself apparent: The
jobs with the shortest tenure are the most visible ones. Nearly everyone in hip-hop, from
hot young mogul Puffy Combs to me, should outlast the rappers themselves. That's because
of the Hip-hop Slide. The Slide is the probability that after an aesthetically influe... More >