"The HBCU Experience with Common"

appreciate that. Okay, So comment, first of all, thank you for coming through the Ball Alert Show Podcast. Obviously it's homecoming season and we will be at homecoming if it wasn't for COVID. So we are here chilling on zoom with you, and we definitely have to talk to you about your HBCU experience. UM. I went to Fami you um and and I stayed there for like almost two years. Uh. I got first. It was one of the greatest experiences

in my life. Like I got to meet just black people from all around the country, which I didn't have that experience before because I was just you know, grew up in Chicago and just didn't get to travel that much. So just to be in college and meet all these people that's from from Detroit, from Alabama, from from Miami, like it just was Jacksonville, just Atlanta. There was just so many people. And this we always inspired and probably inspired by school days and and you know what a

different world was. And you know the black college experience that we saw, you know, being portrayed by by people who had been there but became big people. We just man, it's just hit home. It changed my life. I had a self pride that that they heightened, and I would I would endorse it and encourage it to anybody. My daughter just graduated from a from a from an HBCU. She graduated from House. Yeah to talk about that, but I don't want to know, being that you came from Chicago.

Was college a big conversation for you as a kid? Did you know you wanted to go to an hbc U. Yeah? Well, you see the thing is my mother was a teacher. She she retired now she was a principal and a and an English teacher. So academics were strong for me, no matter what, no matter what else I was pursuing. I love basketball, you know, I loved hip hop culture and rap, but I still had to do good in school. Even when I left school, I was like, I basically

it just got straight a's the semester before. So I was really focused and I had no choice, to be honest, I had to go to a black college. My mother went to Central State and my father went to wilble Force. They met in Zeni, Ohio, to two black colleges. So it was like it was written for me to go there. I could have thought it, but it was naturally what I felt was the right place for me. UM, and you know, the professor's overall just treated me, treated us black.

Was like they were empowering us, and they were like encouraging us and was like giving us a heightened level of of what what abilities we had and was teaching us about ourselves. You know. So it was you know, it was for me. There's certain moments in my life that I look at and be like real pivotal and be and some of the greatest moments and not definitely being at FAM was was for surely it And Hey, I went back and UM got to speak at the graduation.

UM in twenty nineteen, which was amazing, and they also made you a UM awarded you with the honorary doctorate as well. Right, yeah, I was look, I ain't on front. I was like, oh, it hit me. It hit me because when I left school, I was only leaving because I was giving a kind of record contract. I was able to pursue my dream. So I left that was my dream, so I had to go for But you know, it was a conflict there because I felt like I was disappointed my mother and like you know that I

didn't know if this was gonna work out. But I had to walk out on faith and to be able to come back twenty years later, uh and say, man, I'm I'm getting an honorary doctorate. And to be able to speak at the graduation, and I was really celebrating, Like to see black families all like Uncle's Hunt's cousins are just so happy to see that, you know, their family member graduating, marking across that stage. It's just, you know,

it all brought everything full circle for me. Public that like May graduating with my mother and my mother said het on even she was like, hey, you know, like look, you know I got a real doctor. But basically when my mother was you know, she hit me real quick, but a little you know, see my mother she didn't type. She she definitely supported me, like a hundred and tempercent. I'm a son, I'm a I'm a mother's boy. I

ain't I ain't gonna fun on that. But she still don't want the challenges me too, Like she ain't like, you know, just letting things go by. She's like, you gotta really be good at it. Or she gonna tell me that that speech was good, but that wasn't it wasn't great, or now your performance was I but you should have You know, she got up takes on things and I respected because when I do excellently, she like,

now that was great, that was incredible. So you know, I love it that she hit me with a little shot, but that you know, she was really happy overall. Well, I was gonna ask a really quick, um, your name common sense? Would you say education played a part in that?

In your rap style? And because I read that you started off this common sense but then with the band or something that had it and you had to do with well, I definitely feel that common Sense was the name I chose because I was thinking about being thoughtful, like thinking about what common sense is. Like. I wanted to represent thinking. I wanted to represent something that was, like, really, common sense is something we all should naturally have. But my mother even used to say to me, look, boy,

use your common sense. Use common sense. And you know, I was just looking for a name at the time when I chose the name common Sense was I was looking for something that was unique, something that was different. But I still felt good that when I came up with common Sense that it felt every day because people were you use that phrase and every day talk. And when that band end up ended up having the same name, I was pissed off. I was salty because I was like, man,

how y'all will take my name? I was I was just establishing myself. It's like, you know, the names you choose, you choose for yourself if you started building it, and then it was like they basically found a cease and desist order so I couldn't have my records on the shelves for a second. It's just and you know when you earlier, I was early in my career, so I'm really trying to establish myself. And it was at a time when my second record was actually getting out there,

so you know, it affected me emotionally and mentally. But then and I had to change the name just to comment. But it's amazing how the divine order works because Common like became even more something I can embrace it. At first I was mad, like man, I'm coming, but and now like, okay, I just feel like every day people feel like it's a it's a nickname that they can say, yo, Common, calm, what up? You know, it just feel closer to actually

who I am. Like, I feel like I represent the everyday person to everyday people, Like do you even think that you would have kept the entire name that that you would have kept since you know, ten fifteen years down the line, I doubt it. You know how people dropped a little. I think you're right. I think you're right. I would have been like, uh, but but it's what I what's amazing is how that you know, sometimes things you look at that you think is so terrible because

at the time I thought it was the worst thing. Ever, you know, it can turn out to be a blessing. So I kind of eventually got that lesson out of Once I got out of being mad, I was ready to whoop with them. There was a band. There was a band out in California. I was like, man, I was, yeah, are ready to take a trip? Man? Because it was it was you know, it was just the beginning of me. Like my first album didn't I wasn't getting that recognition. So this is like the first time people started like

Notorious Big. It was like yo, common senses you I like this and blah blah. You know, different people were starting to notice me. So I'm like, man, I can't change my name now the HBCU hallways as this phenomenal artist. Like did people know about your talent while you're in school? You know, some people didn't know that that I wrapped um because they were always like we'd have barbecues, we'll be kicking it and they'd be like, yo, Raschi freestyle do that right? Then do this? You know so and

even like my roommates they told me. I didn't even remember this, but they told me I would lock myself in the room for like two hours a day and just work on wraps. They couldn't bother me, no matter what girls is over there, nothing, I'll just be like I'm working on wraps. It was that type of focus. So people didn't know that I was rhyming. Even in

high school. I was, I was. I was writing rhymes and rapping in gentlemen things like that, but I wasn't like, you know, you could be locally known and performing at a lot of places in your in your city and people know you and you got a little joint on the radio. I didn't get that type of recognition. But you know, but I still, you know, people at college definitely knew that I was rhyming. So the real quick like the HBCU experience, did you get some did you party?

Did you care to party? Wait? Wait wait wait which a which HBCU did you go through? I didn't. Okay, okay, okay, uh, but I do want that. I'm gonna see if if one will let me just come hang out for like a week. I want to be in the dorm. I want to eat in the cafeteria, want to do the whole thing. The reason the reason why I asked was because, uh, and you shouldn't do that. I hope you do that. But the reason why I asked was because if you're at the hbc you you're gonna party. You're gonna kick it.

You're gonna go to the set that was our place where we hung out, like every day you hang it. It's it's a place like you know, we're down here in Atlanta right now. You know Clark Atlanta, the AU Center, the Atlanta Center. You know, they got places where people just kick it. So I was. I was kicking it. I was going to hoop. I was going to music. You know, different artists is coming down, their performing national artists. I was going to the you know, to the sorority

and and fraternity parties. Then my roommates start throwing, throwing Barb mcques, we act man. We was having Yeah, I had the best time in my life. And then and then still got busy on the on the work too. So that was the balance. Did you ever want to be a part of the fraternity? You know, I considered it for a second, but because my father was a capital, but I really in my heart didn't think I was

gonna ever be a part of fraternity. Um. You know, when when people approach you, sometimes you kind of like, let me think about it. But after you know, it was like it was at a time too where I was I was listening to so much conscious hip hop Care, arust One and Public Enemy and Eric being rock him. I used to I believe that philosophy, like I ain't Greek, I'm Black, So I kind of just took that and

went with it. Plus, I never felt that I wanted to go through the process to be down with something, you know, like to be to be down with the crew, I needed to go through that process at least. Definitely, I didn't feel like I want to do that to

be down with a fraternity or sorority. But I definitely now understand why they do it and those that are passionate about it, and I respect it because ultimately some of the street organizations I was down where we went through a process anyway, so in Chicago, so it's like, regardless of anything, you still may go through a certain process. But for me, I just had didn't have the heartfelt desire to be a part of a fraternity. We can talk about HBCUs for a hundred years, but we know

that your time is limited. So I just want to ask you, if there's anything that you can say to someone to encourage them to choose an hd C U, what would that be. I would say it would be probably one of the the greatest and most enriching experiences you would ever have. It's a way to to give

back to to your community of black colleges. But also you're gaining, You're gaining like a lot of things that you wouldn't experience, um going to a predominantly white cor and outside with with students who are part of my Coming Ground foundation and and some who have attended h b c US and some who attended predominant white colleges and talked about the difference and just being recognized on campus as far as like bio by the staff, by

the faculty, and the way the teachers approach you, professors approach you. It's just a different approach on the h b c U. And and I think it's something to be said about celebrating black culture UM and and lifting that up and being able to take that into the world. It's like we can, we should be able to do that, and and nobody should be offended, nobody should feel like they lest in or whatever. But HBCU will build that and nurture that in youth, and um, you know they're

gonna look out for you overall, you know. So I think it's it's it's well worth it to attend the colleges and all you great Still these people athletes think about HBCUs. Yes, yes, that we can't let you go without talking about your upcoming project. Please just give us a quick whatever you want to say about it, and then we will let you go. Okay. So Beautiful Revolution

Part one is the name of the project. I made this music to be something for these times, like movement music, you know Alabab Marley and and Kendrick and and you know Nina Simone. Um, it's it's so for it's spiritual, is uplifting, is speaking to the times, but it's really there to inspire. UM. I have song a song say Piece, which is coming out tomorrow featuring Black Thought. UM, this artist p J Incredible artists did a lot of the chorus as we collaborated on a lot of Stevie Wonders

plays harmonica on a joint. Um, Lenny Kravis and I got a song together called the Riot in My Mind. But most of all this music is it's for these times. It's it's it's something that is timeless, just for these times. And then the uplifting spirit. If you're going out there the vote, play this music. If you're thinking about what what's the next mission that we own to change the world, Play this music you think about taking care of your children,

to take care of your family, Play this music. If you've been feeling tired of whatever's going on in this world, with the nonsense, with some of the political propaganda, play this music. It's a beautiful revolution. Part one. Tommy, We thank you so much for joining us. Comment. We appreciate you, We appreciate everything that you are to the culture. We love you for what you're doing with go TV man. We just send your blessings and we thank you again

for joining the ball Alert show. Yeah, thank you all. Queen's y'all, y'all super dope and lovely, and thank you all for having me on here. Tell Ferrari, it's all good. Computers mess up sometimes, but it's I love taking enough of baller Alert. Follow us on all social media platforms at baller alert, going to baller alert dot com.