S. Samuel
Chicago rap veteran Common has responded to being labeled as a "vile" artist by former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin and Fox News after he received an invitation to a poetry event hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.
Downplaying the severity, Common addressed the criticism via Twitter.
“LOL! send me the link of what Palin said. RT @emokidsloveme: So @common woke up to find he was on Sarah Palin’s shit-list?#JokesForMiles,” Common tweeted Tuesday (May 10).
“So apparently Sarah Palin and Fox News doesn’t like me. @rolandsmartin http://fb.me/wtbMKgKO”
“LOL! RT @Duplaix: in today’s “stupid” news, @Common is the new Sista Soulja http://bit.ly/k8uNan LOL!”
“You aint scared of me? RT @questlove: Lol Fox News called @common a “vile rapper” eh? #grasping” (Common’s Twitter)
Fox News specifically highlighted previous statements Common made in regard to former President George W. Bush.
First Lady Michelle Obama has scheduled a poetry evening for Wednesday, and she’s invited several poets, including a successful Chicago poet and rapper, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., AKA “Common.” However, Lynn is quite controversial, in part because his poetry includes threats to shoot police and at least one passage calling for the “burn[ing]” of then-President George W. Bush. (Fox News)
Palin resorted to Twitter to taunt Mrs. Obama’s invitation.
“Oh lovely, White House… http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/09/burn-a-bush-michelle-obama-invites-rapper-common-to-a-poetry-reading/,” she Tweeted Tuesday (May 9). (Sarah Palin’s Twitter)
The rapper is one of many various poets slated to attend the event.
Common is a long-time member of President Obama’s former church, the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, which was led by controversial preacher the Rev. Jeremiah Wright until 2008. Other poets scheduled to appear at the White House include Jill Scott, Aimee Mann, Elizabeth Alexander, Billy Collins, Rita Dove, Kenneth Goldsmith, and Alison Knowles. The White House says the evening will “highlight poetry’s influence on American life.” (News Max)
Check out some past Common footage below:
