Common, whose name is Lonnie Rashid Lynn, is a Black American rapper, actor and writer born on Chicago's South Side on March 13, 1972, the son of educator Mahalia Ann Hines and former ABA basketball player Lonnie Lynn Sr. He released his debut album, Can I Borrow a Dollar?, in 1992. His second album, Resurrection, followed in 1994 and showed how far his writing had moved beyond the underheard debut that preceded it. Later recordings included Like Water for Chocolate in 2000, which featured the J Dilla-produced single "The Light," and Be in 2005, an album produced primarily by Kanye West, extending a career that also brought him into film performance and songwriting.
For Selma, Common joined John Legend in writing "Glory," the theme song for a film that portrays the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. The song won the 2015 Academy Award for Original Song, with the Academy crediting John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn for its music and lyrics. Common also appeared in the film as civil rights movement figure James Bevel. He has won three Grammy Awards across his recording career.
Common's work for the documentary 13th brought another shared honor. "Letter to the Free" won the 2017 Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. The Television Academy credits Common for music and lyrics, alongside composers Robert Glasper and Karriem Riggins. Both songs put co-writers and composers at the center of achievements usually credited to one performer, and both carried his recording career into films about American history.
