EDINBURG — Actor and activist Common proved anything but ordinary last week in the first of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s distinguished speaker events of 2022.
(UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)
Born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, the rap artist, actor and activist has garnered a number of accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, an Emmy and a Grammy.
Only the second of the university’s speeches to be held at least partially in-person since the pandemic began, Common was met by a raucous crowd of college students.
He was quick to capitalize on that energy. Almost immediately after taking the stage, he broke into verse, freestyling about his visit to the Rio Grande Valley.
“So one two, one two y’all
I came to free it up
Rio Grande Valley, you’re throw’n your Vs up
You know how it is, I was going back to Cali
But I said Yo, let me stop in the Rio Grande Valley
And Rally in the Valley”
The bespoke rap lasted over two minutes, referencing carne asada and McAllen and resacas, and ending on the thesis of Common’s speech: greatness.
Common talked at length about his own success and the success of others, and although he wasn’t rapping anymore, he blended together anecdotes on passion and perseverance and philanthropy just as seamlessly.
He focused on his personal struggles and successes, mixing them together with quotes from Muhamed Ali and Khalil Gibran, and with folksy stories about relatives who found their greatness through plumbing.
The high-minded concepts in the speech were leavened with those down-to-earth asides and anecdotes.
“Here’s the thing: if you work at a food bank, volunteer at a food bank, you actually get food as well,” Common said, raising his eyebrows and grinning.
The rapper wrapped everything up succinctly at the end of his address.
“I believe if you find your purpose and find something that you love, if you work on your belief and practice that belief, and you lend that gift to service — to serve yourself, your family, your community — I believe someday someone will call you the greatest,” he said. “Because we all have that greatness in us.”
Based on the question and answer portion after the speech, Common isn’t opposed to helping UTRGV students find that greatness more directly.
“Do you need beats?” a student in the audience asked.
“You can send some beats,” Common chuckled, telling the man to get in touch via the university employee who organized the speech.
“I’m definitely working on music,” he said. “I hope you got some heat though.”
(UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)
