Common ramblings

I'm really sick of hearing about this Common/White House drama. A professional poet attended a poetry slam. So shocking. People need to get over it and get back to working on the real problems of life.

Anyone who knows anything about hip hop (I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do keep my ears open) knows that Common is one of the most conscious, conscientious, peaceful, and positive rappers around.

As for this cop-killer business...... Common himself is not a cop-killer. I don't even think he has a criminal record. He wrote a poem in tribute to Assata Shakur - who he most likely sees as either a) innocent of the killings or b) justified in the killings. To say Common supports cop killing is misleading. He would not shoot a cop just for the fun of it, because he hates all cops. He would not encourage anyone else to do that. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's against murder, as 99.9% of people are.

I even think it's misleading to harp on how he "supports" a cop-killer. His support for Shakur was to honor her with a poem. It's not like he helped organize her prison break by smuggling in a shank or something. I doubt he sends a check to Cuba every month to help with her grocery bill. At any rate, he has a right to disagree with the verdict of her trial. It doesn't make him an evil person who loves it when a cop gets killed.

As for violence or violent references in his poetry/songs, these should be taken for what they are - documentation, imagery, fiction, etc. None of them are a call to kill. Murder, rape, and suicide are in the Bible, the works of Shakespeare, and in every respected art form. Would Shakespeare not be allowed to a White House dinner discussion on theater? It's absurd.

I would perhaps agree with the uproar about Common if his life actually reflected an interest in violence. For instance, Eminem raps about beating women in his songs, but he's also been accused of domestic violence in real life. Though the song violence is more exaggerated than the real violence, violence is obviously a part of his life. The lyrics aren't just art in his case. Same thing with Lil Wayne and drugs and guns. Those are a part of his real life. I could see people being upset about Lil Wayne coming to the White House. But, as far as i know, there is no indication that Common (in real life) is involved in drugs, violence, gangs, misogyny, etc. He seems to be a fairly upstanding guy. What's the issue again?

I don't support Assata Shakur, but I really don't care if Common does. It's America. Freedom of Speech. He has a right to think and feel differently from me. He's an expert in his field (poetry/rap) and it's not ludicrous for him to be invited to a poetry event, even at the White House. There is no rapper or poet on the planet who does not have at least one controversial belief or thought. The best and most meaningful art often pushes boundaries. Who could Michelle Obama invite that would not upset someone? Mark Twain often made derogatory comments about the Bible and organized religion. Edgar Allan Poe married his cousin. Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass was considered to be pornographic at the time of its release, and most accounts report that he was gay. T.S. Eliot suffered a nervous breakdown. Hemingway was a drunk who shot himself in the head. Even the beloved children's writer Shel Silverstein was a pothead. The world of literature is often a messy business. Yet it still enriches our lives.

Music is the same. I've never done a drug in my life, but I'm a big fan of both Jim Morrison and Layne Staley. I'm a Christian who listens to plenty of atheist bands, though I draw the line at Norwegian black metal bands who burn churches and kill people (I've got my eye on you, Mayhem). Anyway, my point is that it's very easy to love the work of an artist even if you don't agree with all of his/her personal, religious, or political beliefs. We all do it every day. It's something we have in common.