By Rob Lowman,
Common in AMC's "Hell on Wheels"
"One Day It'll All Make Sense" is something many of us tell ourselves each day. It also is the title of Common's recently published book.The rapper, activist and actor says he wrote the memoir so that he could talk "about how my mom and different people influenced me and what I wanted to pass on to my daughter."
As we chatted, you get the feeling the 39-year-old spends a lot of time thinking about life and spirituality.
Last summer he was up in Calgary, Alberta, where he probably had a little more time than usual for pondering such things. The Chicago native was there filming the new AMC series "Hell on Wheels," which begins Sunday night.
In the series, set in the years following the Civil War, Common plays former slave Elam Ferguson, who works on the building of the transcontinental railroad. The title "Hell on Wheels" comes from the name of the notorious tent city that moved along with the crew as they laid track.
"It's pretty uncommon for me," says Common, about his time in the Canadian city. "I'm used to the hustle and bustle of the city. I love Chicago, -- my hometown, and I love New York -- it's one of my favorite places in the world -- and I love L.A. But it's nice to be in a place, for a little while, where there are not a lot of distractions ... and you can go to the rodeo."
Common, whose real name is Lonnie Rashid Lynn, didn't watch many Westerns growing up. So the actor, whose early roles were in urban action-driven movies such as "Smokin' Aces," "American Gangster," "Wanted" and "Street Kings," finds it interesting to be in one.
He also finds it interesting that he had to learn to ride a horse. He describes shooting a scene in which he and co-star Anson Mount gallop up to a crisis like you would see in a John Wayne movie. "It's such a hero shot, and I'm thinking, `Man, wait till the people from Chicago see me doing this."'
Doing "Hell on Wheels" has given Common a chance to learn about the history of an era he wasn't that familiar with.
"When I was in school I would learn about more famous freedom fighters like Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglass, but there are a lot of people whose story we never heard about," he says. "So for me to go back and do research and learn about people of that time was important."
Mount plays Cullen Bohannon, an ex-Confederate soldier who has joined the construction team to track down the Union soldiers who murdered his wife. Eventually, the former slave and former Johnny Reb develop an uneasy relationship.
One of the things about "Hell on Wheels" that attracted Common was how the show developed the relationship between races.
"It wasn't all just black and white. It was about human beings," he says, pointing to his own character of Elam. "He's conflicted because he's a free slave who is of mixed race. His father was his master. That is already confusing."
Mount says it would be a mistake if "Hell on Wheels" fell "into the PC groove of `Oh, the white guy and the black guy are going to be buddies."'
The son of a former pro basketball player, Common was mostly raised by his mother after his parents divorced when he was 6. The hip-hop artist began his career in 1992 with the album "Can I Borrow a Dollar?" under the stage name Common Sense. It didn't sell, but the 1994 release of "Resurrection" brought him a wider audience.
He describes himself as a "young dude from Chicago -- intelligent but at the same time still raw."
Growing up, he was close to his mother, educator Mahalia Ann Hines, but felt that he was missing "male instruction in how to be a man." So that was something he had to learn himself, which is addressed in his book.
"Over the years, I think I found myself becoming more secure as to who I am as a man, recognizing my flaws and weaknesses and being able to work on them," says Common, who has a new album, "The Dreamer, the Believer," due out in December.
"I've finally been able to say, `This is what I believe in. This is what I want my life to be and this is what I want to surround myself with,"' he says. "As I've learned more, traveled and seen things, I've grown as an artist."
In May, Common, who raps about race relations, was invited by President Obama to read some of his poetry at the White House. The invitation touched off criticism from the political right because of the artist's own criticism of former President Bush and his handling of the Iraq war. Critics also brought up lines in Common's poetry and songs that some interpreted as being supportive of two black activists, both imprisoned in the killings of policemen.
While controversy has dogged some rappers, Common hasn't been one of them. As an activist he has been involved in a number of political causes, including AIDS awareness and PETA. He was also featured in the video for "Yes We Can," a song in support of the Obama presidential campaign.
Yet, you will also hear the words "spirituality" and "God" come up often in the conversation. A Christian, he and the Obamas shared the same pastor in Chicago, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Common shrugs off the minor storm and says he was "more than anything grateful" to be invited to the White House, calling it "an incredible experience."
As far as the brouhaha, "I knew that a lot of things were being said. I didn't let that deter me," he says. "People are going to say what they are going to say. You just have to know who you are. You just can't let it affect you."
That attitude extends to his music, where he says he and producer No I.D. tried to return to "the essence of what hip-hop and soul" are on his upcoming album. The rapper lists some of his influences as "everything from Pink Floyd to Herbie Hancock to John Coltrane to Jimi Hendrix. Or it could go from Radiohead -- I love Radiohead -- to Michael Jackson to early hip-hop."
Being in Calgary, though, gave him a bit of an education in country music.
"Some of the stories are really great," he says. "I like being able to digest and be exposed to the music."
The rapper says he likes opening himself up to new things even if it's just a one-time experience.
"Calgary is a cool place. It is a beautiful place," he says. They say it's God's country. Of course America is God's country, too."
As for "One Day It'll All Make Sense," which was also the name of his breakthrough 1996 album, Common hopes that it will provide some readers with life lessons about career, family and spirituality.
And as for himself, "I'm still learning."
Hell on Wheels
What: Western action drama about the building of the transcontinental railroad, starring Anson Mount and Common.When: Premieres 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011.
Where: AMC.
Story:Daily News
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