Ghetto Dreams - feat. Nas

This was the first single released from Common's ninth studio album, The Dreamer, The Believer. The entire set was produced by renowned Chicago beatmeister No ID, who helmed Common's first three records. "That was the first song we did for the album," the MC told MTV News. "No ID said, 'I got something for you.' He played that beat, I was like, 'Oh, s--t.' I kind of hopped into it, like a zone, a character almost [while] writing it. It was just so raw, something like '95, but new sounding. Then he put up this Nas vocal [sample] going, 'Ghetto dreams,' and then I was like, 'Oh s--t.'"

Common explained the song's lyrical content to MTV News: "I decided to write about ghetto dreams just in a way that was raw," he said. "I almost approached it like I was a character because I don't smoke cigarettes and blah, blah, blah. But I still was talking abut those things 'cause it's like, if I step in the shoes of myself and my other friends and people that just dream about higher things coming from a tougher place. I told it in respect to the relationship I got with my lady, it's ill. It's not a love song or none of that; it's just raw. It's ill lyrics man, I'm telling you."

Rather than sampling Nas, the final version features a fresh contribution from the Queensbridge MC. "Once Nas heard that — No ID played it for them 'cause they was working — and Nas was like, 'I'll get on that,' " Common told MTV News. "And Nas is my favorite MC, so that was a blessing."