Common

Released: July 10, 2005

Songwriter: Common

Producer: Karriem Riggins My Guy Mars DJ Dummy

You know, for those who don't know about Common
You know, I’m an MC that talked about, and talks about love a lot, you know
Like I said, in hip-hop, they expect us to only talk about guns and women
And just like bitches and all this, you know, and how many diamonds we got
But that ain't all we about, so you know
When Common came on the scene, I was talking about hip-hop
Talking about culture, talking about music, and I talked about 40 ounces, but, you know
And that too, but it was more to it than just that, you know
It's like music is about love, it’s about God, it's about spirituality
And you know, a lot of people had a lot of things to say about me
And they was talking about, "Ah, he's soft, man" and you know
"He ain't coming with the real hip-hop", you know
And, "He going crazy, he doing all these love songs. What's on his mind?
What's happening with the boy? What's the matter with the boy?
It's a problem with him. He used to be raw hip-hop when he first started
Now he’s changing on some other stuff. What’s going on with dude?
What's happening with him? Huh? What’s the matter with Common now?
Let me know, what's the matter with Common?"
That's what they be saying, they hear the boy going crazy...

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known by his stage name Common (previously Common Sense), is a Grammy and Oscar-winning rapper and actor from Chicago, Illinois. Common’s inspired mix of poetic flow and hip-hop soul has helped him earn his status as one of the most respected rappers in the game.

After being a ball boy for his hometown Chicago Bulls as a teen and attending Florida A&M University for business administration, Common Sense kicked in and he left school to become a rapper. He gained national attention after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source magazine in 1991. He released his debut album Can I Borrow a Dollar? through Relativity Records in 1992, followed by his breakthrough second album Resurrection in 1994, which features his hip-hop classic single “I Used To Love H.E.R.”

As his career began to take off, he was sued by the music group Common Sense over the name, leading Common to drop the “Sense” and allude to the change in the title of his third album, One Day It’ll All Make Sense (1997). He has released several critically acclaimed albums, including Like Water For Chocolate (2000), which features his J Dilla-produced hit single “The Light”, and Be (2005), which was released under fellow Chicago musician Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint. He also joined musicians Karriem Riggins and Robert Glasper to form the group August Greene, and the trio released their self-titled album in 2018.

more tracks from the album

Live at the Jazz Room

From the album

Live at the Jazz Room (2017)

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Music is About Love Interlude (Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival, 2005)Common

Common

Live at the Jazz Room