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Common has such an impressive resume, right? He’s a rapper, actor, poet, author, activist, film producer and more. He was the first rapper ever to win an Emmy, Grammy and Academy Award, an honor that could be bestowed again in March if the rapper wins for his song “Stand Up For Something” for the film, Marshall. Simply put, this brother puts in work.

With 2018 getting into full swing, folks are wondering what is next up for Common, who is known for his politically charged rhymes. The multi-talented musician started the year off with some strong shows of activism, including honoring Erica Garner at her homegoing and performing at this year’s Women’s March and a Respect Rally during the Sundance Film Festival in Utah recently.

These events have all raised the rapper’s profile: a fact that would serve him well as a politician. Many political candidates have been known to follow a playbook of steps, including raising their profiles, to prepare for a run in office. Here are a few signs that Common may run for some political office in the future:

  1. He just spoke at the People’s State Of The Union: The rapper’s words at this high-profile event, organized in the name of resistance against Trump, were very powerful on Monday, CNN reported. “If we want a change we have to vote for people who see us, who value us, who represent us,” The Chi executive producer, who also performed his song from Marshall with Andra Day, said during the event. Several politicians, including Barack Obama, have given these types of impassioned speeches on the campaign trail.
  2. He recently interviewed with Democracy Now about Trump and Dreamers: Common has no problem with using a huge platform to denounce Trump’s twisted words and policies. “My thing is like, when you’re in power and you’re a leader, what is the purpose of taking away somebody else’s dream or stomping on the people who don’t have, like the people who are either in difficult economic situations or are looking for—to be able to follow a dream and pursue something, you know, in their lives that means something? Why? What is the core intention behind that? Why would you want to stop individuals from just pursuing their dreams? I don’t see where that—how that helps humanity or helps our country,” he said to the independent news program known to focus on politics, U.S. policy and global events. Many high-profile candidates were interviewed in national magazines addressing politics before elections, FiveThirtyEight reported.
  3. He has spoken out against gun violence in his native Chicago: Before Obama became the 44th president, he gave speeches on gun violence in Chicago as an Illinois senator.  “The violence is unacceptable and it’s got to stop,” Obama said at the Vernon Park Church of God in Chicago in July 2007, according to the Chicago Tribune. Common has been known for his efforts to combat gun violence, too. “But I wasn’t thinking about how mass incarceration fit into the scheme of all that, how police are the front line of people for this whole system. I wasn’t putting all that together,” Common said about his realization about the subject in November 2016, Fast Company reported.
  4. He endorsed Obama in his fight to take hip-hop in a new direction: Common publicly said he thought of Obama as a driver of change in hip-hop back in December 2008. “I think hip-hop artists will have no choice but to talk about different things and more positive things, and try to bring a brighter side to that because, even before Barack, I think people had been tired of hearing the same thing,” he said to CNN, another national publication followed by political junkies. Common’s words about Obama were seemingly a form of campaigning, a pattern that other candidates follow when they want to put their hats in the election ring.
  5. He has a relevant book coming out soon: His book is titled How We Love Is How We Livepublished by Simon and Schuster, which will be available in April before the midterm elections. The release of the book, focusing on teaching folks how to use “love” and “mindfulness” to “build communities, also may indicate an office run, as many politicians have put out books before campaigns.

Will Common actually run for office? Who knows, but if he does, he will be prepared for it.

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Common The Politician? 5 Signs The Multi-Talented Oscar Winner May Run For Office  was originally published on newsone.com