What happens when we take the writer away and ask two old friends and Oscar-winning collaborators to dive into what drives their music and their words?

Today, we hear Common and John Legend discuss the emotional nature of collaboration and how their shared activism has connected them forever.

In the past few years, John Legend has cemented his position as the king of inspirational R&B. His latest album, Legend, is a legitimate double album that features A-list guests and mixes snappy pop-funk with moving piano ballads. At a studio in New York this fall, he reconnected with another long-time friend and collaborator: Common. Legend has that EGOT; Common has a Grammy, Emmy and Oscar of his own, and the pair two won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for ‘Glory,’ the song they performed for the film Selma. And both have contributed their own entries to Audible’s Words + Music series, blending memoir and performance to bring listeners closer to their unique journeys as artists.The conversation revealed the strength of their bond — and a mutual appreciation of the way that art can serve as an important bridge between cultures.

Content in partnership with Audible's Words + Music.