Common gives an uncommon speech at Southeast

Common’s main message to the Cape Girardeau crowd Tuesday was for each person to believe in his or her own abilities, and through that belief, to achieve greatness.

“In the Common dictionary, it says, ‘Greatness is performing your gifts at the highest level and inspiring others to reach their potential,’” the actor and rapper said. “You do this by finding your purpose, believing in your purpose and living your purpose.”

Common found his purpose when he was 12 years old when he began rapping with his cousin and the Bond Hill Crew in Cincinnati. He dropped out of college at Florida A&M to pursue a career in hip-hop, against the wishes of his mother, a former teacher.

Common began his Southeast Speaker Series speech Tuesday night with an a capella freestyle rap that referenced the university’s The Towers dormitory and Merick Hall, throwing rolls at Lambert’s Cafe in Sikeston, Missouri, and Cedric the Entertainer, who attended Southeast.

“Work is love made visible,” Common said. “When you’re working at something you love to do, you’re putting love into the atmosphere.”

The audience inside the Show Me Center film use their cellphones to record Common as he freestyle raps Tuesday night during his Southeast Missouri State University Speaker Series appearance.Laura Simon

The Chicago-based artist also talked about some of the challenges he faced along the way. One was when he broke up with singer Erykah Badu in the early 2000s.

“I truly didn’t believe in myself totally. I found out through a breakup. Y’all know Erykah Badu,” Common said. “When I started going through the process, I started looking at it like, ‘Where did I go wrong?’ ... I noticed I was willing to dim my light for others. I was dimming my light in that relationship.”

About that time, Common began working with Kanye West, and together they made the album “Be.” Common said it was divine inspiration West came into his life at that time. “Be” went on to be the first album Common recorded that received “classic” reviews and Grammy nominations.

“He has no problem believing in himself,” Common said of West.

He also told the story of attending that Grammy Awards ceremony with West and John Legend, another frequent collaborator. West and Legend each walked away with several awards.

He thought he was going to win best rap album, only to lose to West.

“You don’t want to show that sadness on camera,” he said. “I believed with all that I had that I would win those awards. Belief in your purpose is only the second step. You have to live your purpose.”

In the attempt to live his purpose, Common brought an example of great loss and trying to overcome that feeling.

His cousin, who was part of the inspiration for his rap career, died in a motorcycle accident in 2009.

Instead of viewing the accident as a mistake, Common was inspired to approach his own life more adventurously.

“He lived his life adventurously,” Common said. “He lived his life free.”

Common said greatness also comes from being a good person, using a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. to emphasize the point.

“We’re talking about a well-rounded human being,” he said. “That’s what greatness is. By being a great human being, you’ll inspire greatness.”

Common also took some questions from Southeast Missouri State University students on social media.

He said the most inspirational piece of advice he received was to be free within himself, which he received from his mother.

His favorite musical artists he has worked with included producer J Dilla, Lauryn Hill and West.

He also responded to a question about concealed guns on college campuses.

“It’s not necessary to carry a weapon on a college campus,” he said. “You’re here for an education. What does a gun have to do with an education?”

He was asked about the challenges he faced in his career. He talked about his first album flopping.

“If you’re part of a profession, it’s not going to be sunny every day,” he said.

Common said recent culturally charged performances by Beyoncé at the Super Bowl and Kendrick Lamar at the Grammys were necessary for great art. He then was asked about the black community and whether an isolation or integration approach was better.

“We live in a world that’s multicultural,” he said. “We should live in that world. ... If God would have wanted one race, he would have created one.”

Common’s speech was the Michael Davis lecture, with the speaker representing the contributions of African-Americans in media.

bkleine@semissourian.com

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