Common

Released: July 22, 2014

Songwriter: No I.D. Common

Producer: No I.D.

[Verse 1]
The city it blow deep, I know them cold streets
Motif is no peace, can't trust the police
My mama stay out East, hope that she good though
She from Inglewood so she know the hood though
Corners we stood on, that's what I stand for
Justice for hustlers I rap and I chant for
Cousin just got off that thang on his ankle
He seeing that corner from a new angle
Same old to same old, some days are painful
They say be careful, Grandma be stay prayerful
My bros move words with their eyes on sparrow
You in the ghetto where we never settle

[Verse 2]
The breath of the city, no rest for the weary
No stress it can't hear me, a fist full of fury
No dollars no jewelry, a Chicago story
Place that can kill me is one that can cure me
Hard to ignore me 'cuz we livin' loud now
Fire inside me and things that go "Bow Bow"
Label me wild child, my old man on trial now
Yeah I'm the future but live for the now now
Make my mama proud now, we come from that dirt
I put in that work until my back hurt, uh

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.

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