Speaker 1: Hold up, hold up, what's bobbing? Is the kid Ferrari
Speaker 1: Simmons and I am your favorite idio bean so solos Lanny,
Speaker 1: y'all planning with me today? Okay, it's all good. It's
Speaker 1: O c T right here. Activity to be more exactly,
Speaker 1: and we are joined by the one and only award
Speaker 1: winning rapper, songwriter, actor, author Active is the incomparable comment.
Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ball Alert show man and Peace's y'all.
Speaker 1: Thank you for that intro. Yo, that's that's dope, that's
Speaker 1: that felt that felt good, and what you said, I
Speaker 1: appreciate that. Okay, So comment, first of all, thank you
Speaker 1: for coming through the Ball Alert Show Podcast. Obviously it's
Speaker 1: homecoming season and we will be at homecoming if it
Speaker 1: wasn't for COVID. So we are here chilling on zoom
Speaker 1: with you, and we definitely have to talk to you
Speaker 1: about your HBCU experience. UM. I went to Fami you
Speaker 1: um and and I stayed there for like almost two years. Uh.
Speaker 1: I got first. It was one of the greatest experiences
Speaker 1: in my life. Like I got to meet just black
Speaker 1: people from all around the country, which I didn't have
Speaker 1: that experience before because I was just you know, grew
Speaker 1: up in Chicago and just didn't get to travel that much.
Speaker 1: So just to be in college and meet all these
Speaker 1: people that's from from Detroit, from Alabama, from from Miami,
Speaker 1: like it just was Jacksonville, just Atlanta. There was just
Speaker 1: so many people. And this we always inspired and probably
Speaker 1: inspired by school days and and you know what a
Speaker 1: different world was. And you know the black college experience
Speaker 1: that we saw, you know, being portrayed by by people
Speaker 1: who had been there but became big people. We just man,
Speaker 1: it's just hit home. It changed my life. I had
Speaker 1: a self pride that that they heightened, and I would
Speaker 1: I would endorse it and encourage it to anybody. My
Speaker 1: daughter just graduated from a from a from an HBCU.
Speaker 1: She graduated from House. Yeah to talk about that, but
Speaker 1: I don't want to know, being that you came from Chicago.
Speaker 1: Was college a big conversation for you as a kid?
Speaker 1: Did you know you wanted to go to an hbc U. Yeah? Well,
Speaker 1: you see the thing is my mother was a teacher.
Speaker 1: She she retired now she was a principal and a
Speaker 1: and an English teacher. So academics were strong for me,
Speaker 1: no matter what, no matter what else I was pursuing.
Speaker 1: I love basketball, you know, I loved hip hop culture
Speaker 1: and rap, but I still had to do good in school.
Speaker 1: Even when I left school, I was like, I basically
Speaker 1: it just got straight a's the semester before. So I
Speaker 1: was really focused and I had no choice, to be honest,
Speaker 1: I had to go to a black college. My mother
Speaker 1: went to Central State and my father went to wilble Force.
Speaker 1: They met in Zeni, Ohio, to two black colleges. So
Speaker 1: it was like it was written for me to go there.
Speaker 1: I could have thought it, but it was naturally what
Speaker 1: I felt was the right place for me. UM, and
Speaker 1: you know, the professor's overall just treated me, treated us black.
Speaker 1: Was like they were empowering us, and they were like
Speaker 1: encouraging us and was like giving us a heightened level
Speaker 1: of of what what abilities we had and was teaching
Speaker 1: us about ourselves. You know. So it was you know,
Speaker 1: it was for me. There's certain moments in my life
Speaker 1: that I look at and be like real pivotal and
Speaker 1: be and some of the greatest moments and not definitely
Speaker 1: being at FAM was was for surely it And Hey,
Speaker 1: I went back and UM got to speak at the graduation.
Speaker 1: UM in twenty nineteen, which was amazing, and they also
Speaker 1: made you a UM awarded you with the honorary doctorate
Speaker 1: as well. Right, yeah, I was look, I ain't on front.
Speaker 1: I was like, oh, it hit me. It hit me
Speaker 1: because when I left school, I was only leaving because
Speaker 1: I was giving a kind of record contract. I was
Speaker 1: able to pursue my dream. So I left that was
Speaker 1: my dream, so I had to go for But you know,
Speaker 1: it was a conflict there because I felt like I
Speaker 1: was disappointed my mother and like you know that I
Speaker 1: didn't know if this was gonna work out. But I
Speaker 1: had to walk out on faith and to be able
Speaker 1: to come back twenty years later, uh and say, man,
Speaker 1: I'm I'm getting an honorary doctorate. And to be able
Speaker 1: to speak at the graduation, and I was really celebrating,
Speaker 1: Like to see black families all like Uncle's Hunt's cousins
Speaker 1: are just so happy to see that, you know, their
Speaker 1: family member graduating, marking across that stage. It's just, you know,
Speaker 1: it all brought everything full circle for me. Public that
Speaker 1: like May graduating with my mother and my mother said
Speaker 1: het on even she was like, hey, you know, like look,
Speaker 1: you know I got a real doctor. But basically when
Speaker 1: my mother was you know, she hit me real quick,
Speaker 1: but a little you know, see my mother she didn't type.
Speaker 1: She she definitely supported me, like a hundred and tempercent.
Speaker 1: I'm a son, I'm a I'm a mother's boy. I
Speaker 1: ain't I ain't gonna fun on that. But she still
Speaker 1: don't want the challenges me too, Like she ain't like,
Speaker 1: you know, just letting things go by. She's like, you
Speaker 1: gotta really be good at it. Or she gonna tell
Speaker 1: me that that speech was good, but that wasn't it
Speaker 1: wasn't great, or now your performance was I but you
Speaker 1: should have You know, she got up takes on things
Speaker 1: and I respected because when I do excellently, she like,
Speaker 1: now that was great, that was incredible. So you know,
Speaker 1: I love it that she hit me with a little shot,
Speaker 1: but that you know, she was really happy overall. Well,
Speaker 1: I was gonna ask a really quick, um, your name
Speaker 1: common sense? Would you say education played a part in that?
Speaker 1: In your rap style? And because I read that you
Speaker 1: started off this common sense but then with the band
Speaker 1: or something that had it and you had to do
Speaker 1: with well, I definitely feel that common Sense was the
Speaker 1: name I chose because I was thinking about being thoughtful,
Speaker 1: like thinking about what common sense is. Like. I wanted
Speaker 1: to represent thinking. I wanted to represent something that was, like, really,
Speaker 1: common sense is something we all should naturally have. But
Speaker 1: my mother even used to say to me, look, boy,
Speaker 1: use your common sense. Use common sense. And you know,
Speaker 1: I was just looking for a name at the time
Speaker 1: when I chose the name common Sense was I was
Speaker 1: looking for something that was unique, something that was different.
Speaker 1: But I still felt good that when I came up
Speaker 1: with common Sense that it felt every day because people
Speaker 1: were you use that phrase and every day talk. And
Speaker 1: when that band end up ended up having the same name,
Speaker 1: I was pissed off. I was salty because I was like, man,
Speaker 1: how y'all will take my name? I was I was
Speaker 1: just establishing myself. It's like, you know, the names you choose,
Speaker 1: you choose for yourself if you started building it, and
Speaker 1: then it was like they basically found a cease and
Speaker 1: desist order so I couldn't have my records on the
Speaker 1: shelves for a second. It's just and you know when
Speaker 1: you earlier, I was early in my career, so I'm
Speaker 1: really trying to establish myself. And it was at a
Speaker 1: time when my second record was actually getting out there,
Speaker 1: so you know, it affected me emotionally and mentally. But
Speaker 1: then and I had to change the name just to comment.
Speaker 1: But it's amazing how the divine order works because Common
Speaker 1: like became even more something I can embrace it. At
Speaker 1: first I was mad, like man, I'm coming, but and
Speaker 1: now like, okay, I just feel like every day people
Speaker 1: feel like it's a it's a nickname that they can say, yo, Common, calm,
Speaker 1: what up? You know, it just feel closer to actually
Speaker 1: who I am. Like, I feel like I represent the
Speaker 1: everyday person to everyday people, Like do you even think
Speaker 1: that you would have kept the entire name that that
Speaker 1: you would have kept since you know, ten fifteen years
Speaker 1: down the line, I doubt it. You know how people
Speaker 1: dropped a little. I think you're right. I think you're right.
Speaker 1: I would have been like, uh, but but it's what
Speaker 1: I what's amazing is how that you know, sometimes things
Speaker 1: you look at that you think is so terrible because
Speaker 1: at the time I thought it was the worst thing. Ever,
Speaker 1: you know, it can turn out to be a blessing.
Speaker 1: So I kind of eventually got that lesson out of
Speaker 1: Once I got out of being mad, I was ready
Speaker 1: to whoop with them. There was a band. There was
Speaker 1: a band out in California. I was like, man, I was, yeah,
Speaker 1: are ready to take a trip? Man? Because it was
Speaker 1: it was you know, it was just the beginning of me.
Speaker 1: Like my first album didn't I wasn't getting that recognition.
Speaker 1: So this is like the first time people started like
Speaker 1: Notorious Big. It was like yo, common senses you I
Speaker 1: like this and blah blah. You know, different people were
Speaker 1: starting to notice me. So I'm like, man, I can't
Speaker 1: change my name now the HBCU hallways as this phenomenal artist.
Speaker 1: Like did people know about your talent while you're in school?
Speaker 1: You know, some people didn't know that that I wrapped
Speaker 1: um because they were always like we'd have barbecues, we'll
Speaker 1: be kicking it and they'd be like, yo, Raschi freestyle
Speaker 1: do that right? Then do this? You know so and
Speaker 1: even like my roommates they told me. I didn't even
Speaker 1: remember this, but they told me I would lock myself
Speaker 1: in the room for like two hours a day and
Speaker 1: just work on wraps. They couldn't bother me, no matter
Speaker 1: what girls is over there, nothing, I'll just be like
Speaker 1: I'm working on wraps. It was that type of focus.
Speaker 1: So people didn't know that I was rhyming. Even in
Speaker 1: high school. I was, I was. I was writing rhymes
Speaker 1: and rapping in gentlemen things like that, but I wasn't like,
Speaker 1: you know, you could be locally known and performing at
Speaker 1: a lot of places in your in your city and
Speaker 1: people know you and you got a little joint on
Speaker 1: the radio. I didn't get that type of recognition. But
Speaker 1: you know, but I still, you know, people at college
Speaker 1: definitely knew that I was rhyming. So the real quick
Speaker 1: like the HBCU experience, did you get some did you party?
Speaker 1: Did you care to party? Wait? Wait wait wait which
Speaker 1: a which HBCU did you go through? I didn't. Okay, okay, okay, uh,
Speaker 1: but I do want that. I'm gonna see if if
Speaker 1: one will let me just come hang out for like
Speaker 1: a week. I want to be in the dorm. I
Speaker 1: want to eat in the cafeteria, want to do the
Speaker 1: whole thing. The reason the reason why I asked was because, uh,
Speaker 1: and you shouldn't do that. I hope you do that.
Speaker 1: But the reason why I asked was because if you're
Speaker 1: at the hbc you you're gonna party. You're gonna kick it.
Speaker 1: You're gonna go to the set that was our place
Speaker 1: where we hung out, like every day you hang it.
Speaker 1: It's it's a place like you know, we're down here
Speaker 1: in Atlanta right now. You know Clark Atlanta, the AU Center,
Speaker 1: the Atlanta Center. You know, they got places where people
Speaker 1: just kick it. So I was. I was kicking it.
Speaker 1: I was going to hoop. I was going to music.
Speaker 1: You know, different artists is coming down, their performing national artists.
Speaker 1: I was going to the you know, to the sorority
Speaker 1: and and fraternity parties. Then my roommates start throwing, throwing
Speaker 1: Barb mcques, we act man. We was having Yeah, I
Speaker 1: had the best time in my life. And then and
Speaker 1: then still got busy on the on the work too.
Speaker 1: So that was the balance. Did you ever want to
Speaker 1: be a part of the fraternity? You know, I considered
Speaker 1: it for a second, but because my father was a capital,
Speaker 1: but I really in my heart didn't think I was
Speaker 1: gonna ever be a part of fraternity. Um. You know,
Speaker 1: when when people approach you, sometimes you kind of like,
Speaker 1: let me think about it. But after you know, it
Speaker 1: was like it was at a time too where I
Speaker 1: was I was listening to so much conscious hip hop Care,
Speaker 1: arust One and Public Enemy and Eric being rock him.
Speaker 1: I used to I believe that philosophy, like I ain't Greek,
Speaker 1: I'm Black, So I kind of just took that and
Speaker 1: went with it. Plus, I never felt that I wanted
Speaker 1: to go through the process to be down with something,
Speaker 1: you know, like to be to be down with the crew,
Speaker 1: I needed to go through that process at least. Definitely,
Speaker 1: I didn't feel like I want to do that to
Speaker 1: be down with a fraternity or sorority. But I definitely
Speaker 1: now understand why they do it and those that are
Speaker 1: passionate about it, and I respect it because ultimately some
Speaker 1: of the street organizations I was down where we went
Speaker 1: through a process anyway, so in Chicago, so it's like,
Speaker 1: regardless of anything, you still may go through a certain process.
Speaker 1: But for me, I just had didn't have the heartfelt
Speaker 1: desire to be a part of a fraternity. We can
Speaker 1: talk about HBCUs for a hundred years, but we know
Speaker 1: that your time is limited. So I just want to
Speaker 1: ask you, if there's anything that you can say to
Speaker 1: someone to encourage them to choose an hd C U,
Speaker 1: what would that be. I would say it would be
Speaker 1: probably one of the the greatest and most enriching experiences
Speaker 1: you would ever have. It's a way to to give
Speaker 1: back to to your community of black colleges. But also
Speaker 1: you're gaining, You're gaining like a lot of things that
Speaker 1: you wouldn't experience, um going to a predominantly white cor
Speaker 1: and outside with with students who are part of my
Speaker 1: Coming Ground foundation and and some who have attended h
Speaker 1: b c US and some who attended predominant white colleges
Speaker 1: and talked about the difference and just being recognized on
Speaker 1: campus as far as like bio by the staff, by
Speaker 1: the faculty, and the way the teachers approach you, professors
Speaker 1: approach you. It's just a different approach on the h
Speaker 1: b c U. And and I think it's something to
Speaker 1: be said about celebrating black culture UM and and lifting
Speaker 1: that up and being able to take that into the world.
Speaker 1: It's like we can, we should be able to do that,
Speaker 1: and and nobody should be offended, nobody should feel like
Speaker 1: they lest in or whatever. But HBCU will build that
Speaker 1: and nurture that in youth, and um, you know they're
Speaker 1: gonna look out for you overall, you know. So I
Speaker 1: think it's it's it's well worth it to attend the
Speaker 1: colleges and all you great Still these people athletes think
Speaker 1: about HBCUs. Yes, yes, that we can't let you go
Speaker 1: without talking about your upcoming project. Please just give us
Speaker 1: a quick whatever you want to say about it, and
Speaker 1: then we will let you go. Okay. So Beautiful Revolution
Speaker 1: Part one is the name of the project. I made
Speaker 1: this music to be something for these times, like movement music,
Speaker 1: you know Alabab Marley and and Kendrick and and you
Speaker 1: know Nina Simone. Um, it's it's so for it's spiritual,
Speaker 1: is uplifting, is speaking to the times, but it's really
Speaker 1: there to inspire. UM. I have song a song say Piece,
Speaker 1: which is coming out tomorrow featuring Black Thought. UM, this
Speaker 1: artist p J Incredible artists did a lot of the
Speaker 1: chorus as we collaborated on a lot of Stevie Wonders
Speaker 1: plays harmonica on a joint. Um, Lenny Kravis and I
Speaker 1: got a song together called the Riot in My Mind.
Speaker 1: But most of all this music is it's for these times.
Speaker 1: It's it's it's something that is timeless, just for these times.
Speaker 1: And then the uplifting spirit. If you're going out there
Speaker 1: the vote, play this music. If you're thinking about what
Speaker 1: what's the next mission that we own to change the world,
Speaker 1: Play this music you think about taking care of your children,
Speaker 1: to take care of your family, Play this music. If
Speaker 1: you've been feeling tired of whatever's going on in this world,
Speaker 1: with the nonsense, with some of the political propaganda, play
Speaker 1: this music. It's a beautiful revolution. Part one. Tommy, We
Speaker 1: thank you so much for joining us. Comment. We appreciate you,
Speaker 1: We appreciate everything that you are to the culture. We
Speaker 1: love you for what you're doing with go TV man.
Speaker 1: We just send your blessings and we thank you again
Speaker 1: for joining the ball Alert show. Yeah, thank you all.
Speaker 1: Queen's y'all, y'all super dope and lovely, and thank you
Speaker 1: all for having me on here. Tell Ferrari, it's all good.
Speaker 1: Computers mess up sometimes, but it's I love taking enough
Speaker 1: of baller Alert. Follow us on all social media platforms
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