Making Sense: A History of Hits With Common and No I.D.

These two Chi-Town music stars tend to make magic together.

The Resurrection of Common and No I.D. - This week, Common released his latest critically acclaimed album, Nobody's Smiling, with the majority of the production handled by his longtime producer No I.D. (who's also crafted tracks for the likes of Nas, Jay Z, Kanye West, Alicia Keys and Usher).Since the duo have been banging out the hits since day one (No I.D. is credited on Common's debut, Can I Borrow a Dollar? as "Immenslope"), BET.com got together a list of our Top 15 Com and No I.D. collaborations. Read on.(Photos from Left: Lee Celano/Getty Images for Grey Goose, Michael Tran/FilmMagic)

1 / 15

The Resurrection of Common and No I.D. - This week, Common released his latest critically acclaimed album, Nobody's Smiling, with the majority of the production handled by his longtime producer No I.D. (who's also crafted tracks for the likes of Nas, Jay Z, Kanye West, Alicia Keys and Usher).Since the duo have been banging out the hits since day one (No I.D. is credited on Common's debut, Can I Borrow a Dollar? as "Immenslope"), BET.com got together a list of our Top 15 Com and No I.D. collaborations. Read on.(Photos from Left: Lee Celano/Getty Images for Grey Goose, Michael Tran/FilmMagic)

"I Used to Love H.E.R." - This No I.D. cut was featured on Common's second album The Resurrection. "I met this girl when I was ten years old/and what I loved most, she had so much soul/She was old school, when I was just a shorty/Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me," he spit about his main thing: hip hop.(Photo: Relativity Records/Legacy)

2 / 15

"I Used to Love H.E.R." - This No I.D. cut was featured on Common's second album The Resurrection. "I met this girl when I was ten years old/and what I loved most, she had so much soul/She was old school, when I was just a shorty/Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me," he spit about his main thing: hip hop.(Photo: Relativity Records/Legacy)

"G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition)" featuring Cee-Lo - Common, No I.D. and Cee-Lo tackled the subject of religion on this track off his third album, One Day It'll All Make Sense. Cee-Lo also offered up his vocal abilities and MC skills as No I.D. supplied the hymnal backdrop.(Photos from left: Joe Kohen/Getty Images, Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

3 / 15

"G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition)" featuring Cee-Lo - Common, No I.D. and Cee-Lo tackled the subject of religion on this track off his third album, One Day It'll All Make Sense. Cee-Lo also offered up his vocal abilities and MC skills as No I.D. supplied the hymnal backdrop.(Photos from left: Joe Kohen/Getty Images, Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

"Windows" - Common and No I.D. connected with frequent collaborator James Fauntleroy when they created this empowering track and the message was clear: Men raise your daughters because the sharks are out there. "Even when the door close, there grows a new one/I told her it's some good men, she asked me if I knew one/Her daddy left a hole because she never really knew him."(Photo: Ben Rose/WireImage)

4 / 15

"Windows" - Common and No I.D. connected with frequent collaborator James Fauntleroy when they created this empowering track and the message was clear: Men raise your daughters because the sharks are out there. "Even when the door close, there grows a new one/I told her it's some good men, she asked me if I knew one/Her daddy left a hole because she never really knew him."(Photo: Ben Rose/WireImage)

"Resurrection" - No I.D. laced Com with a few jazz samples for the melodic title-track from his second album. Rashid made a point to never sell out as he rhymed, "My style is too developed to be arrested/It's the freestyle, so now it's out on parole/They tried to hold my soul in a holding cell so I would sell/I bonded with a break and had enough to make bail."(Photo: Sony Records)

5 / 15

"Resurrection" - No I.D. laced Com with a few jazz samples for the melodic title-track from his second album. Rashid made a point to never sell out as he rhymed, "My style is too developed to be arrested/It's the freestyle, so now it's out on parole/They tried to hold my soul in a holding cell so I would sell/I bonded with a break and had enough to make bail."(Photo: Sony Records)

ADVERTISEMENT
"Sweet" - Common scored a knockout on Ice Cube when he released the venomous diss "The B---h in Yoo" in 1996 and had to remind a few folks that he was still Chi, if you ever wanted to test him. So it was no surprise when years later –– with No I.D. on the boards –– Com went for Drake's throat: "Some ho a-- n----s singing all around me man, la la la/You ain't muthaf----n' Frank Sinatra/lil b---h."(Photo: Warner Bros)

6 / 15

"Sweet" - Common scored a knockout on Ice Cube when he released the venomous diss "The B---h in Yoo" in 1996 and had to remind a few folks that he was still Chi, if you ever wanted to test him. So it was no surprise when years later –– with No I.D. on the boards –– Com went for Drake's throat: "Some ho a-- n----s singing all around me man, la la la/You ain't muthaf----n' Frank Sinatra/lil b---h."(Photo: Warner Bros)

"Breaker 1/9" - The Chi-Town producer flipped The Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets" for the second single from Com's debut Can I Borrow a Dollar? (Photo: Relativity Records)

7 / 15

"Breaker 1/9" - The Chi-Town producer flipped The Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets" for the second single from Com's debut Can I Borrow a Dollar? (Photo: Relativity Records)

Photo By Photo: Relativity Records

"Blue Sky" - When No I.D. produced Common's "Blue Sky," he was on a roll after rocking out with Jay Z and Kanye West. For this sonic backdrop, he also enlisted the vocals of Makeba Riddick and Com rapped about coming full circle with his first love. "It all started with a dream, I wanted to be Run-D.M.C/The Lord put the blessing upon the M-C/O to the M, dreams were spoken to him/That's when I knew my flows would overflow to the rim."(Photo:  Warner Bros)

8 / 15

"Blue Sky" - When No I.D. produced Common's "Blue Sky," he was on a roll after rocking out with Jay Z and Kanye West. For this sonic backdrop, he also enlisted the vocals of Makeba Riddick and Com rapped about coming full circle with his first love. "It all started with a dream, I wanted to be Run-D.M.C/The Lord put the blessing upon the M-C/O to the M, dreams were spoken to him/That's when I knew my flows would overflow to the rim."(Photo:  Warner Bros)

"Soul by the Pound" - No I.D. switched up the beat and sampled Q-Tip and Redman for this third release from Can I Borrow a Dollar? Showing his lyrical skills, Com spit bars like, "Having a party, but I'm not a Democrat/Spoiled as a child, but now I'm milk like Similac/Don't have Cinemax, because my cable's pirated/Bug out wit the rhyme, try to swat and I'll get fly with it."(Photo: Relativity Records)

9 / 15

"Soul by the Pound" - No I.D. switched up the beat and sampled Q-Tip and Redman for this third release from Can I Borrow a Dollar? Showing his lyrical skills, Com spit bars like, "Having a party, but I'm not a Democrat/Spoiled as a child, but now I'm milk like Similac/Don't have Cinemax, because my cable's pirated/Bug out wit the rhyme, try to swat and I'll get fly with it."(Photo: Relativity Records)

"The Believer" featuring John Legend  - Common, No I.D. and John Legend provided some hope for the ills going on in Chicago when they recorded this song. (Photos from Left: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for VEVO,  Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

10 / 15

"The Believer" featuring John Legend  - Common, No I.D. and John Legend provided some hope for the ills going on in Chicago when they recorded this song. (Photos from Left: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for VEVO,  Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

ADVERTISEMENT
"The Dreamer" featuring Maya Angelou - Common and No I.D. built with Dr. Maya Angelou on one of the album's two title tracks as they motivated people to keep believing in themselves and reach for the dreams.(Photo: Steve Exum/Getty Images)

11 / 15

"The Dreamer" featuring Maya Angelou - Common and No I.D. built with Dr. Maya Angelou on one of the album's two title tracks as they motivated people to keep believing in themselves and reach for the dreams.(Photo: Steve Exum/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Steve Exum/Getty Images

"Retrospect for Life" featuring Lauryn Hill - No I.D. and James Poyser laid the beat for Common and Lauryn's introspective track about abortion and men standing up and raising their kids. No I.D. got a hold of Stevie Wonder's classic "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" for the beat.(Photo: Relativity Records)

12 / 15

"Retrospect for Life" featuring Lauryn Hill - No I.D. and James Poyser laid the beat for Common and Lauryn's introspective track about abortion and men standing up and raising their kids. No I.D. got a hold of Stevie Wonder's classic "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" for the beat.(Photo: Relativity Records)

Photo By Photo: Relativity Records

"7 Deadly Sins" - No I.D. got gritty on the production on "7 Deadly Sins" from Nobody's Smiling. The dark backdrop fits perfectly as Common spit on the roots of evil. "Now, the first is pride, though some call it vanity/A hustler's insanity can break up the family."(Photos from Left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Moet Rose)

13 / 15

"7 Deadly Sins" - No I.D. got gritty on the production on "7 Deadly Sins" from Nobody's Smiling. The dark backdrop fits perfectly as Common spit on the roots of evil. "Now, the first is pride, though some call it vanity/A hustler's insanity can break up the family."(Photos from Left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Moet Rose)

"The Neighborhood" feat Lil Herb & Cocaine 80s - The more things change, the more they stay the same. Common and Lil Herb kick off the album trading verses of growing up in the Chi from two different generations, but the one thing that remains is Chicago's gang violence and the continuous loss of Black youth. "The Neighborhood" takes a look at the urban graveyard as Lil Herb spits realness like, "Where it ain't no conversation they just let them heats ride/Can't nobody stop the violence, why my city keep lying?/N----s throw up peace signs but everybody keep dying."(Photos from Left: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for OurTime.org, Rahav Segev/Getty Images)

14 / 15

"The Neighborhood" featuring Lil Herb - On Nobody's Smiling, Common, No I.D. and their creative crew Cocaine 80s laid this smooth melody while Chi-town's finest recruited one of the city's young gun's, Lil Herb, to help spit some truth on Chicago's murder epidemic. (Photos from Left: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for OurTime.org, Rahav Segev/Getty Images)

"No Fear" - No features on this Nobody's Smiling cut, just Common and No I.D. reminding you where they come from as they take listeners on a sonic and verbal journey down the streets of Chicago.(Photos from Left: Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy, Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

15 / 15

"No Fear" - No features on this Nobody's Smiling cut, just Common and No I.D. reminding you where they come from as they take listeners on a sonic and verbal journey down the streets of Chicago.(Photos from Left: Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy, Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)