Common Proud to Call Chicago's South Side Home

CHICAGO, IL - Chicago-born rapper Common says the city, and the South Side in particular, is “deep in (his) heart and soul.”

“This is my home... where it all began for me,” said Common, who grew up in the city’s Avalon Park neighborhood near 89th and Bennett. “It (the South Side) is one of the most important factors of who I am. Everywhere I go I know I am a reflection of Chicago and it’s my duty and commitment to bring all the joy, love and happiness back here.”

Common, born as Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., has made it big in the hip hop world, first coming to the national stage during the 1990s.

But before he became a household name in the world of music, he was an everyday kid on the South Side. He returned to the area last month to help promote a campaign initiated by Naked Juice to combat food deserts, where options for healthy eating are non-existent.

He took some time to discuss his disappointment at the closure of his alma mater, Luther South High School.
“It was disappointing,” said Common, a 1990 alum of the school at the northeast corner of 87th and Kedzie that closed in 2014.

“I had to look at myself and ask what I could have done,” he said, noting that he offered the idea of a fundraising concert, but that would not have saved it from closing. “The school did a lot for me, it helped save me and I met some of my greatest friends there.”