Award-winning rapper, actor, and activist Common is a hip-hop legend with an illustrious career spanning decades. At 52, he’s been alive for as long as the genre itself, which celebrated 50 years of existence in August 2023. Born March 13th, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois, Common started rapping when he was in high school. He made his solo debut as Common Sense in the early 90s and began earning critical success early on, especially with the track “I Used to Love H.E.R.” After changing his name to Common, the rapper found mainstream success in 2000, and this continued with his next few albums. He started acting in the second half of the decade but always went back to music. Common’s critical and commercial breakthrough was 2000’s gold-certified Like Water for Chocolate. The single “The Light” was included on that record, and received heavy rotation on MTV. With his smooth flow and poetic lyrics, Common paints vivid imagery with his words. In a genre where one-hit wonders and superficial lyrics reign supreme, he is a breath of fresh air.

Pete Rock (born Peter Phillips, June 21, 1970 in the Bronx, New York) is a hip-hop DJ, producer and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 90’s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. After the duo went their separate ways, Pete Rock continued with a solo career that has garnered him worldwide respect. Pete Rock introduced the merging of elements from jazz into hip hop music which has forever left an indelible mark among hip hop fans. Considered one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, he is often mentioned alongside Rick Rubin and Marley Marl. The fourth of five children, of parents from Jamaican immigrants, Pete Rock was in born in the borough of Bronx, New York. His family moved to Mount Vernon in 1977, when he was 7 years old. Pete Rock’s father was a part time DJ, who had an impressive record collection. Pete Rock would often accompany his father to a cricket club called Wembley in the Bronx and watch as he spun records for the people present. Pete Rock’s first major exposure to the hip-hop audience was in 1987 with Marley Marl, as a DJ on New York’s WBLS radio show “In Control With Marley Marl.” The 16 year old Phillips was recognized by the listening audience as the man “putting in work’’ as he would use double copies of each record to cut up every song he played, when most New York DJs would only use double copies on every 3rd and 4th song. Propelled by the growth of his popularity, he began producing in the early 1990’s. In 1991 he joined with CL Smooth to release the EP All Souled Out. Two full-length albums followed, 1992’2 Mecca and The Soul Brother considered by many to be a classic and 1994’s The Main Ingredient. Both albums were released to wide critical acclaim, cementing their positions as classics in hip hop history. Presently, Pete Rock continues his production work and has amassed an impressive list of collaborators which includes: Kendrick Lamar,Jay-Z, Nas, The Roots, Common, Kanye West, J Dilla, Notorious B.I.G., Madonna, Will Smith, De La Soul, Mary J. Blige, Monica, Run-D.M.C, and more.