With fame comes great responsibility and, thankfully, these musicians have used their celebrity and their music as a vehicle to make the world a better place; we salute them.
Common
When Iyanla Vanzant challenged rappers to step up in the wake of Mike Brown’s death, Common was the only one to answer the call. Soon after, the Chicago MC released the theme song to Selma, “Glory,” with John Legend, and during his Golden Globe acceptance speech for Best Song, the rapper delivered a poignant speech everyone needed to hear: “As I got to know the people of the civil rights movement, I realized I am the hopeful black woman who was denied her right to vote. I am the caring white supporter killed on the front lines of freedom. I am the unarmed black kid who maybe needed a hand, but instead was given a bullet. I am the two fallen police officers murdered in the line of duty. ‘Selma’ has awakened my humanity.”
