Common

11 Stories

Teacher's Halloween Get-Up Gets Him Put on Leave

Unidentified instructor raps while in blackface in class at California high school

(Newser) - A California high school teacher is on administrative leave following the "inappropriate, unprofessional, and insensitive" decision to wear blackface for Halloween. A student posted a video to Twitter on Friday showing the Milpitas High School teacher in blackface at the front of a classroom while dressed as rapper Common,...

3 Oscars Speeches Making Waves

Patricia Arquette, John Legend lead calls for change

(Newser) - What many may remember best about last night's Oscars were the acceptance speeches: It was a "particularly passionate evening," writes Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times . "The political speeches were somber, but they turned out to be more lively and bracing than any of (host...

VMAs' Top Moments: Miley's Homeless Man, Beyonce, More

Blue Ivy Carter wins hearts at MTV awards show

(Newser) - Miley Cyrus is once again making headlines after the MTV Video Music Awards , but this time the focus is rather different. The singer won Video of the Year for "Wrecking Ball," and she used the opportunity to draw attention to the plight of homeless people, USA Today reports....

Rapper Lupe Fiasco: Obama's the Real Terrorist

He says US foreign policy helps foster terror

(Newser) - Conservatives slammed President Obama for hosting Chicago rapper Common at the White House. Now Obama is taking criticism from a different Chicago rapper. "To me, the biggest terrorist is Obama, and the United States of America,” Lupe Fiasco told CBS in an interview noted by the Huffington Post...

Stewart, O'Reilly Face Off Over White House Rapper

Daily Show host slams Fox 'outrage machine'

(Newser) - Jon Stewart accepted Bill O'Reilly's challenge and the pair debated rapper Common's White House appearance on last night's O'Reilly Factor. O'Reilly insisted that it was a mistake to have invited a rapper who "celebrates" a cop killer to a White House poetry night,...

Jon Stewart Will Debate O'Reilly Next Week

They'll spar over rapper Common on 'O'Reilly Factor'

(Newser) - Can't get enough of the Common rapper controversy? You're in luck: Jon Stewart will appear on Bill O'Reilly's Fox show Monday to debate the issue, notes TVNewser . Some conservatives were outraged that the rapper and poet got an invite to perform at the White House, but...

Stewart: Common Haters Huff 'Foxygen'

Glenn Beck: Obama is 'clearly anti-cop'

(Newser) - Jon Stewart again smacked Fox News for its fury over Common’s White House appearance, pointing out last night that only huffers of “Foxygen”—“the heady mix of partisan hackery, character assassination, and manufactured outrage”—would be bothered by the rapper’s performance. From there, Stewart...

Stewart Slams Fox Over Rapper Brouhaha ... Via Rap

No cops, Bushes hurt as Common performs at poetry night

(Newser) - Rapper Common was among several artists who performed at a poetry event at the White House last night—and he didn't shoot any cops. The rapper, whose presence at the event infuriated conservative pundits who seized upon some of his controversial lyrics, gently recited verses about love and the...

Conservatives Peeved Over White House Rapper Invite

Common once rapped anti-Bush sentiment, but Dems note outrage is silly

(Newser) - Michelle Obama invited rapper Common to the White House for a poetry event tonight, reports the Chicago Tribune, and conservatives are none too happy about it. Why? Well, to start, Common, AKA Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr., has a song that apparently tells people to "burn" George W. Bush. Tucker...

'Obama Effect' Cleaning Up Rap

Common says hip-hop turning more positive

(Newser) - Thanks to President Obama, today’s rap focuses less on drugs, bling, and violence, and the “conscious rapper” is on the rise—at least according to Common. “I don't find as much gangsta talk,” the rapper/actor tells CNN. “You see the whole chain-shining-and-rim era is gone....

Common Hails Triumph of Actual Style Over Bling

(Newser) - The world of hip-hop style is forsaking gaudy bling for refinement, to the delight of trendsetting rapper-actor Common. “It’s great that is gone,” he tells the Los Angeles Times of the pendant-and-Cristal days. “That really didn't exemplify style. It was just like, ‘I have the...

11 Stories