Common Quotes

Author Image

Common

Profession : Musician

Birth : March 13, 1972

I feel like God gives you what you deserve. Whatever that time is, you get what you deserve.

Common

It was incredible to have J Dilla in your dining room making beats - it was one of the greatest experiences I've had.

Common

I want to be the voice of the people; black, white, everyday, oppressed people. A person trying to make it and to do it right.

Common

The impact of a conscious artist is necessary, and it ripples through the world.

Common

Technically, my first acting job was in one of my videos for a song called 'Retrospect For Life,' which Lauryn Hill directed and featured an actress by the name of N'bushe Wright, who played my girlfriend who was about to be pregnant. I remember being so nervous about it, but now I feel like I can conquer the world with it.

Common

This is a broad thought, but loving yourself and having the support so that you can love yourself is the most important thing that young people in Chicago can get.

Common

I can only speak for myself - there were times when I just wasn't inspired by creating music.

Common

I believe that music is about making quality things, making quality art, and no matter who you decide to work with, you and that person have to come up with something special, come up with something that is excellent material, so whoever hears it and reviews it will like it.

Common

I think you really have to remember what you loved about making music in the first place. Ultimately, people can be like, 'We've seen this dude in many movies,' but if they hear a song and they're feeling it, they can look past all the personal things and not hold it against you that you're also an actor.

Common

Man, if I get a chance to speak on the microphone, I've got to say something somewhere in there. You know, I'm going to laugh and have fun, too, but something has to be said that has some substance, because this is a platform, and the power that we have with words and with this microphone is phenomenal.

Common

After you make good, quality music, then it's your job to go out there and promote it and to market it and to get it out there to the people.

Common

One thing I always loved about hip-hop music was the raw, boom-bap element - it felt powerful and manly.

Common

Me as an artist, I've ventured off into doing all types of music. I'll do a jazz album, you know what I mean.

Common

What America was built on was being able to say, 'Hey, we're going to come in and use our resources to build for ourselves and our communities and build around that. We're not going to depend on others.'

Common

I feel, as an artist, I should be able to express who I am and the things I come from, and the places I want to also be.

Common

Movies and media really can influence us. A few years ago, my daughter wanted to be a dancer; since Obama came into office, she now wants to be a lawyer and get into politics and maybe even be president.

Common

I come from playing sports. I compete, so I gotta be better than I was last year. I gotta get better, and that better gotta come from just growing. From learning new stuff to working on it, experience it in life, and failing.

Common

It's our responsibility for the village to say, 'Hey we're going to create these programs,' whether it's sports, creative arts, music, we need some things to give young people positive things to do, and that's including jobs.

Common

Oh man, I love what the South brings as far as the soul, and I really have noticed from even the early days of listening to OutKast and Goodie Mob that Atlanta and the South has a diverse sound to it. You have bounce music. You have soulful musicians. You have artists with vocals who try to do different things.

Common

I came from the South Side of Chicago wanting to be a rap artist and make videos.

Common