Common

Solo Artist

Photo: PhilipRomanoPhoto · CC BY-SA 4.0
Active 1987-present
Origin Chicago, Illinois
Albums 14
Tracks 175
Most frequent collaborator No I.D. · 48 tracks
Genres Conscious Hip HopAlternative Hip HopJazz Rap
Songwriter
78%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 137 of 175 tracks

Does Common write his own songs?

He is credited on 137 of his 175 studio tracks and is the only writer on two. Nothing on the first two albums is credited to anybody, so 28 of the 38 tracks he is not on are a gap in the record rather than someone else's work.

By the Numbers

14
Studio Albums
175
Tracks Credited
78%
Self-Written
2.8 million
Records Sold
39
Years Active
285
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 137 / 175 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 175 tracks: how many Common wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Common has a writing credit78%
1%
77%
22%
Sole author2tracks1%
Co-written135tracks77%
Outside writers38tracks22%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Common's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 175 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)78%
Composer (music)78%
Producer0%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Common's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 78%
0%
0%
94%
100%
100%
100%
92%
100%
100%
100%
80%
91%
78%
82%
1992Can I Borrow a Dollar?
1994Resurrection
1997One Day It'll All Make Sense
2000Like Water for Chocolate
2002Electric Circus
2005Be
2007Finding Forever
2008Universal Mind Control
2011The Dreamer/The Believer
2014Nobody's Smiling
2016Black America Again
2019Let Love
2020A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 1
2021A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 2
Early · 98% written
Mid · 98% written
Late · 83% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

94%
1990s
Can I Borrow a Dollar?, Resurrection +1 more
98%
2000s
Like Water for Chocolate, Electric Circus +3 more
92%
2010s
The Dreamer/The Believer, Nobody's Smiling +2 more
80%
2020s
A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 1, A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 2

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Common sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Common
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Tim McGraw2%
Xscape17%
Ricky Martin25%
Marc Anthony37%
Kylie Minogue46%
Alan Jackson66%
George Michael80%
78%Common
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

The Light
Like Water for Chocolate
Written by Common, J Dilla, Bobby Caldwell, Norman Harris, Bruce Malament, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, James Yancey
Co-wrote
Come Close
Electric Circus
Written by Common, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Lonnie Rashid Lynn
Co-wrote
Go!
Be
Written by Common, Kanye West, John Mayer, Linda Lewis, Lonnie Rashid Lynn
Co-wrote

Discography 14 albums

The discography also lists the collaboration albums August Greene with Karriem Riggins and Robert Glasper and The Auditorium Vol. 1 with Pete Rock. Those are credited to other acts and sit outside this one.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Photo of CommonCommon175 tracks
Photo of No I.D.48No I.D., 48 tracks Photo of Karriem Riggins47Karriem Riggins, 47 tracks EW31Ernest Wilson, 31 tracks Photo of James Poyser25James Poyser, 25 tracks on The Roots's page JD23J Dilla, 23 tracks Photo of Kanye West20Kanye West, 20 tracks IS18Isaiah Sharkey, 18 tracks BE17Burniss Earl Travis II, 17 tracks P16PJ, 16 tracks Q14Questlove, 14 tracks on The Roots's page PA14Paris Alexandria Jones, 14 tracks [I13[[No I, 13 tracks ER13Emmanuel Riggins, 13 tracks C(12Common (co-exec., 12 tracks DD12Derek Dudley (co-exec., 12 tracks MC12Mike Chavez (co-exec., 12 tracks B11Bilal, 11 tracks P11Pinderhughes, 11 tracks BT11Burniss Travis, 11 tracks NI10No ID, 10 tracks PW9Pharrell Williams, 9 tracks CH9Chad Hugo, 9 tracks TN9The Neptunes, 9 tracks RG8Robert Glasper, 8 tracks EB5Erykah Badu, 5 tracks D5D'Angelo, 5 tracks MA5Michael Archer, 5 tracks PP5Pino Palladino, 5 tracks JF5James Fauntleroy II, 5 tracks SW4Stevie Wonder, 4 tracks JS4Jill Scott, 4 tracks SP4Samora Pinderhughes, 4 tracks AP4Aliandro Prawl, 4 tracks BT3Black Thought, 3 tracks on The Roots's page JL3John Legend, 3 tracks P3Pharrell, 3 tracks MD3Mr. DJ, 3 tracks BT3BJ the Chicago Kid, 3 tracks AM3Annastezhaa Mitchell-Curtis, 3 tracks DI2Dug Infinite, 2 tracks DT2Doug Thomas, 2 tracks CN2Cornell Newhill, 2 tracks TB2Thomas Burton, 2 tracks SR2Spike Rebel, 2 tracks MY2Malik Yusef, 2 tracks TR2The Roots, 2 tracks VM2Vinia Mojica, 2 tracks RH2Roy Hargrove, 2 tracks GC2George Clinton, 2 tracks DP2DJ Premier, 2 tracks JB2James Brown, 2 tracks OL2Omar Lye-Fook, 2 tracks O2Omar, 2 tracks MJ2Mary J. Blige, 2 tracks CL2Cee Lo Green, 2 tracks TC2Thomas Callaway, 2 tracks JL2Jeff Lee Johnson, 2 tracks D2Dwele, 2 tracks JB2Jeff Bowden, 2 tracks MR2Makeba Riddick, 2 tracks CD2Chuck D, 2 tracks on Public Enemy's page S2Syd, 2 tracks SB2Sydney Bennet, 2 tracks FD2Frank Dukes, 2 tracks AG2Andwele Gardner, 2 tracks BJ2Bryan James Sledge, 2 tracks JC2Jessica Care Moore, 2 tracks AS2Andre Smith, 2 tracks TL2Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, 2 tracks MP2Morgan Parker, 2 tracks SW1Syreeta Wright, 1 track TT1Trugoy the Dove, 1 track P1Posdnuos, 1 track DJ1David Jolicoeur, 1 track KM1Kelvin Mercer, 1 track C1Canibus, 1 track GW1Germaine Williams, 1 track AC1Anthony Craig, 1 track TT1The Twilite Tone, 1 track FK1Femi Kuti, 1 track R1Rahzel, 1 track on The Roots's page KS1Kelo Saunders, 1 track GG1Glenn Goins, 1 track GS1Garry Shider, 1 track RB1Rahzel Brown, 1 track GC1George Clinton Jr., 1 track BC1Bobby Caldwell, 1 track NH1Norman Harris, 1 track BM1Bruce Malament, 1 track YB1Yasiin Bey, 1 track DS1Dante Smith, 1 track H1Havoc, 1 track P1Prodigy, 1 track CM1Christopher Martin, 1 track KM1Kejuan Muchita, 1 track ML1MC Lyte, 1 track TG1Titus Glover, 1 track RA1R.L. Altman III, 1 track SV1Slum Village, 1 track FW1Fred Wesley, 1 track J"1John "Jabo" Starks, 1 track JS1John Starks, 1 track PL1Peter Lord, 1 track SS1Sandra St. Victor, 1 track VS1Vernon Smith, 1 track CG1CeeLo Green, 1 track AS1Anthony Scott, 1 track MD1Marie Daulne, 1 track SS1Sonny Sandoval, 1 track DD1Dartanian Donaldson, 1 track DC1Dart Chillz, 1 track LS1Lætitia Sadier, 1 track L"1Lonnie "Pops" Lynn, 1 track AJ1Albert Jones, 1 track AO1Abiodun Oyewole, 1 track UB1Umar Bin Hassan, 1 track LM1Leon Moore, 1 track JM1John Mayer, 1 track LL1Linda Lewis, 1 track DJ1D. J. Rogers, 1 track DJ1DeWayne Julius Rogers, 1 track AB1Angelo Bond, 1 track GJ1General Johnson, 1 track GP1Gregory Perry, 1 track AG1Anna Gordy Gaye, 1 track MG1Marvin Gaye, 1 track JN1James Nyx, 1 track ES1Elgie Stover, 1 track AG1Anna Gaye, 1 track EC1Eddie Cornelius, 1 track SC1Sam Cooke, 1 track SM1Stanley McKenney, 1 track ER1Eugene Record, 1 track CF1Caesar Frazier, 1 track TB1Thom Bell, 1 track LC1Linda Creed, 1 track TB1Thomas Bell, 1 track LE1Linda Epstein, 1 track RC1Robert Curington, 1 track WL1Willie Lestor, 1 track "K1"the Kids", 1 track DH1Derrick Hodge, 1 track AB1Alan Bergman, 1 track MB1Marilyn Bergman, 1 track ML1Michel Legrand, 1 track GS1Gil Scott-Heron, 1 track CS1Charles Stepney, 1 track LW1Lloyd Webber, 1 track LA1Lily Allen, 1 track W1will.i.am, 1 track on Black Eyed Peas's page

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 271. EW Ernest Wilson · JD J Dilla

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

He is credited on 137 of his 175 studio tracks and is the only writer on two of them. Karriem Riggins is the other name on 43 tracks, more than No I.D. at 31 and J Dilla at 21, which is the reverse of how the story is usually told. The two earliest albums publish no writing credit at all, so 28 of the 38 tracks he is not on are simply unrecorded.

Quick Facts

  • Self-writtenCredited on 137 of his 175 studio tracks
  • Written aloneTwo tracks in fourteen albums
  • Constant partnersKarriem Riggins on 43 tracks, No I.D. on 31, J Dilla on 21
  • UndocumentedThe first two albums publish no writing credit for anyone
  • AwardsThree Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, an Emmy and a Golden Globe
  • Biggest albumBe is certified platinum by the RIAA

Creative Fingerprint

A writer on almost everything and alone on almost nothing, working with the same small circle of producers for thirty years.

The Story

Lonnie Rashid Lynn signed to Relativity at twenty and made three albums as Common Sense before the name shortened. Like Water for Chocolate in 2000 put him at the centre of the Soulquarians, Be sold platinum in 2005, and fourteen studio albums have followed the first. He has won three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Awards & Recognition

Academy Award for Best Original Song
Primetime Emmy Award
Golden Globe Award
Three Grammy Awards

Frequently Asked Questions Common

Does Common write his own songs?
He is credited on 137 of his 175 studio tracks and is the only writer on two. Nothing on the first two albums is credited to anybody, so 28 of the 38 tracks he is not on are a gap in the record rather than someone else's work.
Who writes with him most?
Karriem Riggins, on 43 tracks. No I.D., who produced the first three albums, is on 31, and J Dilla on 21. James Poyser is on 24 and Kanye West on 18.
How many albums has he released?
Fourteen studio albums, from Can I Borrow a Dollar? in 1992 to A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 2 in 2021.
Which album sold the most?
Be, certified platinum by the RIAA. Like Water for Chocolate and Finding Forever are both gold. He has sold more than 2.8 million albums in the United States.
Who wrote "I Used to Love H.E.R."?
Nothing published says. Resurrection gives its track listing as a table with performer and length columns and no writer column, and no Discogs release of it fills the gap.
What awards has he won?
Three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. The Academy Award came for "Glory", written for the film Selma, which is not on any of these albums.
Why is he called Common?
He recorded as Common Sense until a band of that name forced the change, and the first three albums carry the longer version.
What was the Soulquarians?
The collective around D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Questlove and J Dilla that made Like Water for Chocolate. Questlove writes on 14 of his tracks and Badu appears on several more.
Which album is he most alone on?
None of them, really. He has two solo writing credits in fourteen albums, one on Like Water for Chocolate and one on The Dreamer/The Believer.
Is he still recording?
A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 2 came out in 2021, and The Auditorium Vol. 1 with Pete Rock followed in 2024. That one is credited to the two of them and sits outside this catalogue.

Sources

Wikipedia: Common Wikipedia: Common discography