At 48, hes considered raps ambassador outside its borders.
That doesnt mean he wants to be seen as safe.
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Survey most hip-hop heads and theyd agreeCommonhitlegend statusmore than a decade ago.
The former wrote hip-hop a fairy tale, I Used to Love H.E.R.
Then, in the mid-2000s, he signed with Kanye Wests G.O.O.D.
Over a December call, Commonmakes sense of his reputation.
Okay, you want to be a part of this?
Come on, lets do some real work.
Thats the most important thing for me at this point.
And it aint just gotta be only a Black thing.
Its Latino people being overlooked, women that have been overlooked.
Its going to be steps, but equality is going to have to happen across the board.
But among many pro-Black activists, theres legitimate distrust for corporations, distrust for government, distrust for technology.
Do you bring any of that skepticism into your partnerships?
I was like,Hell no[laughs].
My mother was like, This is going to pay your daughters tuition.
My management is like, How could you pass that up when weve worked this hard?
I just felt like it wasnt representing what I wanted to represent.
So they ended up coming back, and I said, Yo, this is what Ill do.
We had Chris Robinson [direct].
I had James Poyser and the Roots produce it.
I was rapping about what real and fake is.
Within the commercial, I was kinda saying, You aint going to get me.
When I sit down at the table, its just like I do with a politician.
Howard Schultz, who was the CEO of Starbucks, reached out before the Oscars, actually.
I just got to know him.
He had been having these sessions in Starbucks [between] community leaders and the police.
This was right after Michael Brown got killed.
He said he was so moved to do something.
He and I sat down with no agenda, just to talk.
We eventually started building more.
He was like, What kind of things can we do?
It wasnt, like, him saying, Yo, can you do a song for us?
We ended up doing something in Chicago,the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative.
They had people to help them with clothing they needed for job interviews.
Tears came from my eyes cause I was like,Yo, this really works.
I was also not into politics at all.
Those elected officials are the ones making decisions.
I gotta be involved in politics because this is actually affecting our lives.
Doing that work is one of the things that Im most proud about ever in my life.
But I can listen to old Common songs like Heidi Hoe and see you werent always that way.
I wouldnt shy away from it.
I feel like I represent the everyday person that understands that we are human beings.
I care for people, and I think they feel that.
That part also ends up feeling safe.
Because, ultimately, Im not anti-white Im anti-hatred, Im anti-ignorance, anti oppressing people.
I got love for white folks, brown folks, Asian folks; I got love for people.
The safeness comes with part of my history and the integrity of what I do and who I am.
Even if I do make a mistake, Imma acknowledge it and work to get better.
We live in a time where you could get canceled for certain mistakes.
I would have to just acknowledge my work to be better.
I just bring my honest and true self to the table.
And if that ends up being called safe, cool.
If it ends up being called a rebel, great.
If it ends up being called a man of the people, thats what it is.
But at the end of the day, I know my intention of love and creating a better place.
And thats what they are drawn to more than anything.
Does it ever feel restrictive to be seen that way?
Like you cant show certain sides of yourself?
Thats what Im asked to talk about in the interview, and thats who I am.
And Im just going to take it.I believe in Black Panther love, too.
That was revolutionary love.
They protected our families and their communities, and they also were feeding the children.
I believe in a Malcolm X love, speaking the truth.
But I also believe in the Marianne Williamson self-growth love of self.
And, truly, I believe in the way of Gods love.
I have no problem being stereotyped in that way.
Over the past eight years, weve seen the Obama administration end and the Trump administration begin and end.
We have a long way to go, but we accomplished something.
Seeing him made me know that we could actually change the system.
They were enslaved and built it.
Weve created so many things as Black people in America.
I also started to understand that because he couldnt get certain things done, its politics.
That got me more involved in politics.
It gave me an unprecedented hope: Our children saw a Black man as president.
Im in the White House, and D-Nice is playing Mobb Deep and A Tribe Called Quest.
This is different, man.
With President Trump ah, why did I say that?
I never call him President Trump.
What direction do you think Black leadership should be going in right now?
That means going to the grittiest of places and being able to lift and take that in.
Empowering those communities would mean a lot too.
Thats what I think Black leaders can get from this.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
