Common The Believer Visits St. Louis

Photo by apollokidz.com

By Joyce Gates
Guest Writer / Forum

Common came to St. Louis as part of the UMSL Student Life Speaker Series.


     Even though the Common event began late on April 3rd, the Touhill audience didn’t mind.  When he did arrive, Common sported dark blue jeans, a grey sweater over a checkered-collar shirt, and his signature clean-shaven head.  
To help enrich the night’s discussion, Common recited moments from within his life. He discussed his acting career, life after a relationship with Erykah Badu, an embarrassing Grammy moment, and even what help inspire him to believe. 
“For rappers, you need to believe in yourself.  There were many that helped to nurture that.  I can say that one of them was Kanye West…And ya’ll know Kanye has no problem believing in himself.”
He kept the audience laughing and listening the entire night; especially during a freestyle rap about St. Louis.
Besides instructing about possessing belief, Common also discussed the power of passion.
 “If you’re passionate about what you do, and you’re passionate about your work, then it’s not really work…I found my passion at 12 years old, and I want to say to you that sometimes your passion stays with you.  It really grows.”

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