Personnel: Common (vocals); D'Angelo (vocals, keyboards, claves); Jay Dee (vocals, scratches); Lonnie "Pops" Lynn, MC Lyte, T3, Baatin, Vinia Mojica, Femi Kuti, James Yancey, Mos Def (vocals); Jeff Lee Johnson (guitar); Antonio Hart (flute); James Poyser (oboe, Fender Rhodes piano, harpsichord, organ, keyboards); Roy Hargrove, Dwight Adams (trumpet); John Paxton (trombone); Stephon Harris (vibraphone); ?estlove (bass, drums); Pino, Richie Goods (bass); Melena (congas); DJ Premier, Mista Sinista (turntables); Black Thought, Cee-Lo, Rahzel "The Godfather Of Noyze", Bilal, Monie Love, Jill Scott (background vocals). Producers include: DJ Premier, Jay Dee, The Roots, James Poyser, Karriem Riggins. Engineers include: Joe Pirrera, Todd Fairah, Kenyatta Saunders. "The Light" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Considered by critics to be one of hip-hop's most skilled lyricists, Common has yet to receive the mainstream attention he deserves. But LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, his fourth album, is likely to change that. While positive lyrics and musical uniqueness have always been Common's forte, this MCA Records' debut presented feel-good hip-hop at a time when the genre's most successful artists were concerned with materialism and party-friendly production. Most of the beats on LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE are provided by Jaydee of the Ummah, a producer who helped shape the latter sound of A Tribe Called Quest. And while Common's strongest track, "The 6th Sense," was actually produced by DJ Premier, his TCQ-inspired sound on this album sheds new light on the prolific rapper.

• Genre: Pop
• RSD Date: n/a
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 03/23/2015