Get On Board: Common

Com brings his best in the studio, onstage and on-camera.

Common Comes to the White House - After the rapper was invited by Michelle Obama to be a part of a poetry event at the White House, Sarah Palin and a host of other Republicans blast the first lady for including him. Their gripe? A political-minded poem Common recited on Def Poetry Jam.(Photo: Kristian Dowling/PictureGroup)

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Get On Board: Common\r - Common is just one of the top-notch performers at this year's Soul Train Awards. For nearly two decades, Com's been bringing his best in the studio, onstage and on-camera. He'll be doing the same at the Soul Train Awards, airing on BET and Centric on Sunday, November 27, at 9 p.m. To get on board with Common's not-so-common career, click ahead.\r\r(Photo: Kristian Dowling/PictureGroup)

Photo By Kristian Dowling/PictureGroup

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Can I Borrow a Dollar? - Common launched his legacy with 1992's Can I Borrow a Dollar?, led by the classic Beatnuts remix to "Soul by the Pound." (Photo by Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)

Resurrection - Com took things to the next level on his sophomore effort, 1994's Resurrection, hailed by many as a classic. The album featured the seminal "I Used to Love H.E.R."(Photo: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

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Resurrection - Com took things to the next level on his sophomore effort, 1994's Resurrection, hailed by many as a classic. The album featured the seminal "I Used to Love H.E.R."(Photo: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

One Day It'll All Make Sense - Com proved he was here to stay with 1997's acclaimed One Day It'll All Make Sense, led by his touching collabo with Lauryn Hill, "Retrospect For Life."(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

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One Day It'll All Make Sense - Com proved he was here to stay with 1997's acclaimed One Day It'll All Make Sense, led by his touching collabo with Lauryn Hill, "Retrospect For Life."(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

Grammy Family - After several nominations, Common finally snagged a Grammy in 2003 with "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)," his duet with then-girlfriend Erykah Badu, for Best R&B Song. Com followed that up with another Grammy win in 2008 for "Southside" with Kanye, which bested the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group category.(Photo: Angela Weiss/Getty Images for Virgin Unite)

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Grammy Family - After several nominations, Common finally snagged a Grammy in 2003 with "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)," his duet with then-girlfriend Erykah Badu, for Best R&B Song. Com followed that up with another Grammy win in 2008 for "Southside" with Kanye, which bested the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group category.(Photo: Angela Weiss/Getty Images for Virgin Unite)

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Yeezy Loves Scott-Heron - Kanye West is, perhaps, the biggest artist to repeatedly exhibit Scott-Heron's influences over his music. West sampled "Home is Where the Hatred Is" for his song "My Way Home" with Common off 2005's Late Registration. Common later sampled Scott-Heron's "We Almost Lost Detroit" on his 2007 track "The People" off his Finding Forever LP. West also names Scott-Heron as a muse for his 2010 LP My Dark Twisted Fantasy, which features portions of his work "Comment #1" on "Who Will Survive America?" the last track on the album. Scott-Heron returned the love by sampling Yeezy's "Flashing Lights" on his own last album, 2010's I'm New Here. \r(Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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G.O.O.D. Music\r - Common revamped his career by signing with fellow Chicagoan Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label in 2004. The pair's partnership paid off almost immediately — Com's 2005 LP Be, produced almost entirely by Kanye, went gold, and was hailed as one of his best albums by critics and fans alike. \r\r(Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

Finding Forever\r - Com and 'Ye proved lightning does indeed strike twice with 2007's Findin' Forever, not only selling gold but topping the charts — Common's first No. 1.\r\r(Photo: Lisa Lake/Getty Images for The Get Schooled Foundation)

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Finding Forever\r - Com and 'Ye proved lightning does indeed strike twice with 2007's Findin' Forever, not only selling gold but topping the charts — Common's first No. 1.\r\r(Photo: Lisa Lake/Getty Images for The Get Schooled Foundation)

"Rewind That" - Common takes it back down memory lane to reminisce about his friendship with the late J Dilla and take blame for his split from his original crew, No I.D. and Twilite Tone. "Did Like Water for Choc, that album changed a lot/But my man who I started with, wasn't a part of it/And his presence I didn't even acknowledge it/Knew I was wrong, he shoulda at least had a song/It wouldn't be me without No I.D. and Twilite Tone."(Photo:  J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)

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Friends in High Places\r - As seen here, Common performed at President Barack Obama's "Moving America Forward" Rally on October 31, 2010, at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center, to help campaign for Democratic candidates in the lead-up to the 2010 midterm election. The following year, he was invited by Michelle Obama to perform at a poetry reading at the White House, drawing ire from conservative commentators. \r\r\r(Photo: J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)

Common "Thisisme"  - Common's 1994 song "Thisisme" samples Etta James' classic "Something's Got a Hold on Me." (Photo: Scott Gries/PictureGroup)

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Leading Man\r - In between his musical successes, Com's been building a rep as an accomplished actor, landing roles in American Gangster, Date Night, Smokin' Aces and more. He's currently set to star in the AMC Western drama, Hell on Wheels.\r\r(Photo: Scott Gries/PictureGroup)

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Book Smarts - Common added yet another job to his expanding résumé when he released his first book, One Day It'll All Make Sense, earlier this year.(Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET)

Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET