The Road to Glory: Hip-Hop Star Common Speaks at AU

American University News


Common spoke, and even did an AU-centric freestyle, in Bender Arena. Photo: Jeffrey Watts.
Among his many accomplishments, Common won an Oscar for “Glory,” a song co-recorded with John Legend for the movie Selma. “Every day women and men become legends/sins that go against our skin become blessings,” Common intoned on “Glory.” That idea—victory in the face of adversity, belief in the face of oppression—was a theme he returned to at American University’s Bender Arena on Wednesday, April 5.
The rapper, actor, and author struck an optimistic tone throughout the night, reflecting on his Chicago upbringing, his hip-hop career, and his dedication to social change. The student-run Kennedy Political Union and the College of Arts and Sciences co-presented the event. Michael Harvey, an AU professorial lecturer in audio technology, and Sean Glover of SoundExchange, moderated the question-and-answer session. Co-sponsors included the AU Alumni Association, the Office of Campus Life, the AU chapter of the NAACP, Black Student Alliance, the Kogod School of Business-Business and Entertainment Program, Men of Empowerment and Excellence, 94 Forever, Second District Records, and WVAU.
On Ali and Greatness
Common—real name, Lonnie Lynn—was here to speak and not perform. Well, almost. To the delight of the AU crowd, he broke into a freestyle with shout-outs to “coffee at the Dav,” “Mass Ave.,” and KPU Deputy Director Aaliyah Lambert.
He opened by talking about attending Muhammad Ali’s memorial service in 2016. “I started to think about, ‘Why did we call Muhammad Ali the greatest?’” he said. Common believes it was Ali’s humanity that drew people to him. He noted how Ali “spoke up against injustices, how he had sacrificed his career, at the height of his career, for something he believed in. How he greeted each and every individual with love, no matter what your background was. Or what you looked like. That’ ...

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