Editing Common (rapper) (section)

=== 1999–2003: Soulquarians era ===
[[File:Common-02.jpg|thumb|left|Common in New York City, 2003]]
Following ''One Day...'', Common signed a major label record deal with [[MCA Records]] and relocated from Chicago to New York City in 1999. He began recording almost exclusively with a loose collective of musicians and artists (dubbed the "[[Soulquarians]]" by central figure [[Questlove]]) throughout 1999, and made a few sporadic guest appearances on [[The Roots]]' ''[[Things Fall Apart (album)|Things Fall Apart]]'', and the [[Rawkus Records]] compilation, ''[[Soundbombing 2]]''.

In 2000, his fourth album, ''[[Like Water for Chocolate (album)|Like Water for Chocolate]]'', was released to mass critical acclaim. [[Executive producer|Executive produced]] by Questlove and featuring significant contributions by [[J Dilla]], (who helmed every track except – "Cold Blooded", "Geto Heaven Part II", "A Song For Assata", "Pop's Rap Part 3...All My Children" & the [[DJ Premier]]-produced track "[[The 6th Sense]]"), ''Like Water for Chocolate'' transpired to be a considerable commercial breakthrough for Common, earning the rapper his first [[RIAA Certification|gold]] record, and greatly expanding his fanbase among critics and listeners alike.

With both artists hailing from the [[Great Lakes region (North America)|Great Lakes region]] of the United States (Chicago and Detroit, respectively), Common and [[J Dilla]] established their chemistry early on. Both became members of the [[Soulquarians]] collective, and collaborated on numerous projects together, even placing one song, "Thelonius", on both the [[Slum Village]] album ''[[Fantastic, Vol. 2]]'', and Common's ''[[Like Water for Chocolate (album)|Like Water for Chocolate]]''. As Dilla's health began to decline from the effects of [[Lupus Nephritis]], he relocated to Los Angeles, and asked Common to make the move with him as a roommate (Dilla would later lose his battle with the rare disease).<ref>{{cite news|title=J Dilla's turn in spotlight comes after his death |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/j-dilla-s-turn-spotlight-comes-after-his-death-wbna14587861 |website=Today.com |date=August 31, 2006}}</ref>

This album saw Common exploring themes (musically and lyrically), which were uncommon for a hip-hop record, as he does on the song "Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela)"; a homage to [[Nigerian]] music legend, and political activist [[Fela Kuti]]. The most popular single from the album "[[The Light (Common song)|The Light]]" was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]].

In 2002, Common released his fifth album, ''[[Electric Circus (album)|Electric Circus]]''. The album was highly anticipated and praised by many critics for its ambitious vision. However, it was not as commercially successful as his previous album, ''Like Water for Chocolate'', selling under 300,000 copies. An eclectic album, ''Electric Circus'' featured fusions of several genres such as hip hop, pop, rock, electronic, and neo-soul. The album's style tended to divide critics; some praised its ambitious vision while others criticized it for the same reason. Most of the criticism tended to revolve around the album's experimental nature; some felt Common had strayed too far from his previous sound. This was Common's second and last album for MCA, and the label's final release prior to its absorption into Geffen Records.

Around this time, Common appeared as a guest performer on singer and fellow Soulquarian [[Bilal (American singer)|Bilal]]'s ''[[Love for Sale (Bilal album)|Love for Sale]]'' album, recording a remake of the 1977 [[Fela Kuti]] song "[[Sorrow Tears and Blood|Sorrow, Tears & Blood]]".<ref>{{cite interview|subject=Bilal|interviewer=Alex Nagshineh|date=May 9, 2011|url=http://www.bonafidemag.com/bilal-interview-bonafide-exclusive/|title=Bilal Interview – Bonafide Exclusive|magazine=Bonafide Magazine|access-date=August 5, 2020}}</ref> Bilal also featured on ''Electric Circus'', the first of many future collaborations with Common.<ref>{{cite web|author=Iai|date=September 20, 2010|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/39210/Bilal-Airtights-Revenge/|title=Bilal – Airtight's Revenge (album review)|website=Sputnikmusic|access-date=July 20, 2020}}</ref>