Common

Born Lonnie Rashid Lynn in the South Side of Chicago, Common emerged in the early 1990s as Common Sense, mentored within a jazz-loving household — his mother an educator — and rose through the conscious-rap underground with intricate, poetic lyricism.

Albums like "Resurrection," "Like Water for Chocolate," and the Grammy-winning "Be," produced largely by Kanye West and J Dilla, made him a pillar of soulful, socially aware hip-hop. He built a parallel career as an acclaimed actor in films and television and as an activist and author.

He has won multiple Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for the "Selma" anthem "Glory," making him one of the rare artists to win an Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy.

Common is a standard-bearer for conscious hip-hop and a model of the rapper as multidisciplinary artist, actor, and activist.