Common

On March 13, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois a young man named Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. was born. He will later be known to the world as Common Sense and even later as simply Common.

Common was born and raised in the south side of Chicago, a city that was not particularly renowned in hip-hop. Later on Common would grow to be a beacon of light not only in the Windy City, but throughout the world of hip-hop. After leaving Florida A&M University, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. set his eyes on a career as an emcee. In 1991, the Source magazine's famed "Unsigned Hype" column showcased Common (then known as Common Sense) as hip-hop's freshest face. In 1992, Common released his debut album "Can I Borrow a Dollar?" Though it failed to attain any substantial commercial success, it established a strong fan base amongst the underground.

^Vision of a real MC^

Common

Common would elevate his game in 1994, when he released his second album, Resurrection. Propelled by its classic song "I Used to Love H.E.R.," a brilliant metaphor for the history and state of hip-hop, Common further proved that he was anything but common. A beef between Common and Ice Cube soon ensued as the latter took offense to lyrics in "I Used to Love H.E.R." which criticized gangsta rap. The beef was soon put to rest by Louis Farrakhan himself.

With his following two albums, One Day It'll All Make Sense and Like Water for Chocolate, Common honed his craft of conscious hip-hop; in 2002, he switched it up a bit. Though still focusing on music with a message, Common created an experimental and quite gutsy album that drew from an eclectic mix of genres as well as supporting artists. The album was met with more criticism than praise, and many accused Common’s then-girlfriend Eryka Badu of diverting the emcee from his tried-and-true craft. It looked like Common need a new resurrection.

Personal Thoughts:

Clearly I didnt find enough info on Common and his early life or his life period, but I just wanna say that in an industry where music is just a collection of noise and repetative methods of making a dollar Common is one artist who's album I would still pay my hard earned money for. I feel he teaches without preaching and its just dope. Recently he's started acting and you forget that he is a rapper. I feel that he's very talented and someone who deserves more credit than he gets. At least in my opinion.

Shout Outs to Common. BTW "Findidng Forever"=My definition of real Music!