The debut album from Common Sense, Can I Borrow a Dollar?, wasn’t a commercial success but he made his mark in the rap game and helped get more recognition for Chicago on the hip-hop map. Resurrection saw Common abandon the squeaky style he used on his debut and embrace the jazz-based production from the 2 pc DRK crew (No I.D. and The Twilite Tone). The title track was released as a single, as well as the standout track “I Used To Love H.E.R.,” the extended metaphor for the development of hip-hop in the form of a woman that has experienced different phases. The album peaked at #27 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was originally rated 3.5 mics in The Source in 1994, but in 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source’s 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time. Common said the following about the inspiration behind the album’s title: I even called the album Resurrection because, in many ways, I felt like I was dead to some people. People didn’t know about me. I remember looking at A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders cover and it had all the fresh, young dudes. I didn’t get asked to be on that cover, so that was, like, ‘Man! I didn’t get invited to the big game.’ I wanted to be included as part of the next movement of artists. [I felt like I was] overlooked. For more information about the album, click here.