“I feel I’m worth it”: Common opens up about dealing with rejection being the toughest part of loving himself

Famous rapper Common, also known as Lonnie Rashid Lynn, recently opened up on how he has learned to love himself while being rejected. Notably, Rashid Lynn appeared for an interview on Jay Shetty’s podcast, On Purpose, on July 23, 2025, where he spoke about how he reacts when he faces rejection.

Jay Shetty questioned Common during the conversation about the hardest part of learning to love and take care of himself. Rashid Lynn told the host:

“When I’m rejected now, sometimes I can bring that little Rashid into the present and those feelings of being rejected and make this new rejection greater than what it really is. I’m not present in what is happening. So I think loving myself in those moments has been some of the toughest times, but I feel I’m worth it. So I strive for it.”

The Def Poetry Jam star said on the podcast that it feels real when he learns to love himself after being rejected. Lonnie added that it is the same time when he can revisit the things for which he was rejected during his childhood.

In addition, Common revealed how he practices “self-love” for himself every day, saying that he tries to be punctual. The Academy Award winner stated that he would turn up at certain places at a fixed time as planned and explained the reasons for doing the same, as he stated:

“That has nothing to do with nobody else, but that’s me and the creator. And I, and I think you know that’s how I take time and I also have boundaries now too. Like where sometimes if somebody is, I know is taking advantage of me, or just asking for too much and I’m not able or willing to give that, I know how to speak up for that.”

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Common addressed other things in the final five questions on Jay Shetty’s podcast

Common opened up on the best and worst advice he had received (Image via Getty)

Common opened up about loving himself while being rejected in the “Final Five” segment in Jay Shetty’s podcast. The segment began with Jay asking Rashid Lynn about the best advice he had ever received over the years. The Grammy Award winner responded by saying it was to “love others as you love yourself.”

Another question in the segment was about the worst advice Common ever received. The rapper replied that people often say “same sh*t everyday” and elaborated, saying:

“I asked them like, ‘How you doing?’ And they say, ‘Man, same sh*t, new day.’ I don’t subscribe to that mentality. So, I looked at that as like bad advice. And I’m like, ‘No, some, it’s got to be something new happening today. Create something new.’”

Jay Shetty moved on to the final question, saying that it is something he asks all the guests who appear on his podcast. The author and entrepreneur asked Common what law he would like to create, which would be followed by everyone.

The rapper stated that people need to go inside themselves and discover the “greatest love that exists.”

“In every daily activity, we would have to acknowledge that love in ourselves and encourage it in others and see it in others. And that would be the law to know that love within you and acknowledge it in others and treat them as such,” he said.

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Common has built a considerable fan base throughout his career with his successful albums. His debut album, Can I Borrow a Dollar?, was released in 1992, and his last major project was a collaborative album with Pete Rock, titled The Auditorium Vol. 1.

Furthermore, he has appeared as Robert Sims in the Apple TV+ series, Silo, and has been a part of many other shows like Lip Sync Battle, The Mindy Project, The Simpsons, Sherman’s Showcase, Never Have I Ever, Saturday Night Live, and more.