Common



Common debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow A Dollar?, and maintained a significant underground following into the late 90s. His first major label album, Like Water for Chocolate, received widespread critical acclaim and moderate commercial success.

Its popularity was matched by 2005's Be, which was nominated in the 2006 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. Common has also started a budding film career, starting with Smokin' Aces followed by American Gangster.

BIOGRAPHY
Early life Common was born in Chicago, Illinois to Lonnie Lynn and Ann Hines. Common's parents divorced when he was six years old. This left Common to be raised by his mother. While in high school, Common also formed C.D.R., a rap trio that opened for acts such as N.W.A. and Big Daddy Kane. Common later left this group when he attended Florida A&M University.

Rap career
As Common Sense
Common was featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source magazine after a friend sent in a tape of Common rapping. Under the stage name Common Sense, he debuted in 1992 with the single "Take It EZ" followed by the album, Can I Borrow a Dollar? Although mainstream success proved shortcoming, he established a solid fan base within Chicago's underground rap scene. With the 1994 release of Resurrection, Common achieved a much larger degree of critical acclaim. The album sold relatively well and received a strong positive reaction among alternative and underground hip-hop fans at the time. Resurrection was Common's last album produced.

Soulquarians era
Following One Day..., Common signed a major label record deal with MCA Records and relocated from Chicago to New York City in 1999. He began recording almost exclusively with a loose collective of musicians and artists throughout 1999, and made a few sporadic guest appearances on The Roots' Things Fall Apart, and the Rawkus Records compilation, Sound bombing 2.

In 2000, his fourth album, Like Water for Chocolate, was released to mass critical acclaim. Featuring significant contributions by J Dilla, , Like Water for Chocolate transpired to be a considerable commercial breakthrough for Common, earning the rapper his first gold record.

This album saw Common exploring themes. The most popular single from the album, "The Light", was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Acting career
In 2003, Common appeared on the popular American UPN sitcom Girlfriends, in the episode "Take This Poem and Call Me In The Morning. He also had a cameo appearance on an episode of UPN's One on One. In 2007, Common appeared in the crime film Smokin' Aces. He made his big screen debut as villainous Mob enforcer Sir Ivy. He is set to appear in the 2007 crime thriller American Gangster. On 20 January 2007, he appeared in a Saturday Night Live sketch as himself.

Personal life
Common is father to 10 year old Omoye Assata Lynn. He dated Erykah Badu from 2000 to around 2003. Aside from Badu, Common has also been romantically linked with actress Taraji P. Henson.

Common and J Dilla established their chemistry early on. Both became members of the Soulquarians collective. As Dilla's health began to decline from the effects of Lupus Nephritis, he relocated to Los Angeles for treatment, and asked Common to make the move with him as a roommate. Dilla would lose his battle with the rare disease, but his asking of Common to move in with him during his darkest hour is testament of a friendship between the two that transcended rap music, or the music industry.

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