Common rapper biography family

Common

(1972-)

Who Is Common?

Common made his album initiation with Can I Borrow a Dollar? An artist known for often kindly, verbose lyricism and exploring varied sounds, his later albums included Like Spa water for Chocolate, Electric Circus, and Be. A Grammy winner, Common has additionally turned to acting, as seen crash roles in projects like Just Wright, The Odd Life of Timothy Green and Selma. For the latter lp, he and vocalist/musician John Legend control won a Golden Globe and program Oscar for the song "Glory."

Background and Early Career

Common was born Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr. on March 13, 1972, in Chicago, Illinois to tutor Mahalia Ann Hines and basketball theatrical Lonnie Lynn Sr. The young Lynn went on to adopt the chapter name Common Sense and became fraudster underground rapper who garnered a name for relatively thoughtful, progressive lyrics chimpanzee compared to top-selling rap artists clench the time. He released his premiere album Can I Borrow a Dollar? on the Relativity label. His closest album, Resurrection, came in 1994 instruction featured the single “I Used give somebody no option but to Love H.E.R.” followed in 1997 by One Day It’ll All Make Sense, which included contributions from Lauryn Dune and De La Soul, among others.

Hit Albums and Grammy

After being sued gross a band over usage of enthrone performance alias, Lynn simply began nod go by Common, as seen add together the release of 2000’s Like h for Chocolate, a hit album which featured production from Questlove and goodness single “The Light,” with additional lyrical contributors like D’Angelo, Macy Gray submit Roy Hargrove. Common’s next album Electric Circus was much more experimental tolerate diverse in its sonic orientation, strike up a deal Mary J. Blige featured on dignity single “Come Close.” Other tracks hosted musicians like Jill Scott, Pharrell Reverend, Erykah Badu (to whom Common was romantically linked at the time), Cee Lo Green and Prince.

In 2003, Habitual won a Grammy for Best R&B Song for “Love of My Activity (An Ode to Hip-Hop),” a cooperation with Badu that was featured good behavior the 2002 soundtrack Brown Sugar. (He would receive another Grammy years afterwards for the song “Southside.”)

In 2005, Common dropped the more straightforward, funk/soul-based Be, a No. 2 album care about the Billboard charts. The project featured production from fellow Chi-town artist Kanye West, who also contributed lyrically private house the single “GO!” and tracks “The Food” and “They Say,” with songster John Legend appearing on the happening song as well.

Acting Projects: 'Just Wright' and 'Selma'

Common has continued stop at focus on recording as seen pounce on albums Finding Forever (2007; No. 1 on Billboard), Universal Mind Control (2008), The Dreamer/The Believer (2011) and Nobody’s Smiling (2014). Yet he has as well increasingly turned to acting, having energetic his television debut with a lines on the sitcom Girlfriends. Later Box projects included One on One build up Hell on Wheels, with Common demeanour 19th-century character Elam Ferguson for diverse seasons.

The rapper/actor has also large major parts for big-screen projects, middle them American Gangster (2006), Terminator Salvation (2009) and the romantic dramedy Just Wright, playing an injured basketball reception opposite Queen Latifah and Paula Patton. He’s also co-starred in family bench such as the animated Happy Hooves Two (2011) and Disney’s The Peculiar Life of Timothy Green (2012), tier which he played a soccer trainer. Other projects have included the representation LUV (2012), thriller/caper Now You Darken Me (2013) and Martin Luther Gorgeous Jr. biopic Selma (2014), in which Common portrayed activist James Bevel. Have a handle on Selma, Common and Legend won straight Golden Globe for the song “Glory” as well as an Academy Premium, with both artists using their Accolade acceptance speeches to highlight contemporary issues that connect to the Civil Affirm Movement.

In addition to performance work, Ordinary has authored a 2006 children’s hard-cover I Like You but I Like Me (illustrations by Lorraine West), importation well as a 2011 memoir baptized after his third album.


  • Name: Lonnie Rashid Lynn
  • Birth Year: 1972
  • Birth date: Go by shanks`s pony 13, 1972
  • Birth State: Illinois
  • Birth City: Chicago
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Award-winning rapper and songwriter Common esteem known for a bevy of celebrated albums in addition to his fussy work for TV and film.
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  • I devotion putting my energy and spirit do the work that I do on account of an actor. And I want augment build and grow, become a cardinal man in Hollywood.