LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.
AT "THE LATE SHOW."
ALREADY IN PROGRESS.
MY FIRST GUEST IS AN EMMY, GRAMMY, AND ACADEMY
AWARD-WINNING MUSICIAN AND ACTOR.
PLEASE WELCOME, COMMON!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU.
THANKS FOR COMING BACK.
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU.
GREAT TO BE HERE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WE HAVE BEEN LUCKY
TO HAVE YOU ON TO PERFORM.
THIS IS THE FIRST CHANCE I'VE HAD TO INTERVIEW YOU.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE FOR THAT.
>> AN HONOR TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: LAST TIME YOUR OPINION HERE WAS THE NIGHT FIRST
LADY MICHELLE OBAMA WAS HERE TO TALK ABOUT HER BOOK.
YOU GO WAY BACK, DON'T YOU?
>> YEAH, WE'RE BOTH CHICAGOANS.
WE HAVE A WONDERFUL CONNECTION.
SHE'S A WONDERFUL PERSON, YOU KNOW THAT.
>> Stephen: I DO.
I SPENT TIME WITH HER IN LONDON WHEN I WAS THERE FOR HER BOOK
TOUR THERE.
WHEN YOU MEET HER, YOU THINK, THAT THE SOMEONE I WOULD KNOW.
>> AND SOMEONE I WOULD LIKE TO BE AROUND.
WE SAT HERE IN THIS SPACE AND WAS TALKING ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS.
>> Stephen: I SAID WHAT ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT?
YOU SAID, LOVE.
SHE GIVES YOU LOVE ADVICE?
>> YEAH, AND GREAT LOVE ADVICE.
WHO ELSE WOULD YOU WANT LOVE ADVICE FROM BUT THE GREAT
MICHELLE OBAMA?
BUT IT'S LIKELY AUTHENTIC AND REAL AND HONEST.
A LOT OF THE THINGS SHE SAID TO ME IS, LIKE, WISDOM BECAUSE
SOMETIMES I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT PERSON, AND I'M NOT
PERFECT SO WHAT AM I DOING, RIGHT?
SHE'S, LIKE, LOOK, YOU HAVE TO COMPROMISE SOMETIMES, RIGHT?
>> Stephen: REALLY?
THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID?
>> YEAH ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT TO LOWER YOUR STANDARDS?
>> NOT THAT LEVEL OF COMPROMISE.
SHE'S JUST SAYING, LOOK, SOME OF THE STUFF YOU WANT IN A PERSON,
THAT'S NOT THE REAL VALUES.
JUST LOOK FOR THE REAL CORE VALUES AND MAKE SURE THE THINGS
ON YOUR LIST, THAT YOU CAN MARK THOSE THINGS ON YOUR LIST.
OF COURSE, SHE DIDN'T COMPROMISE WITH THE GREAT PRESIDENT OBAMA,
DID SHE?
>> Stephen: YOU HAD TO SETTLE FOR BARACK OBAMA, AND HE HAD TO
SETTLE FOR HER.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S ON YOUR LIST OF PRIORITIES, JUST IN CASE
THERE'S SOMEBODY WATCHING NOW, GOING I THINK I WOULD BE PERFECT
FOR COMMON.
>> LOOK, SWEETHEART, THIS IS WHAT I LOVE -- I LOVE PEOPLE WHO
ARE CARING AND LOVING BUT OPEN HEARTED, INTELLIGENCE --
INTELLIGENT AND FUND.
I LIKE PEOPLE WHO TREAT PEOPLE WELL.
AND I LIKE A WOMAN WHO CHALLENGES ME TO GROW, SHE HELPS
ME TO GROW AND I HELP HER TO GROW, WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND
WE CAN GO OUT AND DO GOOD IN THE WORLD AND HAVE FUN, HAVE A GOOD
GLASS OF WINE.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT.
IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE RIGHT, CALL 1-899-4-COMMON.
OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY RIGHT NOW.
( LAUGHTER ) I REMEMBER, BACK IN THE DAY,
THERE WAS A CONTROVERSY WHEN YOU WERE INVITED FOR A NATIONAL
POETRY WEEK, I THINK, TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND YOU DID SOME POETRY.
YOU CAUSED A CONTROVERSY.
KARL ROVE CALLED YOU A THUG.
>> WHOA.
>> Stephen: I MISS THE DAYS WHEN POETRY WAS THE CONTROVERSY.
>> ME, TOO, MAN.
>> Stephen: CAN YOU IMAGINE POETRY BEING A CONTROVERSY AT
THE WHITE HOUSE NOW?
>> CAN YOU IMAGINE, LIKE, ME BEING CALLED A THUG?
IF I'M A THUG, THEN WHO IS IN THE WHITE HOUSE NOW, RIGHT?
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?
>> AND I THINK NATIONAL POETRY WEEK WOULD ALL JUST BE
LIMERICKS.
( LAUGHTER ) JUST DIRTY LIMERICKS.
SPEAKING OF LOVE, YOU'VE GOT A NEW BOOK HERE CALLED "LET LOVE
HAVE THE LAST WORD."
>> YES.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: SO WHAT'S IT
ABOUT?
WHY DID YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT LOVE OR IS IT ABOUT THAT?
>> IT IS ABOUT LOVE, BUT IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS.
LOVE FOR COMMUNITY, LOVE FOR GOD, LOVE FOR SELF.
IT'S REALLY ME TELLING MY STORY AND JOURNEY ON PLACES I FAILED
IN LOVE, EVEN IN FATHERHOOD, WHERE I COULD BECOME A BETTER
PERSON IN THAT WAY.
ALSO JUST TALKING ABOUT -- I TALK ABOUT THERAPY IN IT, THINGS
LIKE I FEEL LIKE WE DON'T DISCUSS AS MEN, ESPECIALLY IN
THE BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITY, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THERAPY
SOMETIMES.
>> Stephen: THERE'S A STIGMA AROUND THERAPY IN SOME
COMMUNITIES SOMETIMES.
>> YEAH.
I WANTED TO BE OPEN AND SHARE THOSE THINGS IN HOPES THAT OTHER
PEOPLE CAN BE INSPIRED, THEY CAN BE, LIKE, MOVED ENOUGH TO BE,
LIKE, I CAN BE A BETTER PERSON, AND WITH ALL THIS CRAZY STUFF
GOING ON AND THE TIMES, EVERYTHING YOU TALK ABOUT, ALL
THAT CRAZY STUFF, IF WE ACTUALLY APPLY LOVE AS A DAILY PRACTICE,
THEN I FEEL LIKE THIS WORLD WILL BE BETTER, OUR COUNTRY WILL BE
BETTER.
BECAUSE NO GOVERNOR -- I MEAN, NO GOVERNMENT -- NO GOVERNMENT
IS GREATER THAN -- NO GOVERNMENT IS GREATER THAN LOVE.
NO POLITICAL FIGURE IS GREATER THAN LOVE.
NO POLITICAL AGENDA IS GREATER THAN LOVE, OR GOD.
SO THIS IS THE REASON WHY I PUT THIS BOOK OUT THERE AND, YOU
KNOW, I'M HOPING YOUNG PEOPLE, PEOPLE OF ALL AGES JUST CAN SEE
THEMSELVES AND BE, LIKE, YEAH, YOU KNOW WHAT?
LET'S GO OUT AND SPREAD SOME LOVE AND STOP FOCUSING ON ALL
THIS CRAZINESS.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WELL, DO YOU HAVE
A STRUGGLE WITH THE WORD "LOVE" EVER?
DO YOU KNOW WHEN THE RIGHT TIME IS TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" IN A
RELATIONSHIP?
( LAUGHTER ) >> I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE A HARD
TIME WITH THAT, DO YOU?
>> Stephen: NO, FIRST DATE.
GET IT OUT OF THE WAY.
HELLO, I'M STEPHEN, I LOVE YOU ( LAUGHTER )
>> YEAH, FOR ME, I TAKE A LONG TIME.
I'M PRETTY PATIENT WITH THAT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO SAY IT
AND NOT MEAN IT OR NOT LIVE UP TO IT, SO I TRY TO BE AS HONEST
AND AUTHENTIC AS I CAN.
EVEN WHEN I'M IN LOVE WITH SOMEBODY I STILL SAY IT AT TIMES
WHEN I REALLY FEEL IT.
I SAY I MISS YOU WHEN I REALLY MISS YOU.
SOMETIMES IT'S HARD SOMETIMES WHEN YOU SAY, I MISS YOU, AND
THEY SAY, YEAH, GOOD, THANKS.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: NOT A GOOD SIGN.
I MISS YOU.
I TOTALLY GET THAT.
I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DO.
( LAUGHTER ) YOU STARTED OFF AS RAPPER OVER
25 YEARS AGO.
DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST BARS?
>> DO I REMEMBER MY FIRST BARS.
I WAS 12 YEARS OLD WHEN I WROTE IT, AND I SAID, WELL, LET ME
TELL YOU ABOUT A TRIP, A TIME AGO, I WAS GOING THERE TO RUN A
GOLD-BLOODED SHOW.
WHEN I WAS THERE I SAW SOME PEOPLE JAMMING, TOO.
THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE BARNHILL CREW.
DR. ICE, ROMEO AND MASTER E, ALL OF THE BRON HILL CREW RAPPING TO
A T, I ASKED THEM COULD THEY ROCK WITH ME -- THAT'S ALL I
REMEMBER, BROTHER.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WELL, YOU KNOW,
YOU'VE GOT THIS AMAZING VOICE.
EVERYTHING YOU DO -- YOU CAN MAKE IT SOUND IMPORTANT, YOU CAN
MAKE IT SOUND -- >> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: GRAVIDAS.
YOU GIVE GRAVIDAS, A SENSE OF MEANING AND SPIRIT TO IT.
I WAS HOPING YOU COULD MAKE THINGS THAT AREN'T NORMALLY DEEP
AND PROFOUND SOUND DEEP AND PROFOUND, AND I WAS WONDERING
WHETHER YOU COULD READ SOME DISCLAIMERS FOR US.
>> YEAH, I'LL READ SOME DISCLAIMERS.
>> Stephen: SOMETHING WE'RE CALLING "COMMON DISCLAIMERS."
( APPLAUSE ) MAYBE JUST SWITCH FROM ONE TO
THE OTHER.
START RIGHT HERE.
( SEXY VOICE ) >> VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
( CHEERING ) NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY.
( LAUGHTER ) OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER
THAN THEY APPEAR.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
ONE MORE.
( LAUGHTER ) SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS MAY
INCLUDE: IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT, RASH ON NOSE AND CHEEKS, AND
PERSISTENT DIARRHEA.
( LAUGHTER ) ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
I FELT IT!
>> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH!
"LET LOVE HAVE THE LAST WORD" IS IN STORES
TOMORROW.
COMMON, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH RACHEL DRATCH.