Common Addresses Haters, "The Gap Commercial Is Exposure To A Whole Other Crow

[Meho]

Wednesday - January 17, 2007 by Carl Chery
With a new single, " A Dream," buzzing and his motion picture debut in Smoking Aces around the corner, Common caught up with SOHH to discuss working with Dr. Dre and his recent Gap commercial.

Last year, the Denver Post published a story on Common's father, Lonnie Lynn jr. The story revealed that Lynn, who provided outros to five of Com's six albums, lost his house of 21 years and struggled to pay his rent. Com asserts that his pops is doing better and added that his condition was never that grave.

"He's doing better," Common told SOHH exclusively. "He was doing all right then, but you know...sometimes writers slant it the way they want to make the story good. But he's doing good. He got himself together. And we're all tight."

Com has been putting in work on his 7th LP, Finding Forever. Thus far, Kanye West is slated to produce the bulk of the CD with additional production from the will.i.am and the late J Dilla. D'Angelo and West will also make guest appearances. Though Com shared that he hoped to work with Dre in early reports, the collaboration doesn't seem too likely to happen.

"I know Dre is working on a lot of stuff. Maybe, it'll probably happen on the next album," the Chicago lyricist predicted. "I would love to work with Dre just because he's just one of the greatest."

Com may have been categorized as "underground" or "alternative" throughout his career, but he recently gained newfound exposure by appearing in a Gap commercial. While emcees often get charged as sellouts for ads and endorsements, Com says the feedback has been great.

"I got a lot of love. That's been like a blessing. My mother's friends call her and say we love the Gap commercial. I get greeted on the streets sometimes, people say, 'yo, that's the dude from The Gap commercial.' Like, they don't even know Common," Com explained. "For me, it's exposure to a whole other crowd. People watching 'Grey's Anatomy,' that don't listen to hip-hop are seeing who Common is. Also, they get another view of hip-hop cause we on there talking peace and love."

"So for me to be able to take my voice to the masses...as an underground artist, people say, 'I wanna be on the underground,' nah," he continued. "I wanna make revolutionary music, music that got soul that will be heard by the world. That's what I'm on."

Smoking Aces starring Common and Alicia Keyes hits theaters on January 26 while Finding Forever is scheduled to drop later this yea

[Elevz]

Good, good.

[Tanjential]

dre's doing shit for chamillionaire but not common?

-T

[PLANT]

GAP=Gay And Proud

Thats what we call people around here wearing that shit anyways lol