Common has released a new memoir titled Let Love Have The Last World. In it, the veteran rapper/actor details a painful incident in which he was molested as a child.
According to Common, he managed to forget the memory of his molestation — perhaps as a coping mechanism — until he began working on a film called The Tale in 2017. The movie told the story of the director’s childhood abuse, which made Common recall his trauma while discussing the script with actress Laura Dern.
“One day, while talking through the script with Laura, old memories surprisingly flashed in my mind,” he wrote. “I caught my breath and just kept looping the memories over and over, like rewinding an old VHS tape to take closer looks at the previous scene. I said to Laura, ‘I think I was abused.’ Right there, it all came back to my mind as if someone had suddenly inserted deleted scenes into that little movie in my head, scenes that I hadn’t remembered or thought about before, scenes I couldn’t even remember remembering.”
Common said he was molested during a family trip to Cleveland. His abuser, a relative of his godbrother Skeet, is referred to as “Brandon” in the book.
Before sharing his account of what happened, he recalled a time when Brandon made him feel uncomfortable a few months prior to the trip. The situation involved Brandon putting his hand on Common’s shoulder and back.
The awkward moment made Common feel nervous when the family went to Cleveland. He was assigned to a room with Brandon but didn’t voice his concern despite what happened months before.
When it was time to go to bed later that night, he was sexually abused.
“I don’t remember how much time passed, but at some point I felt Brandon’s hand on me,” he wrote. “I pushed him away; I don’t remember saying a whole lot, besides ‘No, no, no.’ That aside, I just kept pushing away his hand, then his hands. And he kept saying something like, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay, everybody does this.’ Whether that was true or not didn’t matter to me at all—I knew I didn’t want any part of what he wanted. I felt his hand on my crotch; I said ‘No’ more forcefully, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear us.”
Common continued, “He kept saying, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay’ as he pulled down my shorts and molested me. After he stopped, he then kept asking me to perform it on him. I kept repeating ‘No,’ and pushing him away. Thinking back, I should’ve gotten up from the bed and ran out of the room; but I felt a deep and sudden shame for what happened, and for what he kept trying to make happen, as if I had brought it all on myself. I didn’t want to say anything, to anyone, and hoped that he would just leave me alone, and go to sleep, which, eventually, he did once I fought back enough that he knew I was not going to touch him at all.”
The Grammy winner said the abuse didn’t continue for the rest of the trip, and he kept quiet about what happened. After some time, he managed to ignore the incident completely until 2017.
While he wished it never happened, he said he’s forgiven Brandon. The acclaimed MC declared he wanted to “be a person who helps break cycles of violence and trauma.”
Common’s Let Love Have The Last World: A Memoir is available now.
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So that’s why he is soft and weak. I see why the GDs and FolkNation didn’t mess with him.
Ain’t nothing softer than talking shit while hiding behind a keyboard and a fake wannabe name. An actual triple OG would never do that.
You are a fat white nerd who dosent have a drivers license or car and live wit yo Mamma! LOL!
Wrong. It’s because he was a part of the Peoples Nation, BPSN.
Common was a 4CH. What the fuckyoutalkin bout BPSN?..Wronggggggggggg
I heard the Mad Cobras ran his ass off the block.
Fuck you, little bitch troll. ?
Very brave man!!
Only suckas get molested
Only a sucka would make a dumb comment like that.
Suckas w guns. Come at me bruh. Does your bum still hurt from when you were a kid too?
Haha nah. But really? You need a gun to protect yourself? You weaker than I thought. You should bring some of your homies in case you miss. Tell them to bring guns too in case they’re as weak as you are.
Lmao dead
Using guns ain’t weak. Using guns is American
Thanks for clearing that up. Of course things can’t be American and weak at the same time. What was I thinking?
if it is any constellation, that is what liberals do. no really, this is true. there are many liberals out there who sexualise children and teenagers to sexually liberate them as they see it for the first time. I mean, what happened to common is different. I have never been involved in these things thank god but it is social engineering by liberals who trace their roots back to Marxism communism because one of the reasons being gay rights, abortion and so on are leftist policies. m.a.g.a.
…any constellation???? ???????
Mane this shit is disgusting. Should have kept that gay shit to ya self. Why he ain’t Come looking for that dude later in life and beat his ass. This story weird af
So this means Common is gay/bi??
Damn this comment section is poison. How the hell can you be a hiphop fan and not recognize Com as one of the GOATS? Dude is speaking truth this kind of abuse is rampant in our community and it needs to be brought to light and stopped.
Yep, half the fools joking about this shit had somebody do something to them. Shit is no joking matter.
It’s the remix to ignition hot and fresh out the kitchen, ima travel pack in time and piss on common in cleveland
Can I come too…..pleasssssse???
I’m sure Bambaataa and the other pedos are getting hard reading this shit smfh
*other pedos in the Zulu Nation*
I can’t believe the ignorance people gladly show off in these comments…talking ’bout how Common is gay, bi, soft or whatever because he got molested as a child. WTF!?! It takes a incredibly strong person coming out with this isht, and the man even says he’s forgiven it to stop the cycle off hatred and violence. How the f*ck do you come off calling someone like that soft. The world needs people to shine the light into the darkest corners. There’s no limit to the stupidity… I sure hope your ignorant asses isn’t raising no young boys and girls to be strong, independent and mentally healthy men and women, ’cause you’ll fail, miserably…just like the ones responsible for you did. Gtfo
@real beeatch…Don’t be mad bc I touched your booty. Wet and chocolatey af. I can’t wait for tonight. Keep it tight. My Little Dipper…
Keepin’ it real, huh. You got my sympathies little man
I was truly hoping for better jokes when i hopped on this comment section, i said wow common about to get roasted lol But meh
He said he just remembered one day that he was molested, yea right you know he thought about that shit his whole life, he eventually gave in, he’s lying his ass off, oh wait that’s the ass that Brandon took already
Drake wins. Fatalaty. Babality