Editing Common (rapper) (section)

== Early life ==
Common was born on March 13, 1972, at the Chicago Osteopathic Hospital in Chicago's [[Hyde Park, Chicago|Hyde Park]] neighborhood. He is the son of educator and former principal of [[John Hope College Prep]]aratory High School, Mahalia Ann Hines, and former [[American Basketball Association|ABA]] basketball player turned youth counselor [[Lonnie Lynn]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/sweethomecookcounty/documents/2007sweethome.pdf|title=Sweet Home Cook County|website=Cookcountyclerk.com|access-date=October 5, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528132937/http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/sweethomecookcounty/documents/2007sweethome.pdf|archive-date=May 28, 2016}}</ref> Lynn shares the same first name as his father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather.<ref name=jackson>{{cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=Steve |title=The Education of Lonnie Lynn |url=https://www.westword.com/news/the-education-of-lonnie-lynn-5057740 |website=Westword |access-date=November 5, 2024 |date=August 21, 1997}}</ref> He is known by his middle name, Rashid, to his family and friends.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bazer |first1=Mark |title=Common is Back in the Neighborhood |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/october-2014/common/ |website=Chicago Magazine |access-date=November 5, 2024 |date=September 17, 2014}}</ref> Lynn's godfather is basketball player [[Spencer Haywood]] who was a teammate of his father on the [[Denver Rockets]].<ref name=jackson/>

Lynn was raised in the [[Calumet Heights, Chicago|Calumet Heights]] neighborhood.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bazer|first1=Mark|title=Common is Back in the Neighborhood|url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2014/Common/|issue=October 2014|website=Chicago magazine|date=September 17, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Zegel|first=Maureen|date=March 27, 2012|title=Rapper Common to bring his message to UMSL|url=https://blogs.umsl.edu/news/2012/03/27/common/|access-date=January 10, 2023|publisher=[[University of Missouri–St. Louis]]|website=UMSL Daily}}</ref><ref>Williams, Thomas Chatterton (May 11, 2011). [http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/inviting-common-white-house-barack-michelle-obama-a-golden-opportunity-article-1.144238 "By inviting Common to the White House, Barack and Michelle Obama miss a golden opportunity"]. ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]''.</ref><ref>[https://abc7chicago.com/archive/8618409/ "Common to throw White Sox 1st pitch"] . [[WLS-TV|ABC 7 Chicago]]. April 13, 2012.</ref> His father left the family because of his drug and alcohol addictions while Lynn was young.<ref name=jackson/> When he was aged two, Lynn's father attempted to take him and his mother to Seattle where he had arranged a tryout with the [[Seattle SuperSonics]].<ref name=jackson/> His father was arrested when the family stopped at a motel in Wisconsin and charged with false imprisonment.<ref>{{cite news |title=Basketball Player Jailed Here for Abducting Wife |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-basketball-player-jail/158483087/ |access-date=November 5, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |date=June 25, 1974 |page=6 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

Lynn's parents divorced when he was six years old, resulting in his father moving to [[Denver]], Colorado. This left Lynn to be raised by his mother; however, his father remained active in his life, and was able to get him a job with the [[Chicago Bulls]] as a teenager. Lynn attended [[Florida A&M University]] for two years under a scholarship and majored in [[business administration]].<ref name="Jet 2005">{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_26_107/ai_n27857531/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405204617/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_26_107/ai_n27857531/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 5, 2011|title=Hip-hop star Common talks about: new hit CD 'Be' being labeled a 'conscious rapper' his breakup with singer Erykah Badu who attracts him now|last=Yarborough|first=Marti|date=June 27, 2005|work=Jet|via=FindArticles.com|access-date=July 25, 2009}}</ref>