Common 'Was In Amazement' At Dallas Get Schooled Event

'The energy they gave was remarkable,' MC says of students at Justin F. Kimball High.
By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Jeff Schneider

Common
Photo: MTV News

Having lent his skills to a Philadelphia Get School Youth Summit, Common is familiar with the high energy of the events. But that didn't stop the Chicago MC from getting amped at Friday's , which he said was a fun and inspirational experience for everyone involved.

"It was an incredible day for me but I think it was just a super incredible day for the kids," Common told MTV News. "I was watching them when we [were] speaking and they were listening ... I was in amazement like 'Man, these kids, they're paying attention.' "

The "Go" lyricist said that having the attention of a bunch of teens is important because it's a chance for him to send a powerful message.

"That's very valuable because you know you have their ears, you have their hearts and you need to say something significant," he said. "In a way it's a big responsibility but that's what we live for, that's what we get an opportunity to do. We've been able to fulfill our dreams so it's a blessing to be able to come here and say something and offer something that you feel can inspire them to go fulfill their dreams."

Dallas spitter Dorrough and MTV News' Sway also joined Common at the event. Although the trio hit the school to stress the importance of education, Common said students returned the favor by schooling him some regional footwork.

"The kids of Kimball got live," Common smiled. "They got up and they started doing some dance that I had never seen, I guess it was a ... dance specific to Dallas. Somebody told me it was called [the] Dallas Boogie or something. They was going for it, they was doing their little thing. I was like, "Cool, that's the Dallas Boogie, go for it, rock it."

Common may have learned a new dance but the hip-hop star said purpose of the event was to ensure that students know the value of education. But he's pretty confident the Get Schooled crew got their point across.

"More than anything I'm just glad that if we can affect one or two people," Common said. "But I feel like, all of them have been affected so that's a blessing."

Stay tuned to MTV News for more information about how you can get the president to speak at your commencement celebration at the end of this school year. Get Schooled is a national program aimed at increasing high school and college graduation rates and promoting the importance of education, developed by Viacom in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1650161/20101016/common.jhtml

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