Common Archives - Rolling Out

On May 19, 1925, Malcolm X, one of the greatest and most revered freedom fighters in American history was born in Omaha, Nebraska. The son of a follower of Jamaican-born Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, he eventually rose from petty criminality to attain worldwide stature and influence by advocating for Black self-reliance, pride and defense. Some of…

comedy like a boss

After months of rumors and innuendos, actress Tiffany Haddish and rap icon Common finally went on a publicized virtual date this past week. The Emmy Award-winning comedienne, 40, and the Oscar-winning rapper, 48, had a live date on the dating app Bumble. However, Wednesday, April 22, Haddish swatted away any questions regarding her romantic status…

Common probably had the best NBA All-Star weekend ever. A few days after winning the MVP award at this year’s celebrity game, he opened the official game on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, with a moving and soul-stirring tribute to Kobe Bryant and his Chicago hometown. The Grammy and Academy Award winner painted a picture of…

Common represented for the home team by winning MVP at this year’s All-Star Celebrity Game on Feb. 14, 2020, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Common’s team, coached by Michael Wilbon crushed Chance the Rapper’s team, coached by Stephen A. Smith with a score of 62-47. Common wore No. 25 as a tribute to Ben…

CNN political analyst Angela Rye broke it down for the fans on the reason she and legendary rapper Common broke up yet again for what was probably the final time. Speaking on her “Kwanzaa Edition: 2019 Year in Review” podcast, Rye, 40, fielded questions about why she and Common, born Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid…

Throughout 2019, a number of hip-hop’s biggest recording artists and cultural influencers have tested their talents outside of the studio and away from their roaring fans. As we close out this decade, 2019 saw some of them put pen to paper and express their opinions away from the mic and daily shows. Some told the…

“Married to Medicine” star Quad Webb conveyed she was horrified when her so-called close friend, Dr. Heavenly Kimes, said that Webb once slept with rap legend Common. Webb said the moment, unveiled during the latest episode of “Married to Medicine” latest episode, was particularly cringe-worthy since Common is known to currently be in a romantic…

A White teacher from Milpitas, California who impersonated rapper and activist Common is currently on leave for an undisclosed period of time. The teacher, David Carter, is now admitting he made a “horrible mistake,” but previously had no reservations when placing dark paint on his face to imitate the Chicago-bred artist for Halloween. “I would…

Layoffs seem to be a common theme of late, and there are a couple below that we couldn’t pass up. Sans the services of 9th Wonder, hip-hop duo Little Brother came back to drop an atomic bomb that certainly measures up to their most noted work. Add to that, Akon is back with his first…

“Rolling Out Tonight” host Cassidy Sparks highlights the hottest new releases in music, movies, and TV each week. In this episode, she recommends checking out new documentaries about rapper Travis Scott and comedian Dave Chappelle; and new music from Common and much more.

Female fans melted over rapper Common when he was dating political juggernaut and CNN contributor Angela Rye, and then they were disappointed to learn that the power couple had split up last year. But, according to Common’s own words, things are back on between the “Light” lyricist and the beloved political firebrand. Common alluded to…

In Chicago, on May 30th, Rolling out got a sneak peek the NikeLab’s Re-Creation Center which partnered with, Off White Creator, and Louis Vuitton’s menswear artistic Director, Virgil Abloh. The Re-Creation center is in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent mile just next door to the Nike Store. The Re-Creation Center will host workshops sharing artistic…

Oscar and Grammy award-winning hip-hop artist Common hosted an intimate listening party in New York City last night to preview songs from his forthcoming album titled “Let Love Have The Last World.” The hip-hop veteran discussed the inspiration behind more than a half dozen songs, including being molested by a family friend when he was…

To most Black women, rapper Common is the quintessential embodiment of manhood: strong, intelligent, articulate, responsible, socially-conscious, upwardly mobile and financially secure. It is hard, with the powerful image that he projects, to fathom someone like him being subjected to any type of abuse. But in his Simon and Schuster-released book, Let Love Have the…

Maimouna Youssef, aka Mumu Fresh, is a divine musical healer. She’s rocked with seminal artists such as Common, The Roots and Lauryn Hill. She shares her journey and also explains how “being a Black woman is like being Black twice.”

Common and Serena Williams were in Chicago for “Creative Minds Talk – The Art of Storytelling” at The Lyric Opera in Chicago recently. They discussed their careers and the path it took to reach their status. Common took a moment to pay homage to the women of the world with a piece titled, “The Day…

Serena Williams and Common were in Chicago yesterday for Creative Minds Talks, The Art Of Storytelling at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. The 23 time Grand Slam Champion and Grammy Award-winning artist shared an honest, heartfelt discussion centered around their lives and social issues. Many may remember Common and Williams being an item at one point…

August Greene — a hybrid of hip-hop and contemporary jazz featuring rapper Common, jazz pianist Robert Glasper and drummer Karriem Riggins — made their ONE Musicfest debut on Sunday, Sept. 9, in Atlanta. The musicians shared a long working relationship before joining forces and releasing their self-titled debut album on March 9. They are not a braggadocious…

Some of the best moments come from impromptu changes. Common was slated to open for legendary hip-hop band The Roots, Friday, July 27, at Detroit’s Chene Park. But inclement weather grounded lead MC Black Thought’s plane in New York. After an almost two hour delay, Common hit the stage. The emcee, actor and activist, reminded us why we…

Rap royalty Common is lending his sociopolitical expertise to help Starbucks recover from its national public relations disaster after having two Black men arrested for simply sitting in their store last month. As the company announced in April, the international coffee behemoth Starbucks closed 8,000 of its stores on Tuesday, May 29 for all staff to…