Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr is An American rapper, actor, artist and poet. He debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, and gained critical acclaim with his 1994 album Resurrection. He maintained an underground following into the late 1990s. He achieved mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians.
Biography[]
Common was born on Chicago, Illinois, the son of educator and former principal of John Hope College Preparatory High School, Mahalia Ann Hines and former ABA basketball player turned youth counselor Lonnie Lynn. He was raised in the Calumet Heights neighborhood. 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.
On October 6, 1992, Common released his first LP, "Can I Borrow A Dollar?" under the Common Sense moniker. Tracks like "Charm's Alarm" and "Breaker 1-9" established him as a lyricist with wit, street-smarts, and love for extended similes, while tracks like "Heidi Hoe" would touch on the misogyny that would surface sparingly on future work.
In 1994 he released "Resurrection", notable for the smooth 'Large Professor' produced title cut as well as "I Used To Love H.E.R.", an ode to hip-hop. This album further increased his underground reputation while giving the hip-hop nation a new solid conscientious voice in a year that was excellent for underground artists (Nas, Jeru The Damaja, Digable Planet, et al.)
In 2003 he released Electric Circus. The album was a hybrid mix of hip-hop/funk/soul/rock and psychedelia which amazed hip-hop fans like no other album has. Common later chose to redefine himself, swearing off the alcohol, marijuana, and fornication that he had once indulged in.
Also in 2003 he appeared in a TV sitcom episode. With only a couple minor roles between 2003 and 2004, in January of 2007 he made his big screen debut.
Common portrayed the role of the Gatekeeper in The Wiz Live! along with former Just Wright co-star Queen Latifah
Discography[]
Studio albums
- Can I Borrow a Dollar? (1992)
- Resurrection (1994)
- One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997)
- Like Water for Chocolate (2000)
- Electric Circus (2002)
- Be (2005)
- Finding Forever (2007)
- Universal Mind Control (2008)
- The Dreamer/The Believer (2011)
- Nobody's Smiling (2014)
- Black America Again (2016)
- Let Love (2019)
- A Beautiful Revolution (Pt. 1) (2020)
- A Beautiful Revolution (Pt. 2) (2021)
Gallery[]
_(cropped).jpg "Common at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn (27813357667) (cropped).jpg (378 KB)")
