When was Common born? Common was born on March 13.
Lonnie Rashid Lynn aka Common was born in Chicago in 1972. His father was a professional basketball player in the ABA and his mother was a school administrator. He debuted as a rapper, then Common Sense, in 2992. He gained a following and met with mainstream success and went on to become a Grammy Award-winning artist.
In the past, he’s been linked with J-Dilla, Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Black Star, The Roots, Jill Scott, and others. In addition to rapping, he’s a professional actor. He’s a father and activist, having worked with Barak Obama’s White House.
Common, real name Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr. is one of the greatest rappers to come from the Windy City. He got his start on the underground rap scene in the late 1980s and early ’90s only to emerge as a silver screen player in the new millennium. He’s appeared in the John Wick franchise and done some voice acting in Smallfoot as well as staring beside his one-time lover Tiffany Haddish in The Kitchen. Here’s a look at a few of his movie roles.
Smokin’ Aces
He starred alongside Alicia Keys in this assassin thriller.
Just Wright
This time Common shared the screen with Dana “Queen Latifa” Owens, and Paula Patton, where he played an injured NBA Player in this PG Rom-Com.
Selma
This historical film about the Selma Freedom March starred the rapper as civil-rights leader James Bevel opposite David Oyelowo’s MLK Jr. This one was directed by Ava DuVernay and earned Common and John Legend an Oscar for Best Original Song for “Glory.”
Barbershop: The Next Cut
Com starred alongside Ice Cube and Nicki Minaj in this comedy sequel set in Chicago.
LUV
One of his more dramatic roles, Common played an ex-con who shows up in his nephew’s life in this 2012 crime drama.
On December 10, 2002, Chicago rapper Common released his fifth album Electric Circus. The album had the hit song “Come Close” featuring Mary J. Blige but if you take a look at the cover art, Common had a lot of famous rappers featured in the artwork. It’s a virtual Where’s Waldo of rap musicians.
Rapper Black Thought, Q-Tip, and Erykah Badu all appear on the psychedelic design. Jill Scott, Pharrell, and J Dilla are all present. The concept is a throwback to ATCQ’s Midnight Marauders. Take a look for yourself and see who you can spot.
Common and Kanye West gave us one of the best rap albums of all time coming out of Chicago with Be. “The Food” was one of the album’s standout tracks and featured West on the beat as well as the hook. The performance of the song was recorded when Common was a featured guest on Comedy Central’s Dave Chappelle Show on March 3, 2004, during the show’s second season.
The performance marked a comeback for the Chicago rapper, who had fallen off the radar until West helped revive his career. The song contains a sample from Otis Reddings “Nothing Can Change This Love“. The song ended up as the eighth track on Be and is one of the most memorable album performances from both artists.
Before Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid Lynn Jr was known as Common, he went by his first moniker Common Sense.
Common released his debut studio album Can I Borrow a Dollar? on October 6, 1992 under Relativity Records. When he released his debut album, it was under his first moniker Common Sense. In 1994, Common released his second album Resurrection, which would be the last album under his Common Sense moniker. The success of Resurrection got him sued by an Orange County-based reggae band who was using the same name. Common later shortened his name by dropping the Sense part and just going by Common.
Common had the beats for Kanye West’s “Everything I Am” and “Heard ‘Em Say” and he passed on both of them.
The beats for “Everything I Am” and “Heard ‘Em Say” were both produced by Kanye West himself and Common passed on them on two different occasions.
During an interview on the Rap Radar podcast, Common revealed he regretted passing on ‘Heard ’Em Say’: “[Another] one of the beats I passed on—that I regret—is the song he did called ‘Heard ’Em Say,’ He made that beat for me in the studio. He was like, ‘Rash, you want this?’ I was like, ‘Man, it’s cool…’ He was like, ‘You sure? You want this?’ He gave me about 30 seconds to think if I wanted it; usually, I can sit with ’em. I said, ‘It’s cool.’ He said, ‘Man, I’m takin’ this, I’m gonna rap on it.’ He wrote the song in about 15 minutes.”
Common is no stranger to sharing his truth through the mic. He bares it all on his 12th studio album, and he’s not afraid to get personal.
The Chicago rapper was inspired to create his album by his own memoir, Let Love Have the Last Word, but you won’t need to read his book to connect with the music. In a recent interview with Apple Music, he explains the meaning behind the album title. “When I say ‘Let Love’, I’m saying put love into practice. Allow love to be the law that we abide by.”
The album is jammed packed with features including Swizz Beatz, Jill Scott, Daniel Caesar, BJ The Chicago Kid, and more. Check out the album track list and the visual for Common’s new single, “Hercules” feat. Swizz Beatz, below.
1. Good Morning Love f. Samora Pinderhughes 2. HER Love f. Daniel Caesar 3. Dwele’s Interlude 4. Hercules f. Swizz Beatz 5. Fifth Story f. Leikeli47 6. Forever Your Love f. BJ The Chicago Kid 7. Leaders (Crib Love) f. A-Trak 8. Memories of Home f. BJ The Chicago Kid & Samora Pinderhughes 9. Show Me That You Love f. Jill Scott & Samora Pinderhughes 10. My Fancy Free Future Love 11. God Is Love f. Leon Bridges & Jonathan McReynolds
Back when Common was just Lonnie Lynn, Jr. growing up on 87th St. and Stony Island in Chicago’s South Side, Common played basketball in high school and had a dream of being in the NBA. He didn’t end up being in the NBA but he was a ball boy for The Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan joined the team in the mid-1980s.
“Yes i was there, the first year Michael…. his rookie year I was a ball boy. I was there for a couple years while he was there. I used to get his gym shoes and everything, That was my buddy when I was a ball boy,” Common said during an episode of “Live with Kelly and Michael.” “It was an incredible job. People in my neighborhood loved me because I would get the gym shoes, I actually would sell them.”
Common played a basketball player in the 2009 romantic comedy ‘Just Wright’ with Queen Latifah.
Common also speaks on his time working as a ball boy for The Chicago Bulls with Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“Jordan was incredible. … He wouldn’t tip me, but actually I made a little money off him. Somebody asked for his autograph, and I charged the guy. I said, “OK, $5.” You know I was a little kid. I was trying to make it. I needed lunch money, so I went and I said, “Look, Mike, can you sign this for this kid?” and he was like, “You sign it.” It was like a joke. … I signed it and took it back to the kid, and the kid looked at it and said, “Wait, this is not Michael’s autograph.” And I said, “How did he know?” I spelled “Michael” wrong. I didn’t get the $5.”
Common’s father, former ABA baller Lonnie Lynn, set him up with the ball boy job that led to him meeting Michael Jordan and, ultimately, forging the basketball icon’s signature in the hopes of making $5.
