Common
a.k.a.
Common Sense, Common Sense, Lonnie Rashied Lynn
THE COMMON MAN The Only Thing Common About the Eclectic Electric CircusIs This Rap Poet's Name
It was obvious from his bohemian hip-hop classic, 2000's Like Water for Chocolate, that Common was a man with a mission. The Chicago-born rapper forged a soul-searching sound that balanced spiritual lyrics with street concerns, on tracks that reached back to both jazz and African music. In 2003, he's become the ringmaster of his very own Electric Circus, leading a huge cast -- including Prince, Jill Scott, Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, and his lady love, Erykah Badu -- on one of the most experimental hip-hop records in recent memory. Prior to a tour stop in Pittsburgh, Common spoke with Barnes & Noble.com's R&B/Hip-Hop editor Tracy E. Hopkins about the album, the state of hip-hop, and Badu, with whom he shares a Grammy nomination for the song "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)."
Barnes & Noble.com: What's the significance of the title Electric Circus?
Common: It's electric because of the electric guitars that we used and the intensity and high energy of the music. The circus for me represents freedom and going all over the place with the music and being colorful. That's why I called it Electric Circus.
B&N.com: There are a few references to Jimi Hendrix on the disc: He's one of the faces on the album cover, and you do a song, "Jimi Was a Rock Star." How long have you been a Hendrix fan?
C: I've only been familiar with him for about three years. I love his music and what he represents. I love the spirit that he brought to music and what he did as an artist and as a person. Before, I had heard of him and people had played some of his music for me, but for some reason I couldn't dig into it.
B&N.com: Did you tap into him when you recorded Like Water for Chocolate at his Electric Lady studios?
C: It was after Like Water for Chocolate, but not just because I recorded at Electric Lady. It was more being out on the road and getting a chance to listen to Jimi.
B&N.com: Besides Hendrix, you have a lot of people on the album cover. What inspired you to put actor Larenz Tate and NBA star Chris Webber on the cover?
C: Larenz Tate is a creative actor. I love his work. And I chose [to put him on the cover] because he's an artist I respect. Chris Webber is not only a great athlete, but he stands for black power to a certain extent. I've seen him talking to the NCAA rules and regulations people about how they exploit young black men. Basically, he has stood up for certain causes and he's a good guy. People who have been an influence on me were chosen to be on the album [cover].
B&N.com: "Come Close" is obviously about your relationship with Erykah Badu, or at least I think it is.
C: Yeah, pretty much. The song was really written to her and about her and about us.
B&N.com: You still live in New York, and Erykah lives in Dallas. How do you juggle your careers and a long-distance relationship?
C: It works out beautifully. We're used to traveling, so we gotta travel to see [each other as well]. She comes to New York a lot, and I go to Dallas a lot. And the time away is good, too, because we get to work and pursue other things besides the relationship that we want to pursue. Then, when we're together, it's us being together.
B&N.com: Besides both being artists and a couple, you've said that you and Erykah have important work to do together. What is that work?
C: I think we're here to do God's work. We're here to do soldier work for the Creator and go out and try to help people, to spread the message of love, and do things within our community to try to enlighten our people and give them opportunities. Those are some of the things we were sent here to do together.
B&N.com: I recently saw a panel discussion on black music at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Vernon Reid from Living Colour said hip-hop needs to be blown up and reassembled. Do you agree with that? And how can hip-hop be used more as a tool to elevate black consciousness?
C: I think hip-hop is like a person, and it's going to go through certain phases -- good times and bad times. There will be times when [hip-hop] is looking beautiful and times when it looks ugly to some people. I think it just needs to be balanced by [giving a platform to] more artists that bring in creativity and consciousness. They need to get the same amount of exposure as some of the other artists who rap about getting money or shooting or whatever. But at the end of the day, [those artists are] reflecting black life too, so you can't knock that. But that's not all to our being -- the cars we want or the chains we wear. Every black and Latino person doesn't want that. So hip-hop needs the balance of having Mos Def, Talib Kweli, the Roots, and Common getting played as much as the Jay-Zs and Ja Rules of the world.
B&N.com: What are some of your favorite albums from 2002 and 2003 so far?
C: The Roots' Phrenology and N.E.R.D.'s In Search Of....
B&N.com: You did a Coca-Cola commercial with Maya. Because of your grassroots image, did you think twice about doing the ad campaign, or did you see it as a good career move?
C: I thought twice until they really let me take control of the commercial. They made sure I was working with people I thought were good. I had ?uestlove, James Poyser, and Pino Palladino [a.k.a. the Soulquarians] play the music in the commercial. The director of the commercial is Chris Robinson [Musiq, Alicia Keys], and he's in tune with hip-hop. His work is fly. We made it as dope as possible.
B&N.com: You work with diverse collaborators on the album, from Omar to Laetitia Sadier from Stereolab to Prince. How did you pull all of these artists together?
C: A lot of the artists showed appreciation for my music. And even though Laetitia from Stereolab wasn't familiar with me, once she heard the track I wanted her to be on ["New Wave"], she was with it. Most of them have to let me know they at least know me or something [laughs]. Prince came to me and told me he really dug my music. In 2001, we had a jam session in Chicago, and we ended up performing at Paisley Park at one of his events. After that, we had a good bond, and I asked him to perform on Electric Circus. He played on "Star '69." I really love and respect all the people I worked with, like Omar. And that respect is reciprocated. But I put Prince on a higher level than a lot of artists, just because of his abilities and gifts and how he's changed music.
B&N.com: What was your goal with Electric Circus, and did you reach that goal?
C: I think my goal was to create something new, something fresh -- something that was beyond what we expect hip-hop to be. I wanted to break free of the chains we put on hip-hop music and black music. I wanted to try to change the way we view music. In some ways, I think I accomplished that. I feel like the album has to keep growing and getting out there. But I accomplished some of the things I wanted to do.
B&N.com: I love the song "Heaven Somewhere." It's such a spiritually uplifting song. Where does your sense of spirituality come from?
C: I try to be in tune with God and in tune with myself as much as possible. The spirit is what carries us a lot. So I respect the spirit of the ancestors and my spirit. And I try to be respectful to and considerate of other spirits too. My spirituality stems from me being raised as a Christian, but then being introduced to Islam, and then understanding that God is God. There's only one God. Different religions may take different paths to get to God, but doing right to human beings and to yourself -- God is always gonna love that.
B&N.com: Has Erykah influenced your sense of spirituality?
C: I built that as a child -- having a strong spiritual base. It then developed from my own experiences in life. But of course Erykah enhances it. That's my mate. That's my queen. So she better enhance it. She definitely does that.
February 4, 2003
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