Lonnie Rashid Lynn, known by his stage name Common, is an American rapper and actor. He debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, and gained critical acclaim with his 1994 album Resurrection. He maintained an underground following into the late 1990s.

In the 2000s Common began to land bit parts in television shows and movies. His early films included the crime drama American Gangster (2007), the sci-fi adventure Terminator Salvation (2009), and the comedy Date Night (2010). 

Common earned numerous awards during his career, including Grammys for his collaborations with Erykah Badu and Kanye West on “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)” (2002) and “Southside” (2007), respectively. For “Glory,” a song he performed with John Legend for the movie Selma, the two artists earned a Grammy and an Oscar. In 2017 Common won an Emmy for “Letter to the Free,” which was featured in DuVernay’s documentary 13th (2016).