The Commotion Over Common

You might have heard about a poetry reading going down tonight at the White House, and the commotion it has stirred among right-wing conservatives. They have gone so far as to call Common, a "vile rapper" and "thug." Those accusations are laced in ignorance and racism. To most people, he's known as a "politically conscience hip-hop artist." I wish I could say that he had some radical politics, but not really. He did do a an anti-war piece when Bush was in office, (see video after the jump), but last year he was opening for Obama (at a Democratic rally).

Needless to say, I don't think Common has much of a radical edge these days. As one writer for the Huffington Post said: "I'm not trying to diss Common here, but I'm pretty sure his last two albums were sold in Starbucks." Of course, I'm not excusing the actions of the cons here: Just saying.

Below is Common doing a good political piece (back in the days).