Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - Common 2023

Episode Date: January 22, 2023

In this week's Sunday Sitdown, Willie met up with Grammy, Oscar and Emmy-winning musician and actor Common. They discussed his Broadway debut in a Pulitzer Prize winning play and his path to that stage through a life of hip-hop and activism. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit Down podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. I got a great one for you today with one of my very favorite people to talk to. He is Grammy, Emmy, an Oscar-winning hip-hop star, actor and activist, common. One of the smartest and most thoughtful guys that I ever get the chance to sit and spend some time with. And now, perhaps reaching for the elusive e-gogyn. with his incredible performance that has people potentially maybe talking about a Tony nomination in the play between Riverside and Crazy. It's a Pulitzer Prize winning play.

In it, Common Plays Jr., the son of Walter, who goes by Pops. You might hear Common refer to him as Pops. He has just been released from prison, has moved back into a rent-stabilized apartment in New York City with his father and all the dynamics that come with this. It ties in to Commons' life and his activism. He spends so much of his time when he's not entertaining people, working with people who are incarcerated, trying to help them rehabilitate, trying to improve their experience so we get better citizens on the outside. He's got a group called Imagine Justice, another one called Common Ground. He's always working, always thinking about social justice.

You'll remember he won the Academy Award, along with John Legend, for the song Glory, for a film he also acted in Selma. That was in 2014. You know, his music came up in the 90s. He's been around for about 30 years, came up from the south side of Chicago with a different kind of music. You'll hear him talk about that. Sort of socially conscious, thoughtful. They call it conscious rap. It's a label he didn't always love because maybe it meant he wasn't gangster enough to put it in his terms.

It was at a time when NWA was very popular and all those kind of acts and he was doing something very different. So just even if you're not talking about music or entertainment, he is just such a great guy and a great guy to be around. So I'm really happy to bring you right now my conversation with Common on the Sunday Sit Down podcast. I have to say, knowing you a little bit, I was so proud of you and happy for you when I was sitting in that theater a couple nights ago. Thank you. Because I know it's no small thing to make your Broadway debut. It can feel probably like pressure, maybe a little nerves, but you're going out there and doing it. And I'm curious what brought you to that stage?

What brought you to that theater? Why did you want to be on Broadway? You know, I love plays when I was younger. And I always wanted to go see plays. Like I would go see different plays. Like in Chicago, I would go see theater. And obviously, when I got to New York, I was like, wow. And I take my friends to see plays.

It's just something that always inspired me. even if a play was like not my favorite, I still would leave with something. It was something about live theater. And, you know, when I began acting, I was like some of the work we were doing an acting class was from different plays, whether it was Sam Shepard or Arthur Miller or, you know, Tennessee Williams and, you know, some of the great August Wilson. So it was kind of one of those things like, okay, when were like? I'd be able to do this.

Can I, am I at the level where I can do this? And it was many moments where I'd been doing film acting and did some work in TV that I would get theater auditions. And some of them I stunked the place up. It didn't get the role. And some, you know, it was one play I was slated to do that I didn't get a chance because of the pandemic. And the reason why this just was divine in order. And divine order was like, I only had a certain window to do a play for a minute,

like for this time period, because I'm like in the middle of feminist television show and, you know, some other projects that I first was committed to. And between Riverside and Crazy came up. And I read it and I was like, oh, I really would love to do this. But it was one reservation I want to talk about. And that was, because I'm a hip-hop artist,

I was deciding if I wanted to play a dude that was like from the streets and had been in prison as one of the first characters I was doing on Broadway. But as I continued to read the play, I was like, it's so much depth that we can bring to these characters. and this play has so much dynamics to it that I was like this is the play that I would love to do and

No one starting to know the cast to who the cast was. I was like this is amazing this would be amazing opportunity So my next step was I met with our writer Stephen Adley Gyrgyz and he was like I like you, but you got to audition So I was really enthused to audition. I was like you know, I was because, as I told you, really, I was like, okay, am I going to be ready to do theater? And when I went to audition, I felt great. And I felt like I got to audition with Stephen McKinley Henderson. I lead, I audition with him on Zoom and Rosal Colon, who plays Lulu. We were in person.

And audition turned out to be great for me. I left feeling good. And I don't leave every audition feeling good. And when I got the role, I felt like I'm saying, supposed to be here. And I just started digging in early, man. Like, we didn't start rehearsals until November, but I for surely was looking at that script in September, like, okay, you know, and just moved everything else around. And we talked about this a little early. Yeah, you feel like you've earned it, but you also know that you're in the hands of somebody in a team that

cares about the art and they're not caught up in like this person is known in this field or known or they're like can you deliver on this level and I like I want to work with artists and people who elevate me and I can bring elevation to what we're doing too so that's how I want to work you came into a group of actors who've been doing this play for a few years and you plugged in, did that feel like a little added pressure to you that I've got to prove myself that I belong here? And like you say, I wasn't just hired because I'm a big name to put on the marquee. I think it was pressure, but I didn't think about that pressure.

I was more, the pressure I felt most was like, find this character, like find who this person is and be prepared because you don't know, It's an unknown going into theater and, like, how this process goes. The cast were really looking at me, like, wait, because I came in the first day of rehearsal, like, off book. I knew all my lines. And they were looking like, oh, okay, this dude cares. Like, this dude is, he's not coming in, like, with some type of, oh, man, I'm this and that. It's like I'm here to do the work.

And I think, you know, I just came in and tried to be myself. And I think my passion and love for the work that we're doing and for acting showed up. And, you know, I'm a team player. I like, I ran point guard playing basketball. So I love when everybody is scoring. And, you know, the team is winning because we all participating in some way and offering something. So, you know, I came in with that energy. And in our truth, I felt very embraced from the beginning.

Though, you know, obviously there's probably some questions on, like, after they've worked with, the people previously cast were people that were, who played my character, were people they worked with before. And, like, well-known theater actors and actors, you know, Tony Award-winning actors. So they're probably like, okay, can this dude do this role? And, you know, one of the actors, Liza, who I love her, she is on the show to bear. We were talking about that. She came up to me in the first rehearsal and said, you know, you take it on a role that, you know, one of the great actors had did. And I was wondering if you, how you would be. She was like, you're doing your thing.

you're bringing something to this. And it was like a sincerity that I knew it wasn't, though, because she was like, I was really wondering how you were going to be, you know, because you coming in and replacing one of our guys. Right. And when she gave me that, I felt good. It felt like, you know, you're part of a, I was joining the team, and somebody came and said, good play, man.

Right. You know. Right. Yeah, good job. And she also, along with that, came and gave me stuff that I could do better. And that's when I was like, oh, I'm in the right hands. Right. I'm with the right cast and team.

And it's become one of those experiences where not only am I just super grateful for the play itself and the work that we're doing and being on Broadway, this is one of those life moments for me that I'm like, okay. But I'm also just grateful that I'm amongst the people that I'm amongst, you know. It's an amazing cast. And you're right, everybody scores. Everybody has moments during those couple of hours. So you're talking about trying to find who Junior is, your character.

Who is he now that you know him so well? And did you see any of yourself or people you knew in Chicago growing up in Junior? Well, he's a complex human being like we all are. And he's a person that really wants to love. Like he's a loving person, open-hearted, is seeking to have a life of his own. He made some bad choices. Like he, and that's why he was formally incarcerated

to have been addicted to drugs at one point. And some of that, you know, I understand to be in resistance or like to what his father being a person, police officer and kind of in rebellion of that and that pressure being a young black dude growing up and your father's a police officer is it can I can cause a lot of conflict within you so you know when you meet Junior he's trying to get his stuff together and his and his mother's just passed a few months back and now he's in

this apartment with his father who has never shown him love. And I think, you know, throughout the play, you see this individual like boiling with different emotions and feelings about that relationship and also just trying to find some type of peace and everywhere he's going. Somebody's pressing, putting the pressure they're pressing them. Whether it's his girlfriend, Lulu, or his father. And whether it's society in the system. and eventually, you know, one of the journeys that I find Junior to have is to, you know, he does get a moment where he like has an exchange of love with his father. And no, it's not exactly the way you wanted.

What I think Junior learned at that time is that, you know, people have to love you the way they can love you, you know, and where they are in their lives. And sometimes, you know, that love has to be enough because that was the way Pops could love. And it did do something for him. It gave Junior some fuel and understanding. And now he's at a crossroads. And just like life, everything doesn't,

just because you have an opening in a bright day doesn't mean it won't be other rainy days or other choices that have to be made. And it continues to be to be the job. journey. So, you know, I look at Junior as that type of person, and I related to him in a lot of ways. Definitely, you know, just relationship with parents, father. But I also definitely knew many people like Junior in other ways that I didn't exactly walk in the shoes. And I've also been, you know, To many visited prisons and people in prison, men and women, who I felt like Junior had pieces of them.

And I felt like it was important for me to reflect Junior as a whole human being because of the people that I met that were incarcerated. Yeah, you feel the stigma that he has. Having been incarcerated back home, that now what moment. Yeah. And you have because of the work you do with your foundation. and you go into prisons and you go into jails and you work with formally incarcerated people and how difficult that can be to have done your time?

Society says, okay, you did your time, time to move on, but it's not so easy, is it, to move on? That's what, you know, one of the first things that made me really get to this work when it comes to, like, the criminal justice system and people who are incarcerated and formerly incarcerated is because of how unfair it is to, first of all, just being incarcerated, like the treatment of human beings and like

the process of it, the mentality of it is not about healing and bringing a person back to society better than they've ever been. Because most people that go into prisons have come from wounded places in difficult times. And one of the things that I noticed was that, man, when you get out of prison, it's like, it's even tougher. Like, it's tougher because it's like, to get a job is already one of the challenges, one of the big hills you have to climb. To get housing is difficult in itself, you know, because some people just be like, oh, you were locked up, nope.

Your family is sometimes the ones that's like judging you. And yeah, it's just being able to vote, just feeling like you. a part of society and like you've paid your dues in prison and you and could come back and be still like an individual that has an opportunity and chances is difficult. It's really challenging. It's not set up for people to succeed in those ways. So that was one of the things that struck me, you know, when I got to reading the new Jim Crow and talking with people who were dealing with like recidivism and I was like, oh man, this is. This is tough, man. Like, we got to do something about this.

Because the truth of the matter is so many people, so many people that get locked up are coming back to society. And for me, I'm like, hey, y'all, we want people to come back better. Or, you know, we're talking about safety. It's safer if somebody goes in, is in prison and gets the treatment that they need, the healing that they need, and the redemption. So when they come back, they can bring light to our society.

Because I've met, I've met some of the most enlightened people in prison. Like some of the wisest and most, like, spiritually sound and, like, individuals I ever met women and men in prison. And that changed my life. So, yeah, I felt, I feel the responsibility with Junior. And I don't want to speak for Victor, but Victor who plays Oswaldo,

who was also formerly incarcerated. I think we both do have a connection to those who were incarcerated and feel like, let's show them as whole people. And you feel their frustration. We feel Jr.'s frustration that I served my time. You said I could come back and start over just how hard it is, almost impossible to start over and how easy it is to slip back into the life that sent you there in the first place. Yeah, it's something because, you know,

I just went to visit Sing Sing Prison in New York, like in late June. And some of the individuals I met there, one of them was released and he had going back to help, you know, talk to. And I had a great talk with him just about what that is, like coming back to society and how, you know, he applied for 25 jobs, 25 jobs. And he eventually got one. But maybe it was the 25th, but it was somewhere in between those 25 jobs. But he also talked about what you see in the play is family members sometimes

because with junior, his pops is like constantly like, I mean, he says a line about don't get locked up. It's like those things are, you know, when you don't have work, words of encouragement coming your way and you're dealing with the with society itself giving you resistance in trying to be a citizen and then within your own home it's like, like you're still walking with the stigma and like the baggage of that and it's like, man, where's the forgiveness or where I've served?

I did my time, right? officially I've done my time. So, you know, I think it's some lessons in that for us. You know, I didn't think about it so much to we start talking about like the lessons in that aspect of the play too. Yeah, and that's, I think, part of why you and your organization want to bring in formerly incarcerated people to see the show, right? To draw a little inspiration maybe from junior. Why do you think it's important for them to put eyes on that that piece of work. Yeah, we've organized a few things, like, between myself and my organization,

Imagine Justice and Second Stage Theater. We have something called Justice Knight on Broadway, where we're going to bring in those that are formerly incarcerated to see the play in some of their family members and people who've worked within the system, just so they can share in that experience. And we also will be broadcasting a play to different prisons in New York, California, Chicago and you know I thought it was very important for me too as I said like one of the things that I always got from people that I met who were incarcerated when I would say what can I do for you what can I do it was like man just let them know we're human beings just let

people know that we're human beings and I felt it very important to show junior as a human being, but then I'm also about to work, like, what laws can we change? And one of the things that we're working on is a fair and timely bill, parole bill, which is bringing, amplifying that parole bill that's up in the state of New York and also an elderly parole bill. Both deal with people who have been incarcerated for over 20 years and go before parole. for parole boards and just them getting a fair chance of being able to come back to society

because if they've proven to be safe, they've proven to be changed, then, you know, can they get back into society? Especially some of the individuals, women and men, are over 55 and they're not being able to be seen by parole boards because of old laws. So, you know, this fair and timely parole bill is something that we're using the play to amplify and talk about

and like being able to interview with you and talk about this or, you know, also inviting people in. And we don't want this just to be a between Riverside and crazy movement. We want, you know, other plays on Broadway and organizations that deal with Broadway to be in support of this and like to think about ways that they can do it

because Broadway just like, like many other facets of entertainment have now said, well, we want to be more active. And I think that's a great way for them, for us to participate and for us to engage them. So, good for you for nudging them along too. You want to participate. Here we go. Let's do it. Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Common right after the break.

Welcome back now more of my conversation with Common. Common and I also stepped inside the theater where they put on between Riverside and Crazy. We stood in the balcony looking down at this new kind of stage for him and talked about what it's like to be on Broadway. Take a little different view from up here, looking down where you are every night. Yeah, I mean, it's something because I never ever see, you know, you don't see yourself. It's not like film when you get to see yourself back. Right. But I have come up here because the first day we came to the theater, we,

we did some vocal training and, you know, some of the actors were on stage and they wanted us to sit up here and see what it takes to project our voices. And I'm like the new person, so I have never did like theater and it was like, okay, how do I use my voice where it comes through this whole theater? So I've been doing the vocal training as much as possible. just, you know, doing everything I can to make sure my instrument and my artistry is at its best. How is it different than being on stage at a concert when you're doing music, just in terms of performance in the room? How is that different? It's so different, man, because, you know, in a concert, I'm, like, directly, I'm directing everything to an audience, and I'm engaging the audience, like, and, you know, especially with hip-hop. We chant back and forth with the audience.

But any live performing a concert is really facing the audience usually and asking the audience to participate. In theaters, first and foremost, you're on stage with these actors. So those are the people that you are focused on. And those are the people you are engaging with. Of course, the audience actually is, I've been taught by Stephen McKinley-Henderson and Liza, some of the great actors I'm working with, that the audience is part of the play also in a way that, you know,

if the audience is laughing, you got to wait until they finish laughing to go into the next line. Or they applaud and you have to wait, but they part of the play. But the focus is on the actors and what's going on. And emotionally, in a play,

you know, you go to so many different places, especially if it's a well-written play, which is just played between real, were sounding crazy. I love the writing in it. Anyway, it has all of that, all the emotions. Yeah, all the emotions. You laugh, you cry.

Yeah. It's a cliche, but it's true in this one. It happens for sure. Yeah. Do you remember the first night you did this show? I'm trying to imagine you, Broadway debut, in the wings, kind of thinking, wow, here I go. I'm on Broadway, but also trying to keep it together and hit your performance right. What was that feeling on the first night?

Yeah, so we had a friends and family. like preview and honestly I was really not feeling well so my nerves weren't as high as they could have been because I was like it was like oh man my body I was not feeling in fact in between scenes I would go lay on the floor because I was just out of it and um but I do remember just being excited still obviously had nerves um and I felt like man I can't I mean, I kind of wasn't like, oh, man, I didn't realize until we walked off. And they said, and Elizabeth, Liz, she said, yo, you just debuted on Broadway. How do you feel?

I'm like, wait, we just did a play on Broadway. So I think I started taking it in afterwards. But I just, you know, wanted to do my best and wanted to give it at my all. But that first day was definitely, you know, I wasn't feeling well. So I just had to give as much as I could get, you know? Get that first one out of the way. Out of the way, yeah. But I mean, even, look, I'll tell you this.

The night that I was most nervous was, it was our own, like, friends and family night, meaning my mother created a friends and family night where she brought 198 of our friends and family. The people I grew up with, her friends, they all came to the theater. and more than opening night, more than any other night, I was nervous that night. I was like, oh, man, yeah, because all my friends, family, everybody.

And, you know, once I get out there, it's just, it feels great. Like, it just feels great. And like I said, you have to just be present with the actors. But, you know, I do all of my preparation and different things to do my best to center myself. But I like having some nervous.

Sure. You should, right? Your little edge going out there keeps you sharp? Yeah, it keeps you sharp. One of the other things that happens is when you come out on stage, when your character walks out, it happened to me two nights ago. And I'm sure it happens every night. A big cheer goes up. Ah, comments here.

What do you feel when you hear that? Is that like welcome you into the room and you go, okay? It's a great welcoming, you know. And I do my best not to anticipate it because some nights they have. Hold for applause and no applause. I know flaws. So I do my best not to anticipate to just feel what's going on. And, you know, you try to stay in it with, because this is you coming out onto the stage,

and this is the first part of your scene. So you try to just stay in it. But, you know, I feel like that is a welcoming. It's a blessing that people clap and feel that way. And then I'm just like, okay, let me get into this now. Yeah. Is it cool being, I mean, we're going to get our viewers. sense of this, but like it's really a tight space and the way you stage this play and the set

flips around. It's obviously much different than working on a movie. Was that hard for you to sort to get the mechanics of theater down? I mean, there are scenes where you finish in the kitchen, you get up and walk into the living room while the thing's moving and then you get the next scene is you in the living room. Yeah. Well, I think the transitions definitely took some time for me to understand and also just make as real as possible, because when I go from a scene when I'm sitting in the room with my father to another scene where I am in the living room talking to this character known as a church lady,

it's a whole different time. And so that transition to walking and while the stage is moving and recognizing that time is moving and getting into that space has been something that I definitely thank God for what we call tech rehearsals, because tech rehearsals really got me into the space of understanding how we have to move in the space.

And, you know, some things are always set, and some things I still like to keep free and spontaneous. That's one of the things that I wanted and was hoping to bring as an artist and as a character is like, okay, there's certain things that, you know, I got to go make this peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the scene. But if I decide to go throw away a paper towel or feel something different, I'm going to stay in the moment, too. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, you're good, man. It's really good. Thank you so much. We'll go talk a little bit more about it. Okay. Stick around for more of my conversation with Common right after a quick break. Welcome back now to the rest of my conversation with Common.

You mentioned the father aspect of the play, which to me was we all start thinking about our own dad. It was so powerful. I'm thinking about the scene you mentioned a minute ago where you see at the foot of the bed pops is in the bed and you have this conversation. It all kind of comes out and it's frustrating but it's real and you don't necessarily get what you want out of your dad there near the end.

I certainly thought about my dad in that moment. It was quiet in that room. I heard some, you know, you can just feel the audience living that with you. Did you experience any of that with your own father? Thinking about your relationship. the way junior and pops relate to each other? Yeah, I do believe, you know, I didn't grow up with my father. My father and mother split when I was like one year old, one year old.

So my relationship with my father definitely was, as I got older, it became better. But I didn't really get to spend a lot of time with my father. the Pops Junior relationship is not exactly the same dynamic, but I do understand the aspect of wanting to connect with your father and expressing that love and receiving that love is very important to the development of a young man who wants to become a man. And yeah, so I really really relate to it for sure.

And I also can see some of the childish things in the teenage parts of junior from not having that man in his life even though his father was

they lived in the same home. His father wasn't really there to help cultivate a young man into a man. So yeah, You related to it. Yeah, yeah, well, I think I don't want to give too much away whenever we'll go see the play.

But that idea of which Pops express is of living your life in reaction to your own father. Yeah. I'm going to be different than him, so I'm going to go do this. And then realizing that's not actually what I wanted or who I want to be. Yeah. So, and he just says, well, he suggests you don't do that in your life.

You know, Steve, I got to acknowledge yesterday, Yesterday we did a talk back where we sat and talked with students who came to the play, to the matinee. And we, and Stephen talked about, Stephen McKinley Henderson, talked about living in reaction. That same thing we just talked about, the junior was going. And he talked about it from the perspective of how society, how we in society are reactionary sometimes. It's like, we like, well, you know, you said this so I'm not with you, you know.

And like a lot of things is like you're against me automatically because you spoke this or you are this from this political party. And it's like, man, just living in reaction to so much stuff and putting yourself on the opposite side. When he spoke about that, it really woke me up to a lot of things. Like not only just that father's son relationship, but just when you spoke about it as us as people. how we live reactionary to certain things and make things against us because of the fact that someone has declared that they're from this part of life. So anyway, I think it's an important point and something to examine in our lives, no matter what, even if it's not just the parent relationship, that reactionary living.

Well, that gets to, I told you earlier, the last time we sat down like this, it was early November 2016. We're like a week from the 2016 presidential election. You and I had no idea. It was ahead of us for these next six and a half years. Donald Trump becomes president speaking to that divisiveness in the country. George Floyd is murdered in 2020. You have made social justice sort of such a center of your life and such an important part of your life. How do you think we're doing?

since the last time you and I sat down? How have things changed? I think I actually feel like as hard as it has been, I feel like we've become more compassionate as people. I still think we have, I don't want, you know, I don't want people to say, oh, man, you're just dreaming, because I do still think, obviously, it's a lot of conflicts still going on.

But I noticed just from the simplest thing, when people say, how you doing to me? I feel like they really mean it. They say it and how are you? And I feel like people started to look within themselves and see the things that they truly value more because of what we went through. From just the conflict and the divisiveness to the pandemic to just wars going on and George Floyd losing his life, I think it made us, like, sit back and say, man, who am I in this world? In this country, on this planet, who am I? And what am I putting out there?

You know, and I've had it from different people who I've worked with for years. When my lawyer called me, who I've worked with for over 20 years, called me and said, man, what can I do? What can we do? and it's been active in working with my organization, Common Ground Foundation, has been talking with younger people who want to become attorneys

and really been for real about it. I feel like it's awakened our humanity in us a lot. And I feel our humanity is, with that being awakened, is like we're paying more attention than trying to make conscious choices about being better. Now, is everything, we haven't fixed the world

because we're dealing with centuries of, racism, sexism, and classism, you know, like, so we got a lot of work to do, but I do feel like awareness is one of the first keys, and more people are aware. Like, people who saw what happened to George Floyd said, I have to do something. And just from the simple things of just

me looking at a commercial and seeing more black families on there, it's something, because it's saying, Hey, we're included in America too. We were part of society and we, you know, like to eat these things too. Like to, you know, like use our camera phones too and just, you know, it's just humanizing each, you know, nationality and bringing people, letting people see themselves and others or recognize others is like, oh, we might have some differences, but we alike too in many ways. And I think that's happening more now than it was even prior to when we talked. Yeah, I think we are seeing each other. Like, I didn't know you were going through that.

I didn't know that was a part of your life too. It's almost like it all cracked something open and we're like finally talking about some family stuff that we never talked about before. Exactly, exactly. As a country, you know? Yeah, as a country. And we, I think before, I could speak for even just me, my own personal journey. And before I was just glossing and working and doing, like, let me do these five movies. And, man, I'm about to work on this album and just doing a lot and not taking time to just deal with myself.

And, like, work through those things. And also take time to spend quality time with loved ones in a way that's, like, this quality, where it's, like, move this aside. We sit and just be with my mother or my grandmother or my daughter. You know, you know, just my, even my friends. Like, I started, I started, like, some of my friends used to call, I'd be like, man, I got to go. And then I still sometimes got to go, but it's like, I try to make sure I have some of those conversations and appreciate the time. You spoke about it, Willie, like gratitude. Yeah.

When you got gratitude, life is just better. It's harder to be angry when you're grateful. It's a good place to go when you're feeling that anger. Just go back to the gratitude of it all. You mentioned your daughter who graduated from law school last year. Congratulations, Dad. That's amazing. Man, it's amazing, man.

She's working at a firm now and, like, she graduated law school. I mean, it's something to be like I have a daughter that's like, I don't feel like that age, but I am that age. But it's like I got a daughter who graduated law school. I'm very happy for or proud of and inspired by it. She's going to follow your footsteps, social justice, things like that? I think she is. Yeah. And she, I feel like she naturally got there.

She, you know, she attended Howard University with historical black college that they whip you in the shape. So they get, you know, and she had the parents, but sometimes parents, you know, you can go up. Well, we talked about in the play, you can try to go opposite of what your parents are doing. Just not even receive some of the things that they about because they're your parents. Right. When you get an environment, you walk into Howard campus and they're talking about real things, is socially conscious. And your friends are on that.

Yeah, it wakes you up a little bit. So I'm very happy for I definitely, you know, I believe she understands that, yeah, she's a lawyer, and she's going to be working within the system, but you can still be a revolutionary within the system, you know. Yeah. You got an Emmy, a Grammy, and I mean. maybe a Tony coming, but I imagine that's your proudest achievement, having a daughter through law school. That's pretty cool. Yeah, no, that's amazing.

That's a, I mean, that was her dream, and she wanted to do that since, like, elementary school. Oh, wow. And to see her do that and to be able to be in any type of support, you know, because it's nice sometimes, even when she's dealing with the difficult times to be able to give her a little pep talk, you know, and compared to what I do, the pressures. and yeah, I'm very happy. That's amazing. So you're incredibly busy, obviously, with everything you do.

Where is music fitting in right now? Are you working on new music? I think you are. You always are in some form or fashion. Yeah. for as long, God willing, as long as I'm on the planet, I want to be an actor and do music. So I've been working on music.

I shut it down for, as soon as I started focusing on this play, I wasn't, I'm not doing anything else. You know, like there's artists I gotta give my all to this between Riverside and crazy. But post that, I have an album project that I'm working on with, the great Pete Rock, who you know. Yeah, Pete Rock, yeah.

Pete Rock and CL Smooth. So bringing that, just the new, fresh but classic energy of hip hop. I'm, you know, working on that, but I'm also, one of the things I've been most enthused about, too, along with that, is been getting the score projects. Like, we scored this TV show, the Mo Amher show, which is a great show that came, it's on Netflix. Muhammad Amrits, a comedy that's really dope. And we scored a film that I've been a part of called Alice, and I'm looking to score more. I actually was able to drop a couple of things into collect,

in collaboration with Ryan, who's the music composer for Between Riverside and Crazy, my team, my music team, we dropped a couple of pieces into that. Yeah. Like those transitions. Yeah. We got a few in there. Oh, wow.

And so I'm looking forward. to like I want to score plays, movies, TV. Like, it's a lot of fun because it's actually almost like the blending of both worlds. Like I get to do music, but I'm also interpreting these stories and giving the music for what this story is and this scene. And I've seen how much music impacts a scene in film and TV. It's cool to watch you grow as an artist and a musician and want to tackle all these new and different things. And when you came out like 30 years ago, right? 30 years, 30 years.

You were almost in some ways, even if you didn't think of it as this, a reaction to NWA and Snoop and those guys. And you were branded like the thoughtful, you know, the thoughtful rapper, which is true. Do you like that label? Do you carry that with you, that you're speaking maybe some deeper truths than others? Initially, I didn't.

like it because I knew that I wasn't, like, I listened, I listened to KRS-1, Big Daddy K, Raq Kim, and I listened to NWA and Ice Cube. And, you know, like, I was listening to that. Like, so I, when they, when I was labeled as like opposing that, I was like, well, that's not totally what it is. I'm just giving who I am. I'm not going to try to be gangster because I'm not gangster. You know, I'm coming from Chicago to South Side, which we deal with a lot of stuff, but I'm choosing to talk about this. Yeah, and also what I aspire to be and what I hope to see for my community and for people. But I, you know, I didn't start off perfect with my rap. I remember my mother, this is the first time I was ever on Oprah's show, and my mother was like,

yeah, my son doesn't curse in his rap, and I was like, Ma, you must have. I'm like, Ma, you must ain't listen to my songs or something. But that being said, you know, what I like more than just only being thoughtful is just being truthful, being a human being. And my humanity

just chooses to talk about things that uplift people because that's what my heart is. You know, and I also like to have fun. I'll talk about those things too. But I think it's important. You know, once I realize, as the great KRS said, he said, you know, basically you think I'm going to grab the mic and waste my people's time? You know, he said something else. Step off with that week. But my thing is like, man, I don't want to waste people's time and energy. If I have the

opportunity to use the microphone and do something and say something, and I don't want it preachy, I don't want it to be like beating me over the head with consciousness, but just something that's human, something that's loving, something that's free, something that's creative, inspiring. I'm going to do that. That's who I am, and that's what I want to put out there. So I like being thought of in that way. And don't you think part of it, and the play goes in this basket, too, is you're showing

people you could succeed being exactly who you are. You didn't chase some brand or some image or whatever it is. Like, this is me. And even the example on stage at the theater, you're showing people. Oh, I could be that too, or I could work in the theater or whatever. It sort of opens new doors in people's minds. I think you just hit my whole theme of like a lot of my life. It's like, man, you can succeed at being you.

And that success is actually just being able to be you is success in itself. And like, you don't have to chase what others are doing to get to the place. that you envision and your goals in your life. It may be a longer road, maybe more difficult. You might not even, like, have as many numbers as someone else may have, you know,

or money. But just being able to be you is a success. And if that can bring you happiness, you got to do it. And it will bring you happiness. I mean, the happiest I've ever been is just being able to be me. And that's why, you know,

I find myself being happier, even during difficult times. It's like, okay, I can acknowledge when I'm afraid. I can acknowledge that I've been jealous. I can acknowledge I've been strong. I can acknowledge that, you know, I'm this south side dude, but I'm also a God-loving human being. I can acknowledge all these things about me, and they're all a part of me.

And you feel freer and happier. Yeah. We're unable to be you and be me. That's well said. Congratulations. Great to see you. Great to see you. So much fun. I could talk to you all day, but I got to let you go home.

Thank you, brother. Thank you for coming to see the show, too. Of course. Got to. Can't have this conversation without it, you know? My thanks again to Common for a great conversation. You can catch his play between Riverside and Crazy on Broadway through February 12th. My thanks to all of you for listening.

again this week. If you want to hear more of these conversations with my guests every week, be sure to click follow so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday today every weekend on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit Down podcast.