Common - Like Water For Chocolate

Common's first major-label album was also the record that gave a loose circle of musicians a name. Made with Questlove as executive producer, Like Water for Chocolate formally marked the arrival of the Soulquarians, the collective that was remaking hip-hop and neo-soul from the inside at the turn of the millennium.

The music is as warm and live as rap records get. J Dilla, James Poyser, D'Angelo, Karriem Riggins and DJ Premier all contribute production, while guests run from Femi Kuti and Roy Hargrove to Black Thought, Bilal, Jill Scott, Mos Def and MC Lyte. "Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela)" opens with an Afrobeat salute, and "The Light" became one of the most beloved love songs in hip-hop, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance.

It reached number 16 on the Billboard 200 and went gold within months, a commercial and critical breakthrough for an MC who had spent years as an underground favorite. It remains one of the defining statements of its era.

This edition spreads all sixteen tracks across a double LP on 180-gram black vinyl.