These Musicians Risked It All For Social Change
Common And The Black Liberation Movement
Image credit: Paras Griffin / Getty Images
Common is more than just one of Chicago’s most successful rappers. The star’s music became a soundtrack for the Black Liberation Movement with songs like “A Song For Assata,” an ode to Assata Shakur and the Black Party.
Common also took his activism further than peppering his lyrics with political ideals. In 2018, he collaborated with The New York Times for “TimesTalks,” where he discussed his 2016 album Black America Again and issues affecting the African American community. He also joined an initiative to bring 1,000 jobs to Chicago in an effort to curb violence among youth. “That thing brought tears to my eyes because I was like, ‘Man, this really worked,’” he said.
