Lowdown Hudson Music Fest: Common

Grammy and Academy Award winning rapper, actor, producer and poet Common opens the festival on Tuesday, July 18. Common’s illustrious career began in 1992 with the release of Can I Borrow a Dollar? and he is now one of the most well-known voices in modern rap and R&B. In 2003, Common won his first Grammy Award: Best R&B Song for “Love of My Life” with Erykah Badu. Its popularity was matched by May 2005’s Be, which was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Common was awarded his second Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, for “Southside (featuring Kanye West)” in 2007. Common won the 2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the 2015 Academy Award for Best Original Song for his song “Glory” from the 2014 film Selma, in which he co-starred as Civil Rights Movement leader James Bevel.

Arts Brookfield’s annual summer music festival, the Lowdown Hudson Music Fest, returns to the heart of downtown New York for its seventh summer on July 18 and 19. Bringing fun, lively, world-class musical talent to the picturesque Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place, this year’s festival will be headlined by rapper and producer Common on Tuesday and quirky veteran rockers OK GO on Wednesday. Both shows are free to attend and open to the public. In keeping with the summer festival vibe, shows are standing room only and will feature a festival bar.