Common Receives Four Grammy Nominations For His Critically Acclaimed BE & Another Notable Nomination For His Appearance On Floetry's 'SupaStar'

Common Receives Four Grammy Nominations For His Critically Acclaimed BE & Another Notable Nomination For His Appearance On Floetry's 'SupaStar'

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In a fitting end to what has been a wildly successful year, both critically and commercially, Common has been nominated for four Grammys, including Best Rap Solo Performance for "Testify," Best Rap Performance by a duo or group for "The Corner" featuring The Last Poets, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "They Say" featuring Kanye West & John Legend, and Best Rap Album for BE. Common also receives a nomination for his guest appearance on the dynamic duo Floetry's "SupaStar" track. "As an artist, you always want to be recognized for the music you create and now to get 5 Grammy nominations is an affirmation that the truth will always come to the light," says Common. While he has always been considered one of the best lyricists and most incredible artists in hip-hop, the Chicago native has reached a new stratosphere this year with this Getting Out Our Dreams/Geffen release, BE, which is quickly approaching platinum status and has been hailed by critics as "a classic," "flawless" and "the best hip-hop album of the year."

Be is the second release on Grammy winner Kanye West's Getting Out Our Dreams label, and it debuted #1 on Billboard's Hip-Hop and R&B charts, his highest debut ever, and #2 on Pop charts, selling 184,617 units the first week. Guest artists joining Common on the new CD are The Last Poets, John Mayer, Bilal, John Legend, Pops and Kanye West himself. Common has kept a strong buzz around the album with his epic video, for "Testify," which starred an all-star cast including Bill Duke ("Menace II Society," "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'," "X-Men 3"), Steve Harris ("The Practice," "Minority Report"), Wood Harris ("The Wire," "Remember The Titans," "Paid In Full") and Taraji P. Henson ("Hustle & Flow," "Four Brothers," "Baby Boy"), staying in heavy rotation. With the unbelievable response the album has received, Common has enjoyed his new platform as a superstar splitting time between dropping in for spot dates on Kanye West's "Touch The Sky" tour and shooting his 1st major movie role in Smokin' Aces with Ben Affleck and Don Cheadle.

In addition the savvy entrepreneur has created new ventures that serve as outlets for his impeccable fashion sense and profound concern for educating the youth by launching his very own hat line "Soji," and writing his own children's books ("Mirror In Me," "I Like You, But I Love Me," and "ME: Mixed Emotions"). The father of one continues to dedicate time to his Common Ground Foundation, which organizes and runs seminars for kids about health, self- esteem and understanding the often controversial images seen in hip-hop videos and the lifestyle. Most recently the Common Ground Foundation donated proceeds from a special screening of his new video to Hurricane Katrina survivors who are being relocated to the Chicago area. Common is also known for his continued commitment spreading the word on protection by being the voice of the "Knowing Is Beautiful" HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.

Common previously won a Grammy in 2002 for best R&B song with "Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop)" featuring Erykah Badu. His nominations this year are proof of the amazing year he's had and will go a long way towards cementing his future status as a musical icon.

Source: Geffen Records

CONTACT: FOR FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Junior Suriel of
Geffen Records, +1-212-841-8272, or Junior.Suriel@umusic.com

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