The rapper Common will perform at the Major Activities Board (MAB) fall concert in Mandel Hall November 18.
Common is best known for his major-label debut Like Water For Chocolate in 2000 and his 2005 album Be, which includes nine tracks produced by Kanye West. Be has sold more than 800,000 copies and was nominated for Best Rap Album in the 2006 Grammy Awards.
The Hyde Park performance will constitute a homecoming of sorts for Common, who grew up on the South Side. Born in 1972, Common—originally Lonnie Rashied Lynn—first broke into the underground rap scene in the 1990s. Then performing under the moniker Common Sense, he featured songs with sophisticated lyrics and a syncopated jazzy style.
Common’s first break came when he won The Source magazine’s Unsigned Hype contest. His 1992 debut single “Take It EZ” appeared on his first album, Can I Borrow a Dollar. He followed that performance with his 1994 album Resurrection, which generated substantial underground interest. In particular, his track “I Used to Love H.E.R.” sparked a short feud with the rapper Ice Cube.
He has performed alongside many other hip-hop notables, including Lauryn Hill, Q-Tip, De La Soul, Erykah Badu, Cee-Lo, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli.
Tickets will be available online at mab1.uchicago.edu beginning November 6 and will be sold in the Reynolds Club starting November 8. Tickets will cost $15 for students and $20 for faculty, staff, and lab school students. All tickets are five dollars more expensive on the day of the show.
