Back in May, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and members of the Fox News A-Team took issue with Michelle Obama’s decision to have Common perform at a White House poetry event.
Although their outcry never prevented Common from performing at the First Lady’s event, Beck and company accused the Chicago, Illinois rapper of promoting violence in one particular song, and questioned his “friendship” with Assata Shakur. This week, Common addressed the issue on “The Daily Show” during a chat with host Jon Stewart, who previously defended him during a debate with Bill O’Reilly.
“At first, I thought it was humorous… Then I realized they just didn’t know me, because if they had, they wouldn’t come out and say that I rap about killing cops,” Common said. “Anyone that knows me knows I put out music about love, I put out music about social consciousness, community, God, having fun.”
He added that co-workers on the set of his upcoming AMC show Hell On Wheels took notice of the rumors. “Some of my team members told me, ‘Fox News and Sarah Palin said this and that about you, that you were this type of artist,'” he said. “That’s when I was like, ‘Really? You sure?’ Sarah Palin must have never have heard any of Common’s music.”
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Common’s 9th album The Dreamer, The Believer is scheduled for a late 2011 release. Hell On Wheels premieres on AMC November 6th.
