Media Outrage

Common, who happens to be one of the most positive rappers in the game, spoke to CNN about the future of hip-hop, Obama, an acting career, and of course Serena Williams.

Via CNN:

McLaughlin: You’ve always been discernible from other lyricists. You’ve got a unique sound, unique cadence. Do you think you get the credit you deserve as an artist?

Common: I actually think I do, man. I feel like God gives you what you deserve. Whatever that time is, you get what you deserve. And you have to work and continue to work to expand your audience or to grow in whatever way you want to grow, meaning I feel like I was doing music that was creative and was good music, but maybe it was only directed to a certain audience when I was known as being an underground artist because that’s what I see.

That was my vision at that time. And though I would say to myself, “Man, I want to be one of the biggest artists ever,” maybe my scope of the world wasn’t up to par at that point, or maybe I wasn’t aware of what it would take to be the biggest artist. Because if I said I wanted to be a big artist known to all the masses, then after I make the music, I’ve got to go out and make good business moves. And I don’t think I was doing that early in my career, so I feel like I was getting what I deserved by what I was putting into it and by what work that I wanted.

I was more just, honestly, about the creative aspect of making music than about the business. And mind you — I want to say this, Eliott — as an artist it’s important that you focus on creativity. That’s what you first have to have is good music because if you don’t have good music, then trying to sell some weak product to people is not the move.

But 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. I feel like I wasn’t doing that early on. Now I am, and I feel like I’m growing as a songwriter and working with producers that are very incredible, so I feel all that is contributing to me getting the recognition that I’m getting.

McLaughlin: Let’s switch gears for a second. What’s your take on Obama being elected?

Common: I’m so enthused for this country and for the world. I felt there couldn’t be a more deserving person in office to lead this country and to lead the free world, as they say. I’ve met this individual and really thought that he was one of the warmest and nicest people I’ve met and definitely had the best vibe out of anyone I’ve met in politics. I think Barack Obama is the leader of the future in a way because we need people in politics who can bring in all types of people and not just one genre of people. Barack Obama is that unifying factor from every level.

McLaughlin: Do you think hip-hop helped Obama on the campaign trail?

Common: Yeah, I do believe hip-hop helped Obama. Hip-hop has invited the youth in to become more political and to become more aware of what’s going on in the world and to make a difference. Hip-hop artists such as myself, Jay-Z, P. Diddy, all these cats stepped up and said, “Man, we can make a difference. We can use our voice to do something to help change this world. And we’ve been changing the world through music and through this culture, but we can also do it in a political structure, too, so let’s go out and encourage the people to vote and encourage the young people to be a part of this and to effect the change.”

The “Yes We Can” video, people doing concerts all over — every concert I did, whether it was at colleges or whatever, I would mention Barack Obama, and actually, he got the most cheering out of anything I mentioned the whole night. The hip-hop community was very supportive and very influential in the success and in the election of Barack Obama.

McLaughlin: Do you think Barack Obama’s presidency will have an effect on hip-hop’s message in coming years?

Common: I really believe it will, because hip-hop truly is a reflection of society and what’s going on in the world and how we as the youth see the world and see what’s going on. Being that we know that there’s going to be a brighter day and there’s going to be change and positive change, I think hip-hop artists will have no choice but to talk about different things and more positive things and try to bring a brighter side to that, because even before Barack, I think people had been tired of hearing the same thing.

I made a choice as a hip-hop artist — I’ve always been conscious, honestly — I made a choice on this album, “Universal Mind Control,” to really make some music that was bright, that would be a little more lighthearted, just because of what was going on in the world. I really do believe we as hip-hop artists pick up what’s going on in the world and try to reflect that. And I know that Barack, his presidency, him being elected president, is going to change hip-hop for the better.

McLaughlin: What draws you to acting?

Common: I love what it allows me to feel as an artist. I feel like I’m expressing other sides of me that I’m afraid to express in my daily life or even in hip-hop. I feel that it allows me to learn a lot about people and even about myself. Any fields that you may be playing a character of, any field that that character is a part of, you learn a lot. I love the education that comes in acting, and the fun and the glory, too.

McLaughlin: Do you think we’ll see you go increasingly in this direction, or will you try to keep a happy balance between acting and hip hop?

Common: I would truly love to go increasingly in the acting direction. I really love acting a whole lot. I’m passionate about it. My goal is to be a movie star. I want to be at Will Smith’s level. I want to be co-leading with Leonardo DiCaprio.

McLaughlin: So if you could give up hip-hop and be a top-tier actor, you would?

Common: I don’t think I’d give hip-hop up. If I could — I will be at that level of leading man and movie star — I definitely would focus on that more than making music. The funny part is, I make music better the more movies I’m doing. I don’t take as much time overthinking it. Actually, since “Be,” I’ve been working on films and each album has been expanding and increasing, so I feel like I would still make music, but it wouldn’t be the main gig.

McLaughlin: I heard you’ve been hanging out with Serena Williams? How are things?

Common: From what I was told, Serena’s doing excellent. She’s just finishing up a tennis tournament. I think she did a trip in Africa and did some really great things. They opened up a school in her name and different things like that, which was cool. If you want to know, for me right now, I’m so focused on music and the release of my album and movies and the release of my new Web site. I hadn’t really had a lot of time to focus on a relationship like that.

McLaughlin: Anything else we need to touch on?

Common: Just another thing, Eliott — I want to let the people know that they can get the album for 99 cents on Zune.net. And I’m launching my new Web site today, called thinkcommon.com.

McLaughlin: Tell me about that.

Common: The truth is I had never really been on the Intenet too much, like not too present. Common didn’t have a presence on the Internet. I had my Web site up that the label had established and the MySpace that the label had established. But I really wasn’t into it. At some point I realized how valuable it was and how valuable it could be just to communicate with your fans and to give them a place to come to to commune and discuss the music and different things that I was doing and make them aware of that.

So I came up with the idea of thinkcommon, which would be the name of the Web site, and then I found a great Web designer. And once I seen what he was doing as far as Web design, I really got excited about it. Now I’m going consistently on the blogs and going back and forth with my fans and people that’s just getting hip to Common.

Mediaoutrage- Isn’t it interesting how he asked Common about Serena? lol. See it’s not just the gossip blogs that want to get the scoop. Every news medium works to get the scoop, some just go about it in different ways. But wow, Common really let it be known that he hasn’t really had time to kick it with her. Something must have went sour between them or maybe not. But for all this, Common we’d make find a way to fit it all in. And we do mean fit it all in LOL.