Happy Birthday To Chicago Hip-Hop Pioneer Common!

On this date in 1972, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., the rapper, actor, and poet also known as Common was born in Chicago, Illinois. The Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist is not only an icon of Windy City’s Hip Hop scene, but he has also helped to blaze a trail for Golden Era rappers into other aspects of entertainment as he has with his roles in blockbuster movies such as American Gangster, John Wick 2 and Glory just to name a few. The newly signed HBO producer has come a long way since he was known as Common Sense asking Can I Borrow A Dollar?

As we salute Common on his born day, let us send him a keen reminder of his first love that brought him into our living rooms, literally making him a household name.