Common and John Legend took home the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 87th Annual Academy Awards for their song “Glory” on the Selmasoundtrack. The song, which runs during the end credits of the film, was co-written by Rhymefest.
The award became just the third given to a Hip Hop song in the category following Eminem’s win for “Lose Yourself” in 2002 and Three Six Mafia’s for “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” in 2005.
During his acceptance speech, Common referenced a recent performance of the song in Selma and its modern-day relevance around the world.
“Recently John and I got to go to Selma and perform ‘Glory’ on the same bridge that Dr. King and the people of the Civil Rights movement marched on, 50 years ago,” he said. “This bridge was once a landmark of a divided nation, but now it’s a symbol for change. The spirit of this bridge transcends race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and social status. The spirit of this bridge connects a kid from the South Side of Chicago dreaming of a better life to those in France standing up for their freedom of expression to the people in Hong Kong protesting for democracy. This bridge was built on hope, welded with compassion, and elevated by love for all human beings.”
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“Glory” beat out songs from The Lego Movie, Beyond the Lights, Begin Again, and more. Common and John Legend’s song was notably only one of two nominations for Selma, the other of which came in the form of a Best Picture nod.
Watch a video for the song below:
For additional Common coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
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