Editing Common (rapper) (section)

{{Short description|American rapper and actor (born 1972)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Common
| image              = Common - 2018 (41963868844) (cropped).jpg
| caption            = Common performing in 2018
| birth_name         = Lonnie Rashid Lynn
| other_names        = {{hlist|Common Sense|Willie Stargell<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://api.discogs.com/artists/14014|title=Common|website=Discogs.com|access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref>}}
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1972|3|13}}
| birth_place        = [[Chicago, Illinois]], U.S.
| education          = [[Florida A&M University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])
| occupation         = {{hlist|Rapper|songwriter|actor}}
| parents            = {{Plain list|
* [[Lonnie Lynn]] (father)
* Mahalia Ann Hines (mother)
}}
| children           = 1
| years_active       = 1991–present<ref>{{cite web|author=Natasha|url=https://thesource.com/2014/08/08/the-light-in-hip-hop-a-reflection-on-the-words-works-of-common/|title=The Light In Hip Hop: A Reflection On The Words & Works Of Common|website=[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]|date=August 8, 2014|access-date=October 30, 2019}}</ref>
| partner(s)         = [[Tiffany Haddish]] (2020–2021)<br> [[Jennifer Hudson]] (2022–present)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kaur |first1=Brahmjot |title=Jennifer Hudson and Common Confirm Their Romance in the Most Heartwarming Way |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1393579/jennifer-hudson-and-common-confirm-their-romance-in-the-most-heartwarming-way |website=eonline.com |date=January 22, 2024 |publisher=E! News |access-date=16 April 2025}}</ref>
| works              = {{hlist|[[Common discography|Discography]]|[[#Filmography|filmography]]}}
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Common|Full list]]
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed           = yes
| instruments     = Vocals
| genre           = {{flatlist|
* [[Hip-Hop Music|Hip-hop]]
* [[neo soul]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/11/common-%E2%80%98vile%E2%80%99-or-mainstream/|title=Common: 'Vile' or mainstream?|website=[[CNN]]|access-date=November 1, 2020|date=May 11, 2011|author=Anon.|archive-date=December 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206012601/https://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/11/common-%E2%80%98vile%E2%80%99-or-mainstream/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[progressive rap]]<ref>{{cite web|last=O'Connor|first=Christopher|date=March 29, 2000|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/820250/common-moves-toward-a-progressive-hip-hop/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715040610/http://www.mtv.com/news/820250/common-moves-toward-a-progressive-hip-hop/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2021|title=Common Moves Toward a Progressive Hip-Hop|website=[[MTV News]]|access-date=July 15, 2021}}</ref>
}}
| label           = {{flatlist|
* [[Loma Vista Recordings|Loma Vista]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lomavistarecordings.com/#home|title=Loma Vista – a recording company.|website=Lomavistarecordings.com|access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref>
* [[Concord Records|Concord]]
* Think Common
* [[No I.D.#ARTium Recordings|ARTium]]
* [[Def Jam Recordings|Def Jam]]
* [[Virgin EMI Records|Virgin EMI]]
* [[Warner Records|Warner Bros.]]
* [[Geffen Records|Geffen]]
* [[GOOD Music|GOOD]]
* [[MCA Records|MCA]]
* [[Warlock Records|Warlock]]
* [[Rawkus Records|Rawkus]]
* [[Relativity Records|Relativity]]
}}
| current_member_of = {{flatlist|
* [[August Greene]]
* [[Cocaine 80s]]
* [[Soulquarians]]
}}
| website         = {{URL|www.thinkcommon.com}}
{{Infobox
| child=yes
| header          = Logo
| headerstyle     = background:#b0c4de
| data1 = }}
}}
| signature          = Common sig.svg
}}

'''Lonnie Rashid Lynn'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etonline.com/common-finds-a-place-in-hollywood-supporting-strong-women-exclusive-103045|title=Common Finds a Happy Place in Hollywood Supporting Strong Women (Exclusive)|website=Entertainment Tonight|date=May 25, 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=January 24, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestranger.com/books/2019/07/03/40643877/in-his-new-memoir-common-sheds-light-on-a-lifestyle-that-old-school-rappers-only-dreamed-about|title=In His New Memoir, Common Sheds Light on a Lifestyle That Old School Rappers Only Dreamed About|first=Charles|last=Mudede|website=Thestranger.com|access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New music: Common – The Believer feat John Legend |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/dec/06/common-believer-john-legend | work=The Guardian |date=December 6, 2011 |last=Cragg |first=Michael |access-date=January 7, 2019}}</ref> (born March 13, 1972), known professionally as '''Common''' (formerly known as '''Common Sense'''), is an American rapper and actor. The recipient of three [[Grammy Award]]s, an [[Academy Award]], a [[Primetime Emmy Award]], and a [[Golden Globe Award]], he signed with the independent label [[Relativity Records]] at the age of 20. The label released his first three studio albums: ''[[Can I Borrow a Dollar?]]'' (1992), ''[[Resurrection (Common album)|Resurrection]]'' (1994) and ''[[One Day It'll All Make Sense]]'' (1997). He maintained an [[Underground hip hop|underground]] following into the late 1990s, and achieved mainstream success through his work with the [[Black music]] collective [[Soulquarians]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Video: Common Speaks on Soulquarians, No I.D. & Kanye + BTS Pics of "Blue Sky" Video | date=October 11, 2011 | url=http://www.okayplayer.com/news/video-common-speaks-on-soulquarians-no-i-d-kanye-bts-pics-of-blue-sky-video.html | website=okayplayer | access-date=October 12, 2011 | archive-date=December 13, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213173332/http://www.okayplayer.com/news/video-common-speaks-on-soulquarians-no-i-d-kanye-bts-pics-of-blue-sky-video.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

After attaining a [[major label]] record deal, he released his fourth and fifth albums, ''[[Like Water for Chocolate (album)|Like Water for Chocolate]]'' (2000) and ''[[Electric Circus (album)|Electric Circus]]'' (2002), to continued acclaim and modest commercial response.<ref>{{cite web|title=Common Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/common-mn0000115253/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=October 30, 2018}}</ref> He guest performed on fellow Soulquarian, [[Erykah Badu]]'s 2003 single, "[[Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)]]", which yielded his highest entry — at number nine — on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and won [[Grammy Award for Best R&B Song|Best R&B Song]] at the [[45th Annual Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |title = UMPG writers and artists receive best R&B Song of the Year Category at Grammy Awards |publisher = [[Universal Music Publishing Group]] |url = http://www.umusicpub.com/news_readmore.aspx?id=4770 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081026211844/http://www.umusicpub.com/news_readmore.aspx?id=4770 |archive-date = 2008-10-26}}</ref> He signed with fellow Chicago rapper [[Kanye West]]'s record label [[GOOD Music]], in a joint venture with [[Geffen Records]] to release his sixth and seventh albums ''[[Be (Common album)|Be]]'' (2005) and ''[[Finding Forever]]'' (2007); both were nominated for [[Best Rap Album]] Grammys, while the latter became his first to debut atop the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and contained the song "[[Southside (Common song)|Southside]]" (featuring Kanye West), the recipient of [[Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group]] at the [[50th Annual Grammy Awards]]. His eighth album, ''[[Universal Mind Control]]'' (2008), was met with a critical decline and served as his final release with GOOD. Common's label imprint, Think Common Entertainment, was founded in 2011 and entered a joint venture with [[Warner Records|Warner Bros. Records]] to release his ninth album, ''[[The Dreamer/The Believer]]'' (2011), and later [[No I.D.]]'s [[ARTium Recordings]], an imprint of [[Def Jam Recordings]] to release his tenth album, ''[[Nobody's Smiling]]'' (2014). Both received critical praise and further discussed social issues in [[African-American middle class|Black America]]; his eleventh album, ''[[Black America Again]]'' (2016) saw widespread critical acclaim and served as his final release on a [[Record label#Major labels|major label]].<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.29923/title.common-explains-g-o-o-d-music-departure-kanye-wests-focus-being-elsewhere|title=Common Explains GOOD Music Departure, Kanye West's Focus Being Elsewhere|date=September 17, 2014|access-date=2024-05-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/listen-to-commons-new-song-home.html|title=Listen to Common's New Song, "Home"|date=October 19, 2016|website=Vulture.com}}</ref>

Lynn won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] for his song "[[Glory (Common and John Legend song)|Glory]]" (with [[John Legend]]), which he released for the film ''[[Selma (film)|Selma]]'' (2014), wherein he co-starred as [[civil rights movement|civil rights]] leader [[James Bevel]]. His other film roles include ''[[Smokin' Aces]]'' (2006), ''[[Street Kings]]'' (2008), ''[[American Gangster (film)|American Gangster]]'' (2007), ''[[Wanted (2008 film)|Wanted]]'' (2008), ''[[Date Night]]'' (2010), ''[[Just Wright]]'' (2010), ''[[Happy Feet Two]]'' (2011), ''[[Run All Night (film)|Run All Night]]'' (2015), ''[[John Wick: Chapter 2]]'' (2017), and ''[[Smallfoot]]'' (2018). In television, he starred as Elam Ferguson in [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] [[Western (genre)|western]] series ''[[Hell on Wheels (TV series)|Hell on Wheels]]'' from 2011 to 2014, and has played a supporting role in the [[Apple TV+]] science fiction series [[Silo (TV series)|''Silo'']] since 2023. His song "Letter to the Free" was released for the [[Ava DuVernay]]-directed [[Netflix]] documentary ''[[13th (film)|13th]]'' (2017), for which he won the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics]]. He made his [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] acting debut on the play ''[[Between Riverside and Crazy]]'' (2023), which won a [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pulitzer.org/node/8501 |title=The Pulitzer Prizes - 2015 Pulitzer Winners will be announced April 20 |website=Pulitzer.org |date=2015-03-05 |access-date=2015-03-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306193608/https://www.pulitzer.org/node/8501 |archive-date=2015-03-06}}</ref>