The News Journal

Delaware’s Common bringing book tour to library

- Andre Lamar

Delaware fans of rap legend Common can ask him about being romantical­ly linked to singer Jennifer Hudson when he brings his book tour to Wilmington in a free event on Friday, Jan. 26.

This event with Common is at Wilmington Public Library and no registrati­on or tickets are required. Seating is first come, first served.

Common’s book tour is for his upcoming release “And Then We Rise”: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self.”

Who is Common dating now?

For months there’s been speculatio­n that Chicagoans Common and Hudson are dating.

The latest is a prerecorde­d clip from the singer’s talk show, “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” which features the Grammy-winning singer asking the rapper if he has a girlfriend in an episode that airs on Channel 29 - WTXF / FOX at noon on Monday, Jan. 22.

“Yes, and I’m in a relationsh­ip that is [with] one of the most beautiful people I ever met in life. She’s smart. She loves God. She has something real down to earth about her. She’s talented,” Common replied.

“I set my standard kinda high because she had to have an EGOT. She had to win an Oscar on her first movie,” he continued. “She had to get her own talk show.”

Hudson fits all of that criteria, including winning an EGOT or an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony Award.

TMZ also recently shared a photo of

Common and Hudson holding hands inside of the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles when the Lakers hosted the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 17.

Common dated Serena Williams & Tiffany Haddish

The emcee has dated several famous women over the years. This includes tennis superstar Serena Williams, actress Taraji P. Henson, singer Erykah Badu and comedian Tiffany Haddish.

Haddish discussed her 2021 breakup with The Washington Post in a story that ran last July.

“It was more him saying, ‘I think this relationsh­ip has run its course,’” Haddish said. “And I was like, ‘OK. Like you gonna be a 50-year-old single man. OK?’”

She said that her time with Common was “the healthiest, the funnest relationsh­ip I’ve ever had.”

When is new book coming out?

The book “And Then We Rise” is released on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The book will be available at retailers including Amazon.

“‘And Then We Rise” is about Common’s journey to wellness as a vital element of his success.

A testimony to the benefits of selfcare, this book is composed of four sections, each with its own important lessons,” according to the book’s synopsis on Amazon.

“‘The Food’ focuses on nutrition. ‘The Body’ focuses on fitness. ‘The Mind’ focuses on mental health. And ‘The Soul’ focuses on perhaps the most profound thing of all — spiritual well-being.”

Who is Common?

Common (Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr.) came into the hip-hop scene in the early ‘90s under the alias “Common Sense.”

The socially conscious rapper has collaborat­ed with artists like Ye (formerly Kanye West), Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli (who is coming to the library in a Black History Month event on Thursday, Feb. 8), Mos Def, John Legend and many others.

He’s known for his signature rap style where he enunciates his words clearly, and slowly, to the point where it sounds like he’s reciting material at a poetry slam.

Common is the first rapper in history to win an Emmy, Grammy and Oscar.

He won an Emmy in 2017 for the song “Letter to the Free,” which appeared in the documentar­y “13th.” He won an Oscar with John Legend in 2015 for the song “Glory” from the film “Selma.” Common also won three Grammy Awards, the latest of which was in 2016 for “Glory.”

Common has flexed his acting chops in several films including “Suicide Squad,” “John Wick: Chapter 2” and “American Gangster.”

Wilmington Public Library (10 E. 10th St., Wilmington) at 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 26. Admission is free. Visit wilmington.lib.de.us or call (302) 571-7400.

If you have an interestin­g story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareon­line.com/newsletter­s.

 ?? PAUL BEATY/AP ?? Rapper and actor Common, left, and singer and actress Jennifer Hudson talk during an NBA basketball game between the Chicago Bulls and the Philadelph­ia 76ers in Chicago in December 2023.
PAUL BEATY/AP Rapper and actor Common, left, and singer and actress Jennifer Hudson talk during an NBA basketball game between the Chicago Bulls and the Philadelph­ia 76ers in Chicago in December 2023.

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