Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid Lynn Jr., better known by his stage name Common, is an American rapper, actor and activist. He has received numerous accolades for his impressive accomplishments, becoming the first rapper to earn himself a Primetime Emmy, three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

COMMON BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

Common was born on March 13, 1972 (Common: Age 51) in Chicago, Illinois to Mahalia Ann Hines and Lonnie Lynn Sr. His mother is a former principal of the John Hope College Preparatory High School, while his father is a former ABA basketball player.

Common grew up in the Calumet Heights neighborhood, where he lived with both his parents until the age of six. At six years old, Common’s parents had gotten divorced, which resulted in his father relocating to Denver, Colorado. Common was, therefore, raised by his mother. However, his father made sure to remain active in his son’s life, and even managed to land Common a job with the Chicago Bulls as a young teenager. 

Common attended Florida A&M University for two years under a scholarship program, where he majored in business administration.

COMMON BIOGRAPHY: CAREER

Common first began his rapping career in the late 1980s while enrolled at Luther High School South in Chicago, when he and his two good friends formed C.D.R., a rap trio that would open for acts such as N.W.A. and Big Daddy Kane. When C.D.R. broke up, Common began his solo career under the stage name Common Sense, which he later shortened to Common. He debuted as a solo artist in 1992 with the single titled “Take It EZ,” followed by the album Can I Borrow a Dollar? 

Common began his acting career in 2003, when he appeared on the popular American sitcom, Girlfriends. He has gone on to act in a number of other films, including John Wick, Smallfoot, Suicide Squad, Just Wright, Ava, and more.

In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Common spoke about his first experience with acting that made him decide he wanted to pursue it as a profession.

“Actually, it was my first day of acting class that made me know that this is something I wanted to pursue,” Common recalled. “It was a feeling I had. It touched my soul in a way that I think art can. Whether it’s art that you are absorbing or watching, or taking in , listening to. Or art that you’re participating in and creating. And I felt that spark and that light come on, where you’re like, ‘oh man, this is it for me.’ I really love this thing. I felt free. I couldn’t wait to go back to acting class. That was my first acting class and that’s where it sparked. That was the beginning, the seed. And yeah, and that experience on to my first movie really just heightened the level and the passion for me to want to participate in films, and TV and theater.”

Moving on to his engrossing performances, Common discussed how he found the humanity in Robert Sims, the character he portrayed in the newly released drama series Silo.

“Robert Sims is a person that cares about his family and he actually cares about the well-being of the silo. So, that to me is a human being in itself. You’ll see he has a son, he has a family and he also has a job to protect the people of the silo. It took me some time to get to the place to understand the type of person and what it would take to be a person who would be in that position and really do the things necessary, meaning if lives have to be taken, if lies need to be told. If maneuvering and things happen, like that’s not my character as a person. But I had to find that with Sims and understand without judging who this person is, and it’s really interesting for me. It’s inspiring and intriguing because I learned more about people and learned more about people in that position, and I do my best to understand that and express that so that when you watch you’ll say hey, this is a human being. I don’t know if he’s good or bad. He’s just a human being and yeah, that’s who Sims is.”

Common then went on to share a special memory working with the cast.

“My specific memory I would say, to be honest, was just the day Tim Robbins wrapped the first season,” Commons reflected. “His last scene, I just remember everybody being there and celebrating him and also celebrating what we had done even though we weren’t finished for the first season. And just feeling like man, this is something that is really beautiful and special and has all these layers to it, and we enjoyed each other. And I felt the oneness of this whole show, this production- from the writers, to our crew, to the actors. That moment, it got me emotional because Tim (Robbins) is just a fun guy. He’s a smart dude, but you could see how much he enjoyed it and this is somebody who’s acted in some of the most classic films ever. So, I remember that moment and just recalling the fact and soaking (it all) in. I was like man, I’m a part of this incredible piece of work even before it was released. I just felt the experience was incredible and I’m working with Tim Robbins.”

When asked what he thought of the message of the show, this is what Commons had to say:

“I believe one of the one of the greatest messages for the silo is: what is truth, how do you find your truth and where do you get your truth from? It has to be okay to question authority because that’s the only way that you will get to certain truths, because certain truth has been told that we don’t know where it’s come from or is it the truth. So, I think the true meaning is how do we use our own thoughts and individualism and discernment to maneuver and move through life to actually be part of the whole.”

COMMON BIOGRAPHY: PERSONAL LIFE

Common currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. He has recently been seen taking romantic strolls around town with American singer/songwriter, actress, producer and talk show host Jennifer Hudson. Common has one daughter, Omoye Assata Lynn, who is currently 26 years old.

Common is a lifelong fan of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and the NFL’s Chicago Bears. He is also known to be a vegan.

 

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