Common gushes over girlfriend Jennifer Hudson's vocal prowess and says she really 'brought it' on song for his new album: 'I love that we were able to utilize her gifts'
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After dating a bevy of beauties over the years, Common is now hinting that he may have found 'the one' in Jennifer Hudson.
In a rather rare move, the rapper and actor opened up about his personal life with Hudson during his promotional push for his new studio album The Auditorium, Vol. 1 (with Pete Rock) that included a conversation with People.
The Chicago native first talked about his collaborating with his romantic partner on the new song A GOD (There Is), and how he 'loved it' when he played it to musician friends who asked, '"Who is that singing?"' he said.
Sensing that he had something special, Common (born Lonnie Rashid Lynn) shot back to those musical friends, '"That's Jennifer!" It doesn't sound like things you've heard from her before. I love that we were able to utilize her gifts in a new space. She brought it, man.'
With his new release, Common has now dropped 15 studio albums over a career in music that dates back to his debut Can I Borrow a Dollar? in 1992.
Common, 52, heaped high praise on his girlfriend Jennifer Hudson, 42, who he said she 'brought it' when they collaborated together on the song A GOD (There Is), off his new album with The Auditorium, Vol. 1 (with Pete Rock); seen together in 2015
'I love that we were able to utilize her gifts in a new space. She brought it, man' he said in a new interview with PEOPLE
The initial ideas for A GOD (There Is) first came to light when Common was listening to a beat sample that he assumed was sung by Aretha Franklin, but it ended up being Valerie Simpson of the famed duo Ashford And Simpson.
'I told [Hudson] who it was and then we was discussing,' he recalled of their conversation. 'I was like, you know how the light bulb goes off? The light bulb went off. "Wait, that song makes me feel like Aretha. The American Idol alum played Aretha [in 2021's Respect, played by Hudson]. Jennifer, why don't you sing on this?" She's like, "Oh man, I would love to sing on it." She was vibing to it.'
When asked about the lyrics to another song on the new album, Chi-Town Do It, where he raps, 'Champion lover that could come with a ring/That got a ring to it, you and I theme to it,' Common first plays coy and then opens back up about the lady in his life and how she just may be his 'one.'
'I am in a great partnership, and, man, [Jennifer] is somebody I do really care about and do love and am growing with,' he shared. 'The potential of a 'champion lover' means, "Yo, you are the one." I am feeling that. It's a lot of potential there is what I'll say.'
The celebrity couple first sparked dating rumors when they were seen leaving a restaurant in Malibu in February 2023.
But they didn't publicly confirm their romance until he was a guest on the Jennifer Hudson Show this past January.
'I'm in a relationship… with one of the most beautiful people I ever met in life,' Common said on the show, while still avoiding to mention Hudson by name.
'She's smart, she loves God, she has something real down-to-earth about her, she's talented.'
Before his romance with Hudson, who's also a Chicago native, Common dated a number of high-profile ladies.
He was previously linked to Kim Jones (Unknown-1998), Erykah Badu (2000-2002), Taraji P. Henson (2005), Serena Williams (2007-2010), Angela Rye (2017-2018), and most recently Tiffany Haddish (2020-2021), according to People.
The Common and Rock duo dropped their new collaborative album on Friday, July 12.
To mark the occasion, Hudson shared a video of her singing some of the vocals while being driven in an SUV that very same day.
'It is a very Musical summer ! And I am loving every minute of it ! My soul Is so happy about it ! A God (There is) #common #peterock The Auditorium, Vol.1,' she wrote in the caption.
Common and Pete Rock released the new studio album The Auditorium, Vol. 1 on Friday, July 12
Pete Rock (born Peter O. Phillips), 54, is a music producer, DJ and rapper, who's widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time
Common said he 'loved it' when he played A God (There Is) to his musician friends who asked, "Who is that singing?" for which he proudly boasted that it was his lady Jennifer
'It is a very Musical summer ! And I am loving every minute of it ! My soul Is so happy about it ! A God (There is) #common #peterock The Auditorium, Vol.1
Pete Rock (born Peter O. Phillips), 54, is a music producer, DJ and rapper, who's widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time.
The Bronx, New York native rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth.
After the duo went their separate ways, Rock continued with a solo career that has garnered him worldwide respect, though little in the way of mainstream success.
As for Hudson, she has released three albums of her own between 2008 and 2014, but has apparently shifted much of her focus to her acting career the last decade, which includes playing the role of Aretha Franklin in Respect (2021).
Common has had a successful acting career of his own, starring in such films as Smokin' Aces (2006), American Gangster (2007), Street Kings (2008), Wanted (2008), Terminator Salvation (2009), Date Night (2010), Happy Feet Two (2011), New Year's Eve (2011), Now You See Me (2013), Selma (2014), Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016), Suicide Squad (2016), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), Ocean's 8 (2018), The Hate U Give (2018) and Alice (2022).
