Years ago, Common—born Lonnie Rashid Lynn—re-introduced the intellectualist thinker to the hip hop scene. Using his out of the box thinking, he built his popularity with revolutionary education to the black race through lyricism and spoken word. From his chart toppers like ‘The Light,’ and double entendre tracks like ‘I Used to Love H.E.R.,’ he’s maintained an image that gained respect all around–especially from his lady fans.
There’s a myriad of reasons to fall in love with the seeker of knowledge being that he’s amassed himself into various crafts and succeeded in them all. The father of one turns 42 years old today and to celebrate him, we’ve listed 10 reasons to love this Chicago native.
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He’s not just a rapper that acts–he has actual talent. He started off in guest roles on shows like Girlfriends and worked his way up to big screen features like American Gangster, Just Wright, Wanted and his latest film Luv. He may not have started his journey as an actor, but he definitely has a knack for it.
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Music Education
He uses music as a tool for educating others. He expands your mind with his tracks and opens up conversation over his lyrics. He understands that the fans of the hip hop community aren’t always open to reading, but will listen, so he uses that as his chance to dilate his fans’ understanding.
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Fountain of Youth
He just turned 42, but looks like he just hit 32. Like Nas, we would like to know what fountain of youth his fine self has been keeping all to himself.
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Philanthrophy
He’s an avid supporter for animal rights and PETA—most recently appearing in their “Think Before You Eat” ad and “Knowing is Beautiful” movement to raise awareness of Aids and HIV while pledging to stop using anti-gay lyrics.
He’s also founder of Common Ground Foundation, a non-profit working to empower underprivileged youth with programs dedicated leadership and educational development, creative expression, and a book club so that they have the urge to be stronger citizens. We love any man that loves to help others, especially ones that can’t help themselves.
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College Educated
While he didn’t graduate, he attended Florida A&M University on scholarship and majored in business administration. He ended up getting a record deal in 1991.
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Healthy Diet
The former vegan is now a Pescatarian. This may be the reason behind his ageless appearance.
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Common has had quite a few leading ladies, but nothing tops his ex Erykah Badu. She’s the quintessential lady to match his spirit and music and we’re still hoping they rekindle their love. However if our wishes never happen, the fact that he once called her his own makes him that more appealing to us.
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Attractive/Appearance
Common has always kept himself in good shape and well dressed. He encourages his young men to look a certain way to garner the respect they deserve and his young women to expect more from the men that want to date them.
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Writer
He published his own memoir One Day It’ll All Make Sense and as poetic as he is, his book reflected it all. Basing it largely on his mother’s influence in his life, he took us through a greatly narrative impression of himself.
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President Obama
Common is a big supporter of his fellow Chicago brethren. He joined Barack Obama’s campaign that helped launch his presidential career. He also was featured in the video, “Yes We Can” that became Obama’s slogan in his 2008 presidential movement.
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