The rapper pays tribute to unarmed black young men who were gunned down and murdered cops during his emotional speech after accepting his award from Prince.
- Jan 12, 2015
AceShowbiz - Common had a glorious night at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, January 11. The rapper's "Glory", which he recorded with John Legend for the soundtrack of "Selma", came out as the winner in the Best Original Song category.
Common then gave an emotional speech as he took the stage with his collaborator at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California to accept his trophy from Prince. "The first day I stepped on the set of 'Selma', I began to feel like this was bigger than a movie," he told the crowd.
"As I got to know the people of the Civil Rights movement, I realized I am the hopeful black woman who was denied her right to vote. I am the caring white supporter, killed on the front lines of freedom. I am the unarmed kid who maybe needed a hand, but instead was given a bullet. I am the two fallen police officers murdered in the line of duty," he continued.
" 'Selma' has awakened my humanity. We look to the future, and we want to create a better world. Now is our time to change the world. Selma is now," he added before thanking everyone who made the movie happen including director Ava DuVernay whom he called "a superhero." During his speech, cast member Oprah Winfrey who sat in the audience looked touched by his words.
Legend then thanked Common for asking him to join the project "at the last minute." "He called me up and he said, 'John, I want you to help me write a song for this film,' and I'm so honored I was brought on at the last minute to be a part of this amazing film," he said and added he hoped the song would inspire "those who are out there fighting for justice right now."
"Glory" won the Best Original Song title over fellow nominees including Lana Del Rey's "Big Eyes" of Tim Burton's film of the same name, Lorde's "Yellow Flicker Beat" of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1", Sia Furler's "Opportunity" from "Annie" and Patti Smith's "Mercy Is" from "Noah".
