Common is the 2024 Charlotta Bass Media Trailblazer Award winner; the multi-hyphenate talent will visit a sold-out Bovard Auditorium on Feb. 20
by Taylor Marie Contarino
Common is a Chicago-born activist, artist, and humanitarian. The Bass Lab will host the Emmy-, Grammy- and Academy Award-winning rapper in Bovard Auditorium on Feb. 20, 2024 at 7 PM.
The Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab will host “An Evening with Common” for the USC community, on Feb. 20.
The Emmy-, Grammy-, and Academy Award-winning recording artist, author, and activist is our pick for the 2024 Charlotta Bass Media Trailblazer Award. The Bass Lab was impressed by the musician’s incredible representation of Hip hop’s 50th anniversary last year, said Allissa V. Richardson, our founder.
“Common is one of one. His lyricism, his activism, and his fierce intellect have informed audiences around the world for more than 30 years,” Richardson said, adding “Through Hip hop, he has been Black America’s CNN, to paraphrase Chuck D.”
The Bass Lab has selected Common as this year’s recipient because of his work in Black wellness. His most recent book, And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self is “written for everyone, but it is of special importance for Black Americans, who suffer from heart disease and cancer — the leading causes of death in our country—at far higher rates than other Americans, and at earlier ages,” he said. The book details Common’s own experience of pursuing a healthy lifestyle as a crucial element of his success.
The Charlotta Bass Media Trailblazer Award is bestowed annually upon an African American storyteller who has made a difference in the media landscape for that year. The honoree then visits campus to engage in dialogue with the USC community. The Bass Media Trailblazer Speaker Series is hosted in conjunction with USC Vision and Voices, a university-wide arts and humanities initiative that provides experiences for all USC students. The USC Black Alumni Association provides additional support.
“I’m super excited because this is my first time doing an event like this at USC where it's dedicated to spreading enlightenment about Black history and Black Excellence. It’s definitely an honor to be a part of this program and this opportunity as a whole,” said Zoe Trask, a 2024 Charlotta Bass Lab Fellow.
The inaugural Bass Media Trailblazer award recipients in 2023 were the Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Darnella Frazier, witness for Mr. George Floyd, who was awarded a Special Citation from the Pulitzer Prizes for her bravery. Students were excited to hear that Common would be saluted next.
“For me, I grew up in Chicago,” said Olivia Kelleher, a ‘24 Bass Lab Fellow. She added: “He was kind of like the blueprint for Chicago artists and artists turned activists, [showing] what you really can do as an artist and musician. He represents Chicago really well. To be able to organize an event for someone who's so well known in my hometown feels very full circle.”
Common’s newest book, AND THEN WE RISE celebrates self-care, health; mindfulness, and wellness.