Common
Rapper & actor
Oscar- and Grammy-winning rapper and actor who joined roughly 300 artists backing the No AI FRAUD Act, a bill to protect voices and likenesses from nonconsensual AI cloning.
In his words
The No AI FRAUD Act would defend your fundamental human right to your voice and likeness, protecting everyone from nonconsensual deepfakes.
Biography
Common (Lonnie Rashid Lynn, born 1972) is a Chicago rapper, actor, and author who has won a Grammy, an Academy Award (for the song “Glory” from “Selma”), and an Emmy — a rare EGOT contender. His decades in both music and film place him among the artists most exposed to AI voice and likeness cloning.
Backing the No AI FRAUD Act
In early 2024, Common was one of nearly 300 artists — alongside hip-hop peers including Questlove, Q-Tip, Chuck D, and The Roots — to sign a public statement, organized through the Human Artistry Campaign, backing the No AI FRAUD Act. The bill, introduced in the U.S. House, would establish a federal right over one’s voice and likeness and penalize those who clone them without consent.
The signatory statement framed the fight as protecting “everyone from nonconsensual deepfakes,” putting Common in the coalition of musicians pushing legislative guardrails rather than an outright rejection of AI as a creative tool.
Where they stand in the war
Who backs them up
Sources & further reading
Canonical record: https://battlelines.ai/topic/common