COMMON INKS DEAL WITH LINCOLN, JOINS WITH Q-TIP FOR STANDARD

Common lands deal to rep Lincoln, begins work on joint project with Q-Tip….

Rapper and actor Common has landed a deal with Lincoln to promote the 2008 Navigator. Common will be featured in television, radio, and print ads. The first spot will air on NBC during NFL Sunday Night Football on November 25th. The rapper’s music will be licensed for Navigator commercials and tie-ins will be made with Common’s hat line and books. Lincoln will also be involved with the rapper’s upcoming tour and with his non-profit organization, the Common Ground Foundation.

As part of the deal, Lincoln has partnered with Common’s nonprofit, the Common Ground Foundation, to sponsor the first Annual Star the Show n’ Bowl fundraising event, which takes place in February during Grammy weekend.

“You know there’s a lot of conversations going on about hip hop. A lot of people are questioning its substance and I feel like just speaking as one of the four members of A Tribe Called Quest, I’m happy that you know a part of our legacy was that we were about positivity. We were about music and we were about being substantive and we were about including all people.”

In related news, Common and Q-Tip have formed a group called the Standard. The duo are working on a project that will be released next year. Q-Tip recently shared his thoughts on the state of hip hop. He said,