Photo: Steven Pisano - Feast of Music from New York City, United States / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Common, born on March 13, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois, United States, is a rapper, writer and record producer. Common is 54 years old as of 2026. Education on record includes Luther High School South and Florida A&M University. Awards on record include Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (2002, 2003), BET Award for Video of the Year (2003), Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (2007) and 4 more. Credited works include Smallfoot, The Odd Life of Timothy Green and LUV.
My Take
Common occupies a rare lane in hip-hop: he proved you could stay thoughtful without going soft. From Chicago's open-mic circuit to a shelf of Grammys and an Academy Award for an original song, his career reads like a slow, deliberate climb rather than a flash of hype. What I admire is the discipline, the way he treats rap as literature, acting as craft, and activism as obligation, never letting one dilute the others. Plenty of rappers simply age out; Common aged into something closer to a public intellectual with an impeccable flow. When I want proof that hip-hop can carry moral weight gracefully, his catalog is where I point people.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Common
- Name (Japanese)
- コモン
- Reading
- こもん
- Born
- March 13, 1972 (age 54)
- Origin
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Occupation
- rapper / writer / record producer / model / singer
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Rat
2. Background
- High school
- Luther High School South
- University
- Florida A&M University
Awards & achievements
- 2002 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
- 2003 BET Award for Video of the Year
- 2007 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
- 2012 BET Her Award
- 2003 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
- 2015 Soul Train Music Award for The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award
- 2015 Academy Award for Best Original Song
- 2003 BET Award for Viewer's Choice
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | Smallfoot |
| Notable work | The Odd Life of Timothy Green |
| Notable work | LUV |
| Notable work | Hell on Wheels |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://thinkcommon.com
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/common/
- Xhttps://x.com/common
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common%20(rapper)
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B3%E3%83%A2%E3%83%B3
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q286022
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Common born?
Born March 13, 1972 (age 54).
Where is Common from?
Common is from Chicago, Illinois, United States.
What does Common do?
Common works as rapper, writer, record producer, model, singer.
What is Common known for?
Notable works include Smallfoot, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, LUV.
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