Talib Kweli & Common Talk Kanye For President, Ice Cube, J Dilla, Activism | People’s Party Full

In this episode of People's Party, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with rapper, actor, author, activist, philanthropist, and Grammy, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Oscar winner...

C O M M O N

In this two hour episode, Common and Kweli's many years of collaborating and touring together, as well as their decades-long friendship, gives way to an incredible interview. Things get started with a talk about their original collab together -- recording Black Star's classic song and video "Respiration." They then go on to discuss Common's mother Dr. Mahalia Ann Hines and her influence on him growing up as a teacher, as well as his father Lonnie "Pops" Lynn, who was famously featured on Common's "Resurrection" album. They also touch on the importance of HBCUs, and violence in Common's hometown of Chicago being weaponized by politicians. Common is asked to reflect on the making of one of the greatest concept records of all-time in "I Used To Love H.E.R" -- digging into all the things that compelled him to write that song, and the profound influence it had on the culture, which naturally leads into talk about his beef with Ice Cube stemming from a perceived diss to the West Coast tucked in those lyrics. Common details where he was when he heard the first shots from Cube, the point in time when he felt he had to fire back with his own diss track, and how they eventually reconciled with the help of Minister Farrakhan. Common and Talib go on to reflect on their shared experience of meeting with activist Assata Shakur in Cuba through the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, as well as discuss recording at the famous Electric Lady Studios and how special that place is.

Later, Common reflects on the making of another one of his most iconic recordings in the song "The Light," produced by the late great J Dilla. He expands on his close friendship with Dilla, being roommates with him while he was making "Donuts," with his health steadily declining. The conversation moves to Kanye West and his recent announcement to run for president in 2020. Common provides his thoughts the moment he read the tweet, and answers the question of if he supports his bid. Common also goes on to talk about his work as an actor, and why he chose the roles that he did. He speaks on opening up in his new book about surviving childhood sexual abuse, his work as an activist for prison reform, and toxic masculinity and how much it's ingrained in our culture. Common also gets to talk about his philanthropic work in the city of Chicago with his "Common Ground Foundation" and the A.I.M. charter school.

In closing, Common is asked about his higher purpose, and what he feels like he owes the next generation. His answer is thoughtful, wise, and deeply heartfelt.

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PEOPLE'S PARTY WITH TALIB KWELI

People's Party is a weekly interview show hosted by Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh. Guests range from the biggest names in hip-hop to global entertainers to the most progressive minds moving our culture forward. The audio podcast is available on Apple and Spotify.