Common sat down with ROLLING OUT Magazine where he talking about the evolution of hip hop and drew comparisons between the Civil Rights film "SELMA" and the protests in Ferguson. Find out what he said inside....
In a surprisingly candid cover story for ROLLING OUT, rapper Common, who landed a role in the season's most-buzzed about film, SELMA, opens up about the evolution of hip-hop ("Hip-hop evolves and constantly grows. And, it’s gonna change"), the need for GOD in schools (“I would like to see spirituality valued more") and how he feels about being a Black man in America ("Getting to know different figures...just gives me more information on who I am and allows me to know that we can accomplish anything").
Some of his views may shock and motivate you to action. Here are the highlights:
On hip hop's evolution:
“Hip-hop evolves and constantly grows. And, it’s gonna change. It’s moving where the youth are moving. The youth lead hip-hop in many ways, but then again — you still have artists like myself that have been around in hip-hop a long time, putting out fresh music and new sounds.
On how he remains current in Hip Hop:
"I think I provide a different aspect. I did an album called Nobody’s Smiling and I connected with artists like Lil Herb from Chicago and an artist named Dreezy. I brought some of the younger artists who had their perspective and I offered a different perspective. But, I don’t overlook the fact that I was them at one point. Meaning, I come from the same place that they come from. I’m not the person or the artist that’s gonna sit there and judge what they do. I just write from a perspective of always giving a voice to the people in what I do.”
On accepting a role in SELMA and working with Ava DuVernay:
“I’m more than honored to be a part of this. This is one of my most fulfilling moments in my life as an artist, actor and as a human being. Dr. King and the struggle is something that I’m very much connected to. And … when we do art like this, it’s an extension of what they did. We’re keeping that dream going.
“I come from the South Side of Chicago. It [has] a rich history of Black culture. [Chicago] was discovered by a Black man. The more I learn my history, the more I have love for myself, love for my community and I love others. It’s not like you can’t love your people, your community and love others, too.”
On being a Black Man In America:
"Getting to know different figures, whether it’s Nat Turner, whether it’s Malcolm X, whether it’s Dr. King or Harriet Tubman — it just gives me more information on who I am and allows me to know that we can accomplish anything.
And [it’s important] to know the lineage that I come from. My father used to always say that to me: ‘Your bloodline is strong.’ So I’m part of the bloodline and to be able to know that gives me fuel for when things are difficult. So I’m just grateful to be a Black man in America today.”
On SELMA and Ferguson......and CHANGE
"We’ve come a long way, we’ve got a long way to go. As far as the change in this country and some of the racial prejudices that exist [and] some of the abuse of power; we obviously feel like when you look at some of the scenes in Selma, it’s not too far a picture from Ferguson, Missouri.
That’s one [incident] specifically — you can go directly to that and say that you know that a young man being killed at the hands of an officer or someone in authority — like the state trooper that shot Jimmie Lee Jackson or the policeman that shot Michael Brown. It’s not that big of a difference [between the] situations — this is 50 years later and we’re still fighting for justice. And the people of Ferguson are doing it in a nonviolent way, which is very important. And very important that we figure out what we need. And I think Selma is so relevant because it’s art. It’s a film. But it also can effect change and open the eyes of some teenager that’s like ‘Man, they did all that. And I can be a part of something that’s strong and have a value to my life that would mean something beyond my Instagram or beyond just my Twitter followers."
His thoughts on Hip Hops response AND non-responsive to current political issues:
“Music [offers] different forms of expression. Everybody has their interpretation of what music is fresh to them and they have their taste in what they’re gonna listen to. I think hip-hop specifically and music in general, it allows the artists to express themselves. If somebody wants to do the [Bobby Shmurda], then that’s what they should do. It’s hard for me to tell somebody ‘You should rap like this or do a song like this.’ I think the important thing to acknowledge is that it’s not only that music. It’s also music that offers other things. We got a song at the end of Selma called ‘Glory,’ myself and John Legend, and it’s about this film and what took place in Selma but also what’s going on now. And it’s about the fight — and winning the fight.
The fight isn’t a race thing.The fight is overcoming injustice and letting love prevail and fighting for peace. So music does exist like that. Other artists have a lot to say. That’s why I don’t focus on one aspect. People are going to be who they are. [Just] present the whole spectrum.”
On being honest with fans, and sharing his flaws:
"One thing my father did that I really loved was my father always let me know his flaws. He never acted as the perfect human being,” Common explains. “I think it’s important for me, if I’m going to get the younger generation to understand, then I also have to present the truth. I’m not a perfect human being, but I also have to present what I know to be integrity in music, to be creative — music that has substance. I gotta present the truth. To me, with hip-hop, if you stay in tune with the people and really connected with the people, you’ll really be able to align yourself with what’s going on in hip-hop. If I do that, I can always offer some type of leadership. Sometimes leadership is listening. It doesn’t always mean that I got the answers. Some of it is just … showing you care because I don’t have all the answers. But I will offer everything I do have.”
On what society is missing:
“I would like to see spirituality valued more,” he says. “I would like to see schools not be afraid to talk about God. I would like to see the creator be put more into the families and communities in whatever way we can get spirituality there. I’m a believer that if you believe in a higher power and you work to act toward that, it will direct your life in a right direction. You will have morals and values to live by and a compass, as they say. And a conscience about what you’re doing. Because if you’re really believing in a higher power, you’ll know that higher power is in each and every individual.”
On Sunday, Common and his collabo partner John Legend are nominated for a Golden Globe for their track "Glory", an original song that appears in SELMA. Tune in to TheYBF.com for our coverage to find out if they ake home the win.
Photos via Rolling Out
