Common

Released: December 20, 2011

Songwriter: No I.D. Lonnie “Pops” Lynn Common

Producer: No I.D.

[Pops]
Yeah, yeah, bring it on
Uh huh, with the ya ya, yeah
Just sitting around kicking it a little bit
I thought we would record something tonight
And I do want to dedicate it to two very outstanding people
I live the spirit of
Gentlemen Crispus Attucks and Mr. Marcus Garvey
Thank you so much

The Believer
If I were a believer, I believe I would believe in the beginning
Everybody's beginning
Mine, that my very first ancestors were front row and present
When God stepped to the mic
I believe from the creation of the Garden of Eden
The separation of the tribes
Our long marches across the desert
Being Yacub's kids
For instincts born in caves of ice
All, each and every one, the souls of one God
Granted earthly existence to allow each to earn
The blessing of transcending, time-traveling throughout the universe
With the blessings and well-wishes of my fathers, prophets of my own
No search, no fear no mysteries
We inherit the power to turn nightmares into dreams
For those of us who come from less than enviable circumstances
Dreams, good dreams, sweet dreams, dreams come true
Truthful dreams, truthful dreams become life
Life becomes belief, belief becomes live!
Live the life you believe
The American dream, the black American dream, the universal dream
For the sake of the unwritten laws of humanity, I believe in God
I believe in my ancestors, I believe in my offsprings
I believe in Dr. Sebi, I believe we must stop Willie Lynch'n each other
I believe in the truth, truth
See you next lifetime

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

The Dreamer/The Believer

From the album

The Dreamer/The Believer (2011)

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Pops BeliefCommon

Common

The Dreamer/The Believer