Common may have a reputation for being a conscious rapper, but he had no problem going at those who question his pen. He spent years going back and forth with Ice Cube over a perceived diss in his classic single “I Used to Love H.E.R.” Cube fired at Com with the seminal Westside Connection heater “Westside Slaughterhouse,” and then Common responded with the Pete Rock-produced “The B*tch In Yoo.” Great songs across the board, but things reached such a fever pitch by the late 90s that Com was concerned about the next step.
The Chicago rapper recalled his feelings on the matter during a recent appearance on 7PM In Brooklyn. He revealed that something went down between him and Cube in-person in 1995, which pushed things in an unexpected direction. “We had a little confrontation in Atlanta and this was like ’95,” he recalled. “At that point we had a little confrontation. And I was like, ‘Man, this might get ugly.’” Common credited three things with helping to close the book on the beef by 1997. The first two things were the deaths of Biggie and 2Pac following their battle. The third was the encouragement from the Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan.”
The truce between Common and Ice Cube took place at the Nation of Islam headquarters in Chicago. The event was attended by rappers from all coasts, many of whom were involved in beef at one time. Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, Mack 10, and Tha Dogg Pound were some of the most notable names. Common told the hosts that he remains grateful for Minister Farrakhan, and Ice Cube’s willingness to bury things. He assured listeners that him and Cube are close to this day. They even co-starred in Barbershop: The Next Cut together.
Common, who’s working on his next album with the man who produced his Cube diss, Pete Rock, is proud of the fact that he avoided violence. “Ultimately, I felt good that we kept it on wax,” he noted. “It was getting to that point with me and Cube. Because they was looking at me like, ‘Oh, Common’s just the backpack dude.’”
Common is a legend. He’s been around since 1992, and has multiple classics under his best. One of these classics is partially due to Kanye West. Be is a perfect blend of Com’s lyricism and West’s beats. They were inseparable in the 2000s, but the way the former tells it, he could have had even more West beats during this period. The Chicago rapper recently went on the podcast 7PM In Brooklyn, and rattled off a staggering number of Kanye West demos that he decided to pass on. Some of which went on to be hits for other artists.
In total, Common told the 7PM hosts that he passed on roughly ten West beats during the mid-2000s. It may not sound like a lot, given that West was Mr. “ten beats a day for three summers,” but it’s the quality of the beats that really struck the hosts. Common turned down “Dreams” and “Wouldn’t Get Far,” which would go on to become iconic songs for The Game in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The latter was even a single off Game’s sophomore album, Doctor’s Advocate. Common also passed on the chance to rap over “Heard ‘Em Say,” which became the opening song on West’s 2005 masterpiece, Late Registration.
“The song, ‘Heard ‘Em Say,’ he made that beat for me,” the rapper revealed. “It was like, he made that beat, and I was like ‘This beat is dope.’” Common explained that he was impressed by the musicality of the beat itself, but felt that it didn’t match with the sound he had in mind for Be. He claimed that West then wrote the lyrics to his version of the song (the one we know) in ten minutes flat. “I promise you he wrote that song in ten minutes,” Com said. “I sat there and watched this man write this song. He made the beat, and I was just like, ‘This is meant for you.’”
Common also threw in “I Wonder” and “Everything I Am” as beats that he passed on. Both turned up on West’s 2007 album Graduation. The latter reportedly dated back to the Late Registration sessions, which wasn’t previously known. “Everything I Am” is perhaps the most famous example of Com passing on a K. West beat, however.
The controversial rapper even incorporated the decision into the chorus of the song. “Common passed on this beat I made it to a jam,” he spit. “But everything I’m not made me everything I am.” Given the hits that materialized for The Game, West, and Common, we’d say everybody made out just fine.
American singer Jaguar Wright is undoubtedly incredibly talented. However, she is now mostly known for her shocking gossip stories about the music industry than for her skill. Jaguar is so good that her musical achievements include collaborations with some of the biggest artists and music bands, including Jay-Z, The Roots, and Blackalicious. The New Jersey-born songstress has two studio albums to her name. These are Denials, Delusions and Decisions, and Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul, released in 2002 and 2005, respectively.
However, rather than making headlines for her musical artistry, it is Jaguar’s stories about some of the industry’s biggest names that people know her for. She has made allegations about Jay-Z, Common, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Diddy, and others. One thing about Jaguar Wright’s stories is that they are mind-blowing. Here are the wildest music industry tales Jaguar ever told.
3. The One About Diddy Being An Alleged Murderer
Long before singer and music producer Cassie accused music mogul Diddy of raping and physically assaulting her, Jaguar Wright had made scathing allegations against him. In 2022, Jaguar appeared in an interview with RealLyfe Productions and made several revelations about the music industry. In her disclosures about Diddy, Jaguar suggested that he could be behind the death of some Uptown Records employees. She said, “Uptown Records started with five people—Andre Harrell, Al B. Sure, Heavy D, and Puffy [Diddy]; and Kim [Porter] was the longest-working employee. She was there from the very beginning, she was Andre’s personal assistant. Kim is dead, Heavy D is dead, Andre Harrell is dead, the only two left are Puffy and Al, and Al almost died. Isn’t that interesting?”
Jaguar Wright added that the dead and surviving Uptown Records employees had one thing in common. “They were all writing tell-all books.” She added, “Has Puffy ever been in a coma? Has anything happened to him? He must be the luckiest mother**ker because it seems like everybody that worked at Uptown Records from the very beginning are gone. Just him.” Jaguar also alleged that Cassie left Diddy because something went wrong in their relationship. She claimed that Diddy paid Cassie $500,000 monthly before he “dropped her down.”
2. The One About Common Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Her
In another interview from 2020, Jaguar opened up about how Common allegedly sexually assaulted her. Jaguar explained that she and Common ended up together after a show. She continued, “Next thing we know, we go to bed, and he says, ‘C’mon J.’ No, I’m tired, n*gga. I was on the stage all night, I wanna lay down.” Jaguar also claimed that she kept all her clothes on that night as a precaution as she was a victim of sexual assault. She fell asleep but was shocked when she woke up in the morning. Jaguar accused Common of trying to initiate oral sex with her.
She claimed, “This n*gga tryin’ to stick his d*ck in my mouth while I’m sleep. Lonnie f*ckin’ Lynn. Rashid. Common. Whatever the f*ck you wanna call yourself. That’s why I stopped f*ckin’ with him. Because n*gga, if you gon’ try to stick your d*ck in my mouth while I’m sleep, there ain’t nothin’ you won’t do.” However, Common denied the allegations during an interview with Philadelphia’s Rise and Grind Morning Show. He said, “God bless Jaguar. I really don’t have any negative thoughts toward her. I was for sure disappointed and hurt when she said what she said about me because it wasn’t true.”
Common said he knew people who had endured sexual assault and knew they wouldn’t make false claims. He also said he understood Jaguar might be going through some things he didn’t understand. Common concluded, “In all truth, I went through different emotions. I’m like, oh man, why is she saying this? This is not true. How’s this gon’ affect me?”
1. The One About The Roots Allegedly Helping R. Kelly Recruit Underage Girls
Jaguar Wright said y’all favorite hip hop band was around with R Kelly getting young girls to come to the studio. Yikes. pic.twitter.com/kyvNDECUpX
In 2020, while R. Kelly was awaiting trial for sex trafficking, Jaguar Wright claimed the famous band The Roots helped him carry out his crimes. Jaguar made the assertions in an Instagram Live video. She said, “Look at R. Kelly, The Roots was around when that n*gga was sending his driver around to go get girls from what was the middle school — They brought ’em to the studio. They brought ’em to Larry Gold’s studio and I was told to mind my f*cking business if I wanted to keep my career. A member of The Roots told me that, ‘That ain’t none of your business. That man makes people millionaires.’”
Jaguar further expressed regret for not speaking up about the issue back then. She said she felt horrible for keeping quiet about it, especially as she was a sexual abuse survivor. She concluded, “You know how responsible I feel for the women I let get hurt because I didn’t say nothing.”
Jaguar Wright’s claims, whether true or not, shook the music industry. Although many people felt she was doing so for attention, the severity of those allegations, especially in light of recent happenings, may make one want to pay attention. Right now, it is uncertain if those Jaguar accused would ever face legal action as her claims would require hard evidence and not just word of mouth to prove.
On May 5th, 1998 Rawkus Records released the first installment of the Lyricist Lounge albums titled Lyricist Lounge, Volume One, which showcased New York. It was a double-disc compilation that featured De La Soul, Mos Def, Q-Tip, Tash of Tha Alkaholiks, Punch & Words, O.C, Ras Kass, Black Thought, Common, Pharoahe Monch, Saul Williams, Kool Keith, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek, Bahamadia, Rah Digga, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Jurassic 5, KRS-One, Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, Last Emperor, and Company Flow.
This CD is one of those that you don’t get often. It had incredible and intensely clever wordplay, and was great for the culture because of the positive support it showed for hip hop. Back then everyone thought hip-hop was rap music and rap music was gangsta. It made people think twice before making an assumption like that. Any hip-hop purist who enjoys freestyles and great rhymes that make you think then this is the album for you.
Next week (5/10), Grammy-winning and Philly-bred psychedelic-soul legend Bilal will announce his newest project,Live at Glasshaus, a live album featuring an all-star backing band consisting of Common, Questlove, RobertGlasper, and BurnissTravis.
Spanning over two decades of recorded music, the supergroup gathered forone night only to rework standouts from Bilal’s catalog, including his debut album1st Born Second, his famously unreleased sophomore album Love For Sale, and a new track; they even visit classics from Common’s seminal Like Water for Chocolate.
The forthcoming release also has a companion docu-concert film (announcing at a later date), capturing the magical evening these legends gathered. Alongside the concert footage are exclusive interviews with the star-studdedcollaborators that reflect on Bilal’s genius, legacy, creative process, and relationship to the genre. They even go into their friendships origin stories, their history of collaborations, and connection to the Soulquarians.
To accompany the album announce, Bilal is sharing the first single “Something to Hold,” originally recorded at Electric Lady Studios during the height of the Soulquarian era.
In the past year, De La Soul have returned to the rap world in a major way. After a long drought of new material they finally were able to make much of their collection available on streaming services for the first time. This allowed an entire generation of new rap fans to get into their music and sparked newfound interest in the legendary trio. Now those same fans will have a chance to see what they were like in their absolute prime when a legendary show will be livestreamed on YouTube.
De La Soul made the announcement earlier this week that an iconic New York show from 1996 would be livestreaming. “Join us this Friday, April 26th at 2 PM ET for an unforgettable experience as we premiere the full concert “Live at Tramps, NYC, 1996” on YouTube. Witness the magic of that historic night, complete with special guest appearances by @MosDefOfficial, @Common, and @JungleBros4Life,” the tweet they made announcing the livestream reads. Alongside the post they shared a brief sippet of the show letting fans know exactly what they can expect. Check out the announcement post they made below.
Join us this Friday, April 26th at 2 PM ET for an unforgettable experience as we premiere the full concert “Live at Tramps, NYC, 1996” on YouTube. Witness the magic of that historic night, complete with special guest appearances by @MosDefOfficial, @Common, and @JungleBros4Lifepic.twitter.com/oCPwQrnJWS
De La Soul’s comeback continued last month when they got some good news about one of their classic albums. The rap trio’s critically acclaimed 1989 debut 3 Feet High And Rising was officially added to the Grammy Hall of Fame earlier this month. It was joined by yet another iconic rap debut, Mr. Lauryn Hill’s first solo album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.
For fans of the group, there might be some feelings of deja vu. They just livestreamed a different concert with Nas and Wu-Tang Clan on Amazon Music last year. What do you think of De La Soul livestreaming a legendary New York concert on YouTube later this week? Do you plan on tuning in to watch the iconic show? Let us know in the comment section below.
Common has classics. The Chicago emcee has managed the rare feat of staying relevant across multiple decades, and part of why he’s been able to do so is his ear. Common picks great producers to work with, and the results usually speak for themselves (with the occasional Universal Mind Control hiccup). This is why his comments regarding his upcoming album are so exciting. Com Sense revealed that he’s been in the studio with none other than Pete Rock, and the stuff they’re cooking up is evidently up there with the best music of their respective careers.
Common divulged this exciting development during a MusiCares panel in Santa Monica on April 22. He appeared alongside fellow Chicago luminaryLupe Fiasco, and was asked to rank his three best albums. Common’s answers were dead on as far as general consensus goes. He chose Be (2005) and Like Water for Chocolate (2000) as the top two, but he paused before picking the last one.
His rationale was that his upcoming album contains some of his favorite music ever. “Y’all gon’ think I’m just talking,” he prefaced. “But [I want to pick] this new Pete Rock joint. I’ma see y’all when I come back, whenever I’m back, and y’all can tell me if I’m bullsh*ttin’ or not.” Com went on to say that the untitled album has received stellar feedback from the few who have heard it. “It’s in my top,” he asserted. “I’ve had a couple people coming in saying, ‘Yo, this is one of your best albums.’ So I’m excited about it.” Since the new one isn’t out yet, Common relented and picked Resurrection (1994) as his third best album.
Common and Pete Rock haven’t crossed paths as often as one would assume. They collaborated on “Tha Bizness” off De La Soul’s 1996 album, and “Verbal Murder 2” off of Rock’s 1998 release. Their most famous song together, however, is 1994’s “The B*tch In Yoo.” It was a diss record aimed at Ice Cube, and remains one of Com’s most lyrically aggressive showcases. Common and Rock are both at different points in their career, but their track record proves they have great chemistry.
USA Basketball has tapped Common to hype up fans ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. USA Basketball has assembled a stacked team to go for the gold in Paris. The team features the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and several other superstars. The roster is a strong response to the USA placing third in the FIBA Basketball World Cup last summer. That World Cup team featured mostly young up-and-coming players. Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Halliburton, standouts on the bronze medal team, will also feature on the Olympic Roster.
Common hypes up Team USA in a promo that recalls the dominance that is Team USA Basketball’s history. He recalls The Dream team that set everything off and the Redeem Team that brought the USA back to the top of the mountain. Common introduced the 2024 roster in epic fashion. Building up what will be a must-see event this summer. Getting to see LeBron, Steph, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis on the same team is a basketball dream.
Common introduces the entire stacked USA roster. He gives each player their proper due to explain just how amazing it is they are all going to be on the same team. You have the inside dominance of players like Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis. You have the supreme shooting of Steph Curry with the overall dominance of someone like LeBron. It is refreshing to see players of this stature still putting themselves out there and playing for Team USA. Players like KD are looking to make history and break Team USA records.
The NBA Playoffs are starting to kick off. Things can change due to injury and other reasons. Despite the possibility of players changing the roster, it will be one of the strongest in NBA history. Common and the new promo are definitely adding to the occasion. The Paris Olympics won’t be a walk in the park. The USA will have to go up against the likes of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and rookie Victor Wembanyama, among other international stars. This summer is going to be special for basketball fans.
On this date in 1972, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., the rapper, actor, and poet also known as Common was born in Chicago, Illinois. The Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist is not only an icon of Windy City’s Hip Hop scene, but he has also helped to blaze a trail for Golden Era rappers into other aspects of entertainment as he has with his roles in blockbuster movies such as American Gangster, John Wick 2 and Glory just to name a few. The newly signed HBO producer has come a long way since he was known as Common Sense asking Can I Borrow A Dollar?
As we salute Common on his born day, let us send him a keen reminder of his first love that brought him into our living rooms, literally making him a household name.
Last month, rapper Common made an intriguing appearance on the Jennifer Hudson Show, where he danced around questions about his romantic life, leaving fans buzzing with speculation. During the show, Common, 51, coyly described his girlfriend as an EGOT winner, hinting at a high-profile relationship without revealing any names.
However, the mystery deepened when host Jennifer Hudson, 42, joked during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, suggesting she initially thought Common was referring to fellow EGOT-er Whoopi Goldberg as his girlfriend. The playful banter between Hudson and Kimmel added fuel to the rumor mill, with fans eagerly trying to decipher the true nature of Common’s relationship.
For those unfamiliar, achieving EGOT status is considered a prestigious milestone in the entertainment industry, requiring an individual to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award throughout their career. With both Common and Hudson boasting remarkable careers across various entertainment platforms, speculation about their relationship has only intensified.
Despite the playful back-and-forth between Hudson and Common, neither has explicitly confirmed or denied their romantic involvement. Their coy responses and subtle hints have only added to the intrigue surrounding their potential relationship.
