Rapper Common lectured at Wake Forest on Friday, March 25th. His main focus was spreading the message of "Greatness". Common expressed that everyone has greatness in them but it takes three main things to bring the greatness out for others to see.

The first point of the lecture was “Finding your path.” Finding your path goes with identifying your passions, something you would do without compensation. He went on to tell of how he found his passion for hip hop while visiting his cousin one summer and saw a local hip hop performance. He knew then that it was something he was going to do.

Common also expressed the importance of believing in your path even when others don’t. One of the most profound quotes of the evening was “Belief is contagious.” Meaning if others see that you believe in yourself, they will fall in and believe with you.

Common’s third point was about “Living your path”. During this segment he stressed the importance of overcoming obstacles. He used the metaphor of life being a mountain and the better you do or higher you climb the tougher the journey: “Turn obstacles into possible.” was a quote that caught most of the audience’s attention.

All in all, Common delivered an engaging message; he left the audience on an inspired note during the question and answer period. Afterward he signed autographs and took pictures for over an hour. That along with his injection of personal stories, life experiences, and freestyles in his lecture speaks to how real and down to earth he is as both an artist and intellectual.

Text and photos provided by David Butler.