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Common          

Award-Winning Artist, Actor, Producer, Musician & Writer

Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy and Grammy-winning artist, actor and activist, Common continues to break down barriers with a multitude of critically acclaimed, diverse roles, and continued success at the box office.

Following his 2011 memoir “One Day It’ll All Make Sense,” Common’s next book “Let Love Have the Last Word” released on May 7th, 2019. “Let Love Have the Last Word,” shares Common’s own unique and personal stories of the people and experiences that have led to a greater understanding of love and all it has to offer.

Common appeared The Kitchen based on the DC/Vertigo female-led comic book series as well as the Fox 2000 film, The Hate You Give with Amanda Stenberg, Issa Rae and KJ Apa. This timely drama, directed by George Tillman Jr., premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. He lent his voice to the Warner Bros animated film SMALLFOOT alongside an all-star cast, Channing Tatum, Zendaya, James Corden and LeBron James. Common also starred in the indie film, All About Nina opposite Mary Elizabeth Winstead and directed by Eva Vives and the action film Hunter Killer with Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman and Linda Cardellini.

He starred in the Oscar nominated film, Selma, a film centered around the civil rights marches that changed America. Alongside John Legend, he won the Academy Award and Golden Globe in 2015 for “Best Original Song in a Motion Picture” for “Glory” which was featured in the film. In 2016, he appeared in the David Ayer’s high-profile comic book movie, Warner Bros’ Suicide Squad. The film broke box office records both domestically and around the world.

In 2017, Common starred opposite Keanu Reeves in the highly anticipated sequel John Wick: Chapter 2 and appeared in Judy Greer’s directorial debut A Happening of Monumental Proportions with Allison Janney. He also appeared in Bleecker Street’s Megan Leavey alongside Kate Mara, Tom Felton, Bradley Whitford and Edie Falco.

Behind-the-scenes, Common recently executive-produced the Netflix drama Burning Sands and performed the closing credits original song “The Cross” featuring Lianne Le Havas. The film premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was released on Netflix March. He serves as an executive producer of Showtime’s hit TV series “The Chi,” a coming-of-age story set in Chicago from Emmy Award winning writer Lena Waithe.

Common’s 11th studio album, BLACK AMERICA AGAIN, was released November 4, 2016 on ARTium/Def Jam Recordings. The album includes socially conscious new single, “Black America Again” featuring Stevie Wonder and the anthem “Letter to the Free,” the end-title track to Ava Duvernay’s powerful Oscar-Nominated documentary 13TH, for which he also received the 2017 Emmy for “Best Music and Lyrics.” After collaborating on the album, Common, Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins joined together to form supergroup August Greene. The trio made their live debut in January 2018 at New York’s Highline Ballroom as part of Glasper’s annual Grammy Awards party and will release their first joint album on March 9th through Amazon Music.

Common was most recently featured on Andra Day‘s song for Open Road Films’ Marshall soundtrack, “Stand Up for Something,” co-written by Common and eight-time Academy Award-nominee Diane Warren. The original song has received Oscar, Grammy, NAACP, and Critic Choice Award nominations, as well as the “Hollywood Song Award” at the 2017 Hollywood Film Awards.

For the past few years, Common has dedicated countless hours and has been deeply engaged in social justice and advocacy work around mass incarceration, mental health and voting. After the success and impact of his Imagine Justice concert in 2017 and his Hope & Redemption Tour to eight different prisons, Common decided to establish and launch Imagine Justice as a new nonprofit in 2018. Centered at the intersection of art and activism, Imagine Justice is dedicated to leveraging the power of art to advocate for communities around the country, to fight for justice and equality and to stand united against injustice wherever it appears.

Speech Topics


Greatness

A Grammy-award winning rap artist, poet, lyricist, and actor, Common is also a dedicated community activist who supports animal rights and HIV/AIDS awareness, among many other causes. He is the founder of the Common Ground Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to empower underprivileged urban youth to become strong and productive citizens. The foundation offers programs that foster the development of leadership skills, creative expression, and a commitment to education. Common engages audiences with stories of his childhood on the South Side of Chicago and the obstacles he overcame. Drawing upon his own hard work and path to success, he helps audiences understand how to strive for and achieve greatness by making a commitment to a greater cause.

Someday It'll All Make Sense: Catching Up with Common

Common Ground: Empowering Urban Youth

Lessons of Life, the Human Spirit, & Human Nature

News


Common: 'I wanted to be the dopest. Then I found a higher purpose'
He got his start in the era of gangsta rap and admits to a ‘bros before hoes’ attitude early in his career. So how did the Chicagoan become one of conscious rap’s strongest voices?
The inside story of how rapper Common replaced Satya Nadella as the voice of Microsoft’s ads
It was early October of 2014, and Microsoft was working hard to finish producing its first-ever Super Bowl commercial. The advertising team had strung together audio clips from CEO Satya Nadella’s recent speeches about empowerment, and overlaid video of kids using Microsoft technology to help improve their lives. Ultimately, it was rapper Common whose voice was heard by millions around the world during those Super Bowl commercials and in several follow-up spots thereafter.
Making Sense Of Common
At 48, he’s considered rap’s ambassador outside its borders. That doesn’t mean he wants to be seen as “safe.” Survey most hip-hop heads and they’d agree Common hit legend status more than a decade ago. He’s an icon of “conscious hip-hop” — the long misunderstood, often oversimplified subgenre that’s become shorthand for a willingness to lyrically speak to Black people’s fight for basic human rights, even the right to self-love.
For Common, Self Care Is The New Black
Meditation time! Find a comfy spot to stretch out, close your eyes, and breathe deeply, in and out. Good. Now imagine a beam of energy. Peaceful, right? And are you hearing that celestial music yet? What type of music is it? Is it . . . rap? Perhaps it is not. And perhaps that is why Lonnie Rashid Lynn, the rapper, actor, writer, and activist known as Common, based his new album, “Let Love,” on concepts of healing, therapy, and meditation.
'Hunter Killer' Trailer: Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Common Sub ...
Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman and Common climb aboard an arctic submarine in the first trailer for 'Hunter Killer,' released Thursday.
Common Joins AdoptAClassroom.org and Burlington Stores to Support Teachers and Students in Need
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Common Plays Would You Rather at 2016 MTV Movie Awards | E ...
Would the Glory rapper rather be roasted by Kevin Hart or get in the ring with Dwayne Johnson?! Find out!
Common is headlining a free concert in West Philadelphia Saturday
Rapper Common, who has Grammys and an Oscar on his mantle, will headline the fest for its big return. - Sofiya ... Updated: October 6, 2016 — 1:18 PM EDT.
Before He Got Famous, Common Sorted Parking Tickets | WIRED
wired_google-autocomplete-interview-ice-cube-2016-04-08- ... So far, only a dozen have reached EGOT status, but if rapper-actor Common hits his goal, there  ...
5 minutes with rapper/actor Common - The Washington Post
Rapper Common arrives at the state dinner in honor of the president of Finland and the ... Donald Trump is setting the stage to never concede the 2016 election.
Rapper Common will perform at NYC charter school rally - NY Daily ...
Rapper Common will perform at a pro-charter school rally in Brooklyn's Prospect Park on Sept. 28, event ... Monday, September 26, 2016, 6:13 PM. facebook ...
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