Common (entertainer)

Common
Performing at Ilosaarirock, Finland in 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid Lynn, Jr.
Also known as	Common Sense
Born	March 13, 1972 (1972-03-13) (age 39)[1]
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, actor, author
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Warner Bros., Think Common
Associated acts	Kanye West, Soulquarians, J Dilla, Prince, John Legend, Bilal, The Roots, Jill Scott, Pharrell, Mos Def, will.i.am, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi, Mary J. Blige, No I.D.
Website	thinkcommon.com

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known by his stage name Common (previously Common Sense), is an American hip-hop artist and actor.

Common debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar? and maintained a significant underground following into the late 1990s, after which he gained notable mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians.^[2] His first major-label album, Like Water for Chocolate, received widespread critical acclaim and tremendous commercial success^[3] His first Grammy award was in 2003 for Best R&B Song for "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" with Erykah Badu.^[4] Its popularity was matched by May 2005's Be, which was nominated in the 2006 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. Common was awarded his second Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, for "Southside" (featuring Kanye West), from his July 2007 album Finding Forever. His best-of album, Thisisme Then: The Best of Common, was released on November 27, 2007.

Common has also initiated a burgeoning acting career, starring significant roles in such films as Smokin' Aces, Street Kings, American Gangster, Wanted, Terminator Salvation, Date Night, and Just Wright. He also narrated the award-winning documentary Bouncing Cats, about one man's efforts to improve the lives of children in Uganda through hip-hop/b-boy culture.^[5] As of November 2011, Common appears in Hell on Wheels, a dramatic television series on AMC.

Early life

Common was born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., on Chicago's South Side. He is the son of educator Dr. Mahalia Ann Hines and former ABA basketball player turned youth counselor Lonnie Lynn. They divorced when he was six years old, resulting in his father's moving to Denver, Colorado. This left Common to be raised by his mother, but his father remained active in his life and even landed Lonnie Jr. a job with the Chicago Bulls during his teens. While a student at Luther High School South in Chicago, Lynn formed C.D.R., a rap trio that opened for acts that included N.W.A. and Big Daddy Kane.^[6]

Common attended Florida A&M University for two years under a scholarship and majored in business administration.^[7] After being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source magazine, Lynn debuted in 1992 with the single "Take It EZ", followed by the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, under stage name Common Sense.^[8]

Music career

With the 1994 release of Resurrection, Common achieved a much larger degree of critical acclaim, which extended beyond Chicago natives. The album sold relatively well and received a strong positive reaction among alternative and underground hip hop fans at the time. Resurrection was Common's last album produced almost entirely by his long-time production partner, No I.D., who was also the then-mentor of a young Kanye West.

In 1996, Common appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD, America is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan, and Fat Joe, among many other prominent hip hop artists. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as "a masterpiece" by The Source magazine. He would later also contribute to the Red Hot Organization's Fela Kuti tribute album, Red Hot and Riot in 2002. He collaborated with Djelimady Tounkara on a remake of Kuti's track, "Years of Tears and Sorrow".

Feud with Westside Connection

The song "I Used to Love H.E.R." from Resurrection ignited a feud with West Coast rap group Westside Connection. The lyrics of the song criticized the path hip hop music was taking and was interpreted by some as directing blame towards the popularity of West Coast Gangsta rap. Westside Connection first responded with the 1995 song "Westside Slaughterhouse," with the lyrics "Used to love H.E.R. mad cause I fucked her". Westside Connection recorded tracks venting their issues with rival East Coast rappers (see East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry). "Westside Slaughterhouse" also mentioned Common by name, prompting the rapper to respond with the scathing Pete Rock-produced attack song "The Bitch in Yoo". Common and Westside Connection continued to insult each other back and forth before finally meeting with Louis Farrakhan and setting aside their dispute. Following the popularity of Resurrection, Common Sense was sued by an Orange County-based reggae band with the same name, and was forced to shorten his moniker to simply Common.^[8]

One Day It'll All Make Sense

Initially scheduled for an October 1996 release, Common finally released his third album, One Day It'll All Make Sense, in September 1997. The album took a total of two years to complete and included collaborations with artists such as Lauryn Hill, De La Soul, Q-Tip, Canibus, Black Thought, Chantay Savage, and Questlove – a future fellow member of the Soulquarians outfit. The album, which made a point of eschewing any gangsterism (in response to questions about his musical integrity), was critically acclaimed and led to a major label contract with MCA Records. In addition to releasing One Day, Common's first child, daughter Omoye Assata Lynn, was born shortly after the release of the album.

As documented by hip hop journalist Raquel Cepeda, in the liner notes for the album, this event had a profound spiritual and mental effect on Common and enabled him to grow musically while becoming more responsible as an artist. She writes:

Rashid found out that he was going to become a daddy in about 8 months. Stunned and confused, Rashid had life altering decisions to make with his girlfriend, Kim Jones. The situation led to the composition of his favourite cut on One Day... that offers a male slant on abortion. "Retrospect for Life", produced by James Poyser and No I.D. featuring Lauryn Hill (who was due on the same day as Rashid's girlfriend), is the song that is the driving force behind the project. Rashid listens to "Retrospect for Life" today at the mastering session geeked, as if it were for the first time. He tells me as we listen to L-Boogie wail the chorus, "when I listen to the song now, I think about how precious her (Omoye's) life is".

Common addresses family ethics several times on One Day..., and the album sleeve is decorated with old family photos, illustrating the rapper's childhood, as well a quote from 1 Corinthians 13:11, which summarizes the path to manhood:

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

Soulquarians era

Following One Day..., Common signed a major label record deal with MCA Records and relocated from Chicago to New York City in 1999. He began recording almost exclusively with a loose collective of musicians and artists (dubbed the "Soulquarians" by central figure Questlove) throughout 1999, and made a few sporadic guest appearances on The Roots' Things Fall Apart, and the Rawkus Records compilation, Soundbombing 2.

In 2000, his fourth album, Like Water for Chocolate, was released to mass critical acclaim. Executive produced by Questlove and featuring significant contributions by J Dilla, (who helmed all but one track – the DJ Premier-produced track "The 6th Sense"), Like Water for Chocolate transpired to be a considerable commercial breakthrough for Common, earning the rapper his first gold record, and greatly expanding his fanbase among critics and listeners alike.

With both artists hailing from the Great Lakes region of the United States (Chicago and Detroit, prospectively), Common and J Dilla established their chemistry early on. Both became members of the Soulquarians collective, and collaborated on numerous projects together, even placing one song, "Thelonius", on both the Slum Village album Fantastic, Vol. 2, and Common's Like Water for Chocolate. As Dilla's health began to decline from the effects of Lupus Nephritis, he relocated to Los Angeles for treatment, and asked Common to make the move with him as a roommate (Dilla would later lose his battle with the rare disease).^[9]

This album saw Common exploring themes (musically and lyrically), which were uncommon for a Hip hop record, as he does on the song "Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela)"; a homage to Nigerian music legend, and political activist Fela Kuti. The most popular single from the album "The Light" was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Electric Circus

Common at the Nokia Theatre Times Square, New York City

The rapper's next album, Electric Circus was released in December 2002. It featured more experimental work with the Soulquarians, as well as contributions from The Neptunes, Zap Mama, and Prince. The album was something of a departure from Common's previous releases (and indeed from Hip hop music), and featured Common rapping over electric rock music, and electronica-influenced tracks. It received polarizing reviews, with many critics praising it as a musical tour de force and a visionary expansion of the Hip hop template, while others criticized it for veering too far from accessibility and viewing Common's role as secondary to the musicianship of the Soulquarians (it should be noted that Common has himself stated that it was his intention at the time to make an atypical hip hop record).

Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the album did not sell as well as Like Water for Chocolate, with many longtime fans being turned off by its eclectic sound, and the album suffering from a lack of promotion due to MCA's absorption by Geffen Records.

In 2003, Common won his first Grammy for his appearance on Erykah Badu's "Love of My life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)", a song he performed with Badu for the soundtrack to the movie Brown Sugar.

GOOD Music era

In early 2004, Common made an appearance on fellow Chicagoan Kanye West's multi-platinum debut album, The College Dropout (on the song "Get Em High"), and announced his signing to West's then-newfound label GOOD Music. West had been a longtime fan of Common and the two even participated in a friendly on-air MC battle, where West took jabs at his lyrical idol for "going soft" and wearing crochet pants (as he does for his appearance in the video for the Mary J. Blige song "Dance for Me"). The pair worked together on Common's next album, Be, almost entirely produced by Kanye West, with some help from Common's longtime collaborator the late James Yancey (J Dilla) – also a favorite of West. The album was released in May 2005, and performed very well, boosted by Kanye's involvement and the singles "The Corner", and "Go". Be earned Common the second gold record of his career, with sales topping out at around 800,000 copies. The Source magazine gave it a near perfect 4.5 mic rating, XXL magazine gave it their highest rating of "XXL", and AllHipHop gave the album 4 stars. The album was also nominated for four Grammy Awards in 2006.

Following the release of Be in 2005, several mixed-race artists from the UK hip-hop scene took exception to Common's comments about interracial relationships on the song "Real People." Yungun, Doc Brown and Rising Son recorded a track over an instrumental version of "The Corner" named "Dear Common (The Corner Dub)." Common states that he has heard of the track but never actually taken the time to listen to it, and has not retaliated in song.^[10]

2008 - present

Performing at Store Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2007.

Common's seventh LP titled Finding Forever was released on July 31, 2007. For this album, he continued his work with Kanye West, as well as other producers such as will.i.am, Devo Springsteen, Derrick Hodge, and Karriem Riggins, as well as the only J Dilla-produced track, "So Far To Go". The album features guest spots from artists such as Dwele, Bilal, D'Angelo, and UK pop starlet Lily Allen. The first single from the album was "The People" b/w "The Game". West has already predicted that Finding Forever will win the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.^[11] On July 31, 2007, Common performed a free concert in Santa Monica, California on the 3rd Street Promenade to promote the release of Finding Forever. Common explained to the audience that the title "Finding Forever" represented his quest to find an eternal place in hip-hop and also his wishes to be an artist for the rest of his life. The album debuted at #1 on the national Billboard 200 charts.

In an August 2007 interview with XXL, rapper Q-Tip of the group A Tribe Called Quest stated that he and Common were forming a group called The Standard. While the two were meant to hit the studio to record a Q-Tip-produced album, possibly with contributions from Kanye West, Common put out Universal Mind Control instead and has already planned a next album, The Dreamer, The Believer, for late 2011.^[12]

Common at 2009 Obama Home States Inaugural Ball on January 20, 2009

Common was instrumental in bridging the trans-Atlantic gap by signing UK's Mr Wong and J2K to Kanye West's Getting Out Our Dreams recording outfit. Common met the pair during his tour in the UK earlier on in the year. It is speculated that the deal is not only to bring the UK and US hip hop genres together but that to rival Syco Music's cross-Atlantic success with Leona Lewis. He also has a deal with Zune mp3 players. In 2008 Common made an estimated 12 million dollars, making him equal in earnings to Eminem and Akon, tied for the 13th highest grossing Hip-Hop artist.^[13]

The eighth album from Chicago hip-hop artist Common was originally scheduled to be released on June 24, 2008 under the name Invincible Summer, but he announced at a Temple University concert that he would change it to Universal Mind Control.^[14] The release date was pushed back to September 30, 2008 due to Common filming Wanted. The release date was set for November 11, 2008, but again it was pushed back to December 9, 2008.

The album's first single, titled "Universal Mind Control", was officially released on July 1, 2008 via the US iTunes Store as part of the Announcement EP (sold as "Universal Mind Control-EP" in the UK). The song features Pharrell, who also produced the track. The Announcement EP included an additional track track titled "Announcement" featuring its producer, Pharrell. The video for "Universal Mind Control" was filmed in September by director Hype Williams.

Producer No I.D. has stated that he and Kanye West will be producing Common's next album The Dreamer The Believer, due sometime in 2011.^[15] In July 2011, it was announced that No I.D. will be the album's sole producer.^[16] Common made an appearance on The Jonas Brothers' most recent album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times as a guest rapper for the group's new song, "Don't Charge Me for the Crime."^[17]

On July 6, 2011, Common released his first single from his upcoming album with a guest appearance from New York legend Nas entitled Ghetto Dreams to mostly positive reviews.

On October 4, 2011, Common released his second single from his upcoming album The Dreamer, The Believer with production from No I.D. entitled "Blue Sky".

Other work

Acting

In 2003, Common appeared on the American UPN sitcom Girlfriends. In the episode "Take This Poem and Call Me In The Morning", he appeared as Omar, a slam poet who competes with fellow poet Sivad (played by Saul Williams) for the affection of Lynn Searcy (played by Persia White). He also had a cameo appearance on an episode of UPN's One on One, where he played a drama class instructor named Darius. He also made an appearance on the ABC show "Scrubs". In 2007, Common appeared with Ryan Reynolds, Jeremy Piven, and Alicia Keys in the crime film Smokin' Aces. He made his big screen debut as villainous Mob enforcer Sir Ivy. He appeared alongside Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, The RZA and T.I. in the 2007 crime thriller American Gangster. On January 20, 2007, one week before the opening of Smokin Aces, he appeared in a Saturday Night Live sketch as himself. The show's host was Piven, his Aces co-star. In 2008, he starred in the film adaptation of the comic book Wanted alongside Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. Common also appeared in the movie Street Kings alongside Keanu Reeves, Hugh Laurie, The Game, and Forest Whitaker. Common also starred in the 2010 movie Just Wright as a basketball player that falls in love with his trainer Queen Latifah.^[18] He also appeared in the 2009 film Terminator Salvation as John Connor's lieutenant Barnes.^[19] He starred as a corrupt cop in the 2010 comedy Date Night with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. His most recent role is in AMC's 2011 "Hell on Wheels" as Elam Ferguson, a recently freed slave trying to find his place in the world. ^[20]

Modeling and clothing

In 2006, Common was a model for photos of The Gap's fall season collection, appearing on posters in stores. Later that year, he performed in The Gap's "Holiday In Your Hood" themed Peace Love Gap. In February 2007, Common signed a deal with New Era to promote their new line of Layers fitted caps. Common also stars in a television commercial for the 2008 Lincoln Navigator. He appears in NBA 2K8 in NBA Blacktop mode. In the fall of 2008, Common appeared in an ad for Microsoft's Zune, comparing his new song, "Universal Mind Control", to ,"Planet Rock", a song from hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa. As well as that he featured in the Diesel campaign for a new fragrance called "Only The Brave". His song "Be (intro)" is featured in a commercial for BlackBerry as of January 2011.

In December 2008, Common launched a new clothing line in partnership with Microsoft titled "Softwear", based on 1980s computing.

Writing

White House controversy

Common was invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to appear at a poetry reading on May 11, 2011 at the White House.^[21] This caused furor with the New Jersey State Police and their union,^[22] who disagreed with his lyrical content. The president of the New Jersey State Troopers Fraternal Association voiced concern to the White House. They cite the song "A Song For Assata" about a member of the Black Liberation Army and step-aunt of deceased rapper Tupac Shakur named Assata Shakur, previously known as Joanne Chesimard,^[23] who was convicted in 1977 of the first degree murder of New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster.

Common and his mother, Dr. Mahalia Ann Hines, at a September 13, 2011 signing for his memoir at the Barnes & Noble in Tribeca, Manhattan.

At another poetry reading, Common said, “flyers say ‘free Mumia’ on my freezer,” a reference to Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was controversially convicted of killing Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981. Common stated, "The one thing that shouldn't be questioned is my support for the police officers and troops that protect us every day".

Jay Carney, the White House Secretary, spoke for President Obama on the matter by saying the president does not support, but actually opposes, some of the kind of words and lyrics that have been written by Common and others.^[24] Even though the president does not support the lyrics in question, he believed that some reports were distorting what Mr. Lynn stands for more broadly. Common gave a single line response to the entire controversy: "I guess Sarah Palin and Fox News doesn't like me."^[24]

Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's The Daily Show questioned Fox News' coverage of the controversy, saying that they "took the time to ignore Common's entire body of work, save for one poem he wrote in 2007 that they appear to misunderstand." Stewart also pointed out that in 2002, George W. Bush honored Johnny Cash, whose songs contain violent lyrics. Stewart further pointed out that Fox News itself offered positive coverage of Common's career in 2010, and that Sean Hannity, who criticized Common's White House invitation, is a friend of musician Ted Nugent, who in clips played on The Daily Show, used violent rhetoric in comments he made about President Obama and Hillary Clinton.^[25] Common later discussed the matter with Stewart during a September 14, 2011 appearance on the program.^[26]

2011 book

In September 2011, Common published his memoir, One Day It'll All Make Sense, through Atria Books. As the book details how his close relationship with his mother influenced his life, it is partially narrated by her.^[27]

Activism

Common used to be vegan, but is now a pescetarian.^[28] In addition, he is a supporter of animal rights and PETA. He appeared in a print advertisement for PETA titled "Think Before You Eat".^[29]

Common is also part of the "Knowing Is Beautiful" movement, which supports HIV/AIDS awareness.^[29] He is featured in the video for "Yes We Can", a song in support of the candidacy of Barack Obama, which made its debut on the internet on February 2, 2008. Common has pledged to stop using anti-gay lyrics in his music.^[30][31]

Common is the founder of the Common Ground Foundation,^[32] a non-profit that seeks to empower underprivileged youth to be strong citizens and citizens of the world. The foundation includes programs dedicated to leadership development & empowerment, educational development, creative expression, as well as a book club.

Personal life

Common has a daughter, Omoye Assata Lynn (born 1997).^[33] Common is a Christian and has been a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago led by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright since his childhood.^[34] Following the controversy over one of Wright's sermons, Common criticized the American news media's coverage of the incident as having "an agenda."^[34] Common played the role of Alicia Keys's boyfriend in the music video "Like You'll Never See Me Again." He dated professional tennis player Serena Williams and neo-soul singer Erykah Badu.^[35]

Discography

Main articles: Common discography and List of Common songs

Year	Album	Label
1992	Can I Borrow a Dollar?	Relativity Records
1994	Resurrection
1997	One Day It'll All Make Sense
2000	Like Water for Chocolate	MCA Records Universal Records
2002	Electric Circus
2005	Be	GOOD Geffen Imani Entertainment
2007	Finding Forever
2008	Universal Mind Control
2011	The Dreamer, The Believer	Think Common Warner Bros.
2012	Nas.Com (with Nas)[36]	Def Jam

Collaborations

• 2012: Untitled (with G.O.O.D. Music)

Filmography

Year	Film	Role
2002	Brown Sugar	Himself
2006	Dave Chapelle's Block Party	Himself
2007	Smokin' Aces	Sir Ivy
	American Gangster	Turner Lucas
2008	Street Kings	Coates
	Wanted	The Gunsmith
2009	Terminator Salvation	Barnes
2010	Date Night	Detective Collins
	Just Wright	Scott McKnight
	Bouncing Cats	Himself/Narrator
2011	Happy Feet Two	Seymour
2011	Hell on Wheels (TV Series)	Elam Ferguson
2012	The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Awards and nominations

Awards	Year	Type	Song or album	Notes
BET Awards	2003	Video of the Year	"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"	Won
		Viewer's Choice	"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"	Won
		Best Collaboration	"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"	Nominated
	2006	Best Male Hip-Hop Artist		Nominated
BET Hip Hop Awards	2006	Element Award – Lyricist of the Year		Won
		Hip-Hop Video of the Year	"Testify"	Nominated
	2007	Lyricist of the Year		Won
		CD of the Year	Finding Forever	Won
		Best Hip Hop Video	"The People"	Nominated
		Best Live Performance		Nominated
		MVP Of The Year		Nominated
Black Reel Awards	2003	Best Film Song	"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"	Won
Grammy Awards	2001	Best Rap Solo Performance	"The Light"	Nominated
	2003	Best Song Written for a Motion Picture/Television Movie	"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"	Nominated
		Best R&B Song	"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"	Won
		Best Urban/Alternative Performance	"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"	Nominated
	2006	Best Rap/Sung Collaboration	"They Say"	Nominated
		Best Rap Album	Be	Nominated
		Best Rap Solo Performance	Testify	Nominated
		Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group	"The Corner"	Nominated
	2008	Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group	"Southside"	Won
		Best Rap Album	Finding Forever	Nominated
		Best Rap Solo Performance	"The People"	Nominated
Image Awards	2006	Outstanding Duo or Group	"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"	Nominated
		Outstanding Song	"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"	Nominated
		Outstanding Music Video	"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"	Nominated
		Outstanding Music Video	"Testify"	Nominated
		Outstanding Male Artist	n/a	Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards	2001	Best Hip-Hop Video	"Geto Heaven Remix T.S.O.I. (The Sound of Illadelph)"	Nominated
	2003	MTV2 Award	"Come Close"	Nominated
	2005	Best Hip-Hop Video	"Go"	Nominated
	2006	Best Hip-Hop Video	"Testify"	Nominated
Soul Train Awards	2006	Best R&B/Soul Single by a Duo or Group	"Supastar"	Nominated
		Best Music Video	"Testify"	Nominated
Vibe Awards	2005	Reelest Video	"The Corner"	Nominated

References

1. ^ Rott, Ivan. "Common". http://rap.about.com/od/artists/p/Common.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-20. 
2. ^ "Video: Common Speaks on Soulquarians, No I.D. & Kanye + BTS Pics of “Blue Sky” Video". okayplayer. October 11, 2011. http://www.okayplayer.com/news/video-common-speaks-on-soulquarians-no-i-d-kanye-bts-pics-of-blue-sky-video.html. Retrieved Oct. 12, 2011. 
3. ^ "Like Water for Chocolate Review". allmusic. March 28, 2000. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r470449. 
4. ^ "UMPG writers and artists receive best R&B Song of the Year Category at Grammy Awards". Universal Music Publishing Group.
5. ^ "Bouncing Cats Synopsisl". http://www.bouncingcats.com/synopsis/. 
6. ^ "AskMen.com's Men of the Week: Entertainment – Common". http://www.askmen.com/men/entertainment_200/219c_common.html. Retrieved 2007-06-13. 
7. ^ Yarborough, Marti (2005-06-27). "Hip-hop star Common talks about: new hit CD 'Be' being labeled a 'conscious rapper' his breakup with singer Erykah Badu who attracts him now". Jet. FindArticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_26_107/ai_n27857531/. Retrieved 2009-07-25. 
8. ^ ^{a b} Huey, Steve (2007-07-31). "Common > Biography". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p276488. Retrieved 2008-09-09. 
9. ^ "J Dilla’s turn in spotlight comes after his death". MSNBC. August 31, 2006. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14587861/. 
10. ^ "Common Gets Thugged Out, Ghost Writing For Diddy Too". Sohh.com. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
11. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2006-04-19). "Kanye Says He Won't Do 'Fast-Food' Music — 'M:i:III' Track Took 50 Hours". MTV News. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
12. ^ "Hip-Hop On A Higher Level | » Q-Tip and Common Form New Group, The Standard". XXLmag.com. http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=13364. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
13. ^ Adaso, Henry. "50 Cent Tops Forbes' Richest Rappers List for 2008". About.com. August 18, 2008
14. ^ "Common Previews 'Invincible' New Album , 29 April 2k8". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003796775. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
15. ^ "No I.D. & Kanye To Helm Next Common Album". Nah Right. 2008-10-09. http://nahright.com/news/2008/10/09/no-id-kanye-to-helm-next-common-album/. Retrieved 2011-02-20. 
16. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (2011-07-05). "No I.D. To Produce The Entirety Of Common's "The Dreamer, The Believer" | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.15831/title.no-id-to-produce-the-entirety-of-commons-the-dreamer-the-believer. Retrieved 2011-10-22. 
17. ^ "Common on Jonas Brothers New Album". IdioMag. http://www.idiomag.com/peek/83623/common#/83623/1/. Retrieved 2009-06-11. 
18. ^ "Four Justice League of America Casting Confirmations Arrive Early". Firstshowing.net. 2007-11-17. http://www.firstshowing.net/2007/11/17/four-justice-league-of-america-casting-confirmations-arrive-early. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
19. ^ "Common to appear in new 'Terminator' film | News". Nme.Com. 2008-05-07. http://nme.com/news/nme/36455. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
20. ^ "Common Q&A". amctv.com. 2011-11-6. http://blogs.amctv.com/hell-on-wheels/2011/11/common-interview.php. Retrieved 2011-11-6. 
21. ^ Neil Munro. "‘Burn a Bush’? Michelle Obama invites rapper Common to a poetry reading". The Daily Caller. http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/09/burn-a-bush-michelle-obama-invites-rapper-common-to-a-poetry-reading/. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
22. ^ "Common Controversy Comes to White House Poetry Night; Cops, Conservatives Cry Foul at Some of His Past Work (UPDATED) - Political Punch". ABC News. 1973-05-02. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/05/common-controversy-comes-to-white-house-poetry-night-cops-conservatives-cry-foul-at-some-of-his-past-work.html. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
23. ^ "Wanted b the FBI: JOANNE DEBORAH CHESIMARD". FBI. accessed September 19, 2011.
24. ^ ^{a b} Dirner, Cullen. "White House Condemns Some of Common’s Lyrics but Praises his Larger Body of Work". ABC News. May 11, 2011
25. ^ Weprin, Alex. "Common Controversy? ‘The Daily Show’ Takes Down Fox News Reports on Rapper Visit to White House". TV Newser. May 12, 2011
26. ^ "Common". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central. September 14, 2011.
27. ^ One Day It'll All Make Sense. Amazon.com. accessed September 11, 2011. On October 18, 2011, Common made a visit to Eastern Michigan University, along with speaking, he freestyled and engaged in a book signing for One Day It'll All Make Sense. It was epic.
28. ^ "Rapper Common Has Common Ground With Vegetarians". Vegetarianstar.com. February 3, 2009. http://vegetarianstar.com/2009/02/03/rapper-common-has-common-ground-with-vegetarians/. Retrieved Mar 8, 2010. 
29. ^ ^{a b} "Common charity biography". Look to the Stars. no date. http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/1464-common. Retrieved October 11, 2010. 
30. ^ "Common Pledges No More Anti-Gay Lyrics". NewNowNext.com. Sept 6th, 2007. http://www.newnownext.com/2007/09/06/common-pledges-no-more-anti-gay-lyrics/. Retrieved May 11, 2011. 
31. ^ ContactMusic.com. 09/05/2007 10:28:16 PM. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
32. ^ "Mission Statement". Common Ground Foundation. no date. http://www.commongroundfoundation.org/newaboutus2.html. Retrieved October 12, 2011. 
33. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (2007-07-29). "Common ground for star". Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.jimdero.com/News2007/Commonfeature.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-21. 
34. ^ ^{a b} Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2008-04-30). "Common critiques coverage of his former pastor – the Rev. Jeremiah Wright". Hollywood Insider. EW.com. http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/04/common-wright-o.html. Retrieved 2008-07-21. 
35. ^ Grice, Elizabeth (November 11, 2009). "Serena Williams: 'I didn't do that drugs thing because of Venus'". London: Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/williamssisters/6539057/Serena-Williams-I-didnt-do-that-drugs-thing-because-of-Venus.html. Retrieved April 30, 2010. 
36. ^ Com Sense says his album with Nasir Jones will happen and explains its origins Retrieved on 10 October 2011

External links

Media related to Common at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Common: Geffen Records Site
• Common at Allmusic
• Common at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Lynn, Lonnie Rashid, Jr.
Alternative names	Common, Common Sense
Short description	African-American rapper from Chicago, Illinois
Date of birth	March 13, 1972
Place of birth	Chicago, Illinois
Date of death
Place of death