Can I Borrow A Dollar?

“Can I Borrow a Dollar?” is the debut studio album by Common, released under the name Common Sense on October 6, 1992, through Relativity Records.

The story

The young South Side rapper gained early exposure through The Source magazine’s Unsigned Hype column in 1991, which led to his deal with Relativity. The label issued three singles ahead of and around the album to build credibility in the underground: “Take It EZ,” “Breaker 1/9” and “Soul by the Pound.” The album was recorded over 1991 and 1992.

Sound and production

Most of the production came from No I.D., credited here as Immenslope, alongside the Twilite Tone, with the Beatnuts contributing one track. The beats lean on minimal, jazzy, laid-back arrangements built from samples, keyboards and drum breaks. Common’s delivery on the record is sing-song and full of inflection, packed with wordplay and pop-culture references.

Legacy

The singles did well on the Hot Rap Singles chart, with “Take It EZ” reaching No. 5, “Soul by the Pound” No. 7 and “Breaker 1/9” No. 10, while the album itself reached No. 70 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Commercial impact was modest, but critics have since called it an underrated debut that helped put Chicago hip hop on the national map, and it launched the Common and No I.D. partnership that shaped his next two albums.