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March 14, 2007

Tavis revisits his conversations with R&B singer-songwriter-actor Chris Brown and hip-hop artist-producer Common.


Common

Common

Common

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Common makes message songs, focused on spirituality and love, and has an alternative and underground hip-hop fan base. He honed his skills on Chicago's South Side and got his break when he won a contest sponsored by The Source magazine. In addition to his solo CDs, he's collaborated with numerous artists and contributed music to many movie soundtracks. In ‘04, Common segued into acting, appearing in episodes of several series, including Girlfriends, and the films American Gangster and the upcoming Terminator Salvation.


 

Chris Brown

Chris Brown

Chris Brown

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Multitalented Chris Brown finished '06 as Billboard's top pop artist and a Best New Artist Grammy nominee. The 17-year-old rising star starts '07 with his big screen debut in the feature film, Stomp the Yard. Brown rose to fame in '05, at age 16, with the single "Run It!" from his platinum-selling self-titled debut CD. He initially wanted to be a rapper, but with his mom's encouragement, he began looking for recording opportunities using his singing voice. He's in production for his sophomore release, 'Graduation.'