Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid Lynn[5][6][7] (born March 13, 1972), better known by his stage

name Common (formerly Common Sense), is an American rapper, actor, writer, philanthropist, and
activist. Common debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar? and maintained an
underground following into the late 1990s, after which he gained mainstream success through his
work with the Soulquarians.[8]

Common's first major-label album Like Water for Chocolate (2000) received commercial success.[9]
In 2003, he won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for the Erykah Badu single "Love of My
Life".[10] His 2005 album Be was also a commercial success and was nominated for Best Rap Album
at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Common received his second Grammy Award for Best Rap
Performance by a Duo or Group for "Southside" (featuring Kanye West), from his 2007 album Finding
Forever. His best-of album, Thisisme Then: The Best of Common, was released in late 2007. In 2011,
Common launched Think Common Entertainment, his own record label imprint. He had previously
released music under various other labels including Relativity, Geffen, and GOOD Music.

Common won the 2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best
Original Song, for his song "Glory" from the 2014 film Selma, in which he co-starred as Civil Rights
Movement leader James Bevel. Common's acting career also includes roles in the films Smokin' Aces,
Street Kings, American Gangster, Wanted, Terminator Salvation, Date Night, Just Wright, Happy Feet
Two, New Year's Eve, Run All Night, Being Charlie, Rex, John Wick: Chapter 2 and Smallfoot. He also
narrated the documentary Bouncing Cats, about one man's efforts to improve the lives of children in
Uganda through hip-hop/b-boy culture.[11] He starred as Elam Ferguson on the AMC western
television series Hell on Wheels.

Contents

1 Early life

2 Music career

2.1 1987–1996: Career beginnings

2.2 1996–1999: One Day It'll All Make Sense

2.3 1999–2003: Soulquarians era

2.4 2004–2011: GOOD Music era

2.5 2011–present: Think Common Ent.

2.5.1 The Dreamer/The Believer and feud with Drake