Resurrection

The cover of Common's second album is split in two. On the left a shadowy figure stands in dark blue, and on the right a pale panel carries a thin green line like a growing vine, with his name and the title in small lowercase type.

Released in October 1994 under the name Common Sense, Resurrection paired the Chicago rapper with the producer No I.D., whose soulful jazz loops gave him room to stretch. Its centrepiece, "I Used to Love H.E.R.," tells the story of hip-hop as a woman who has drifted from her roots, one of the most famous extended metaphors in rap.

The quiet, minimal cover matched a record about reflection and growth. "I Used to Love H.E.R." set off a long-running feud with Ice Cube and established Common as one of the leading voices of conscious rap, and No I.D. later became a mentor to Kanye West.