Common is coming to Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books in Germantown for a talk and book signing

Common | photo courtesy of the artist

Let Love Have the Last Word is the new memoir by Common — Grammy Award-winning, Academy Award-Winning, and Golden Globe Award-winning musician, writer, actor, and activist. The Chicago-based hip hop artist, born Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid Lynn, will be traveling the United States on a book tour throughout the summer, and the tour includes a June 1st talk and book signing at Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books in Germantown.

In the memoir, Common opens up about his relationship with his daughter, abuse he experienced as a child, and the value of conversation in the process of emotional healing. He has said that he hopes his book and his presentations will help “create a space” for people who have experienced similar traumas “to be able to share that — that’s part of the healing.” The memoir also touches on his faith and his experiences with romantic love.

Common, now 47 years old, has been rapping since the 1990’s, and he previously published a memoir entitled One Day, It’ll All Make Sense (after a 1997 album with the same title) in 2011. His eleventh studio album, Black America Again, came out in 2016 on Def Jam Recordings; his recent acting credits include The Hate U Give, directed by George Tillman, Jr. and based on the novel by Angie Thomas, and All About Nina, written and directed by Eva Wives. He appeared in a recent Sesame Street video that you can watch below.

Common’s talk and book signing will take place from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday June 1 at Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books. (5445 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19144) RSVP for the event here.

Uncle Bobbie’s is a coffee shop, book store and communal living space owned and operated by Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, a scholar, writer, and Temple University professor. The business opened in the heart of Germantown in fall 2017.