All About Common's Daughter Omoye Assata Lynn

Common welcomed his daughter with his ex Kim Jones in 1997

<p>Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media/Getty</p> Common and daughter Omoye Assata Lynn attend the premiere of New Line Cinema

Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media/Getty

Common and daughter Omoye Assata Lynn attend the premiere of New Line Cinema's "Barbershop: The Next Cut" on April 6, 2016 in Hollywood, California.

Common is a proud dad to his only daughter: Omoye Assata Lynn.

The rapper welcomed Omoye, 27, with his ex Kim Jones on Aug. 17, 1997. However, the couple split when Omoye was only 1 year old — which led to difficulties in Common’s relationship with his daughter.

"It's the typical things you hear about with two parents who are splitting up, especially young," he told PEOPLE in 2019. "That love is obviously there. But it's like sometimes I wasn't able to have as much access and without that we couldn't build the strongest relationship."

Related: Common's Dating History: From Tiffany Haddish to Jennifer Hudson

However, the two have since worked on their relationship and the Selma actor couldn’t be prouder of his daughter, who is now a lawyer.

From working with her dad on music to becoming a lawyer, here’s everything to know about Common’s daughter, Omoye Assata Lynn.

She was born in 1997

<p>Kevin Winter/Getty</p> Common and Omoye Assata Lynn at the premiere of 'Happy Feet Two' on November 13, 2011 in Hollywood, California.

Kevin Winter/Getty

Common and Omoye Assata Lynn at the premiere of 'Happy Feet Two' on November 13, 2011 in Hollywood, California.

Common welcomed his first and only child with Jones on Aug. 17, 1997. Though he and Jones split when she was still an infant, Common told PEOPLE that he made an effort to stay close to Omoye, despite often being on the road touring.

"I remember teaching her how to ride a bike," he said. "I was on the move a lot so being able to do that was good. It was like a metaphor, when I let her go and she first started riding, it hit me that at some point I'll really have to let her go. That was a good moment."

She is critical of her dad’s music 

<p>Phillip Faraone/Getty</p> Common and daughter Omoye Assata Lynn attend The Art Of Elysium's 11th Annual Celebration with on January 6, 2018 in Santa Monica, California.

Phillip Faraone/Getty

Common and daughter Omoye Assata Lynn attend The Art Of Elysium's 11th Annual Celebration with on January 6, 2018 in Santa Monica, California.

During an appearance on Live with Kelly in 2016, Common said that his daughter wasn’t always too impressed with his music — and often had notes to share with him.

“She likes some of the music, but she’s really honest about my music,” he said. “She’ll say ‘Nah, that’s not good,’ or ‘You could do better.’ ”

He added that she also compared him to other artists, saying he wasn’t “as good as” Chance the Rapper.

“She’s into Chance and of course Beyoncé,” Common said.

They worked on their relationship in therapy

<p>Common Instagram</p> Common and Omoye Assata Lynn.

Common Instagram

Common and Omoye Assata Lynn.

Common learned that his daughter felt like he wasn’t present enough in her childhood during a late-night conversation that ended in tears when she was 19 years old, he told PEOPLE. Omoye told her father she often questioned how much he cared about her growing up.

"It kind of shocked me because that's the first time I had ever heard it," he said. "I was like, 'What do you mean?' "

She added that she experienced feelings of abandonment as a child, telling her father she felt like he didn’t “fight” for her. The rapper attributed the feelings to both his split with her mother but also his own career aspirations. "It was like, not only am I fulfilling a dream but I'm also using it to take care of her, the family,” he said.

Following their conversation, Common decided to have a therapy session with Omoye to talk through their feelings and work on their relationship.

"We had a therapy session together, and I loved it. Well, not everything that was said, but I knew it was something that would help her move forward," he says. "A woman's relationship with her father definitely affects how she is in relationships."

She starred in one of his music videos

<p>Common/YouTube</p> Common and Omoye Assata Lynn in the 'Show Me That You Love' music video.

Common/YouTube

Common and Omoye Assata Lynn in the 'Show Me That You Love' music video.

Inspired by his difficult conversation with his daughter, Common wrote a song dedicated to her, “Show Me That You Love.” He featured her in the music video for the song, the lyrics of which describe the miscommunication between himself and his daughter and how she felt that he wasn’t there for her in major moments.

Common also described on The View in 2019 that the video was “healing” for the father-daughter duo, and every movement was intentional to represent their struggles and bond.

“This video actually had a dance we were doing, it was artistic but it was movement that was based on our relationship,” he said. “It was an experience we never would have had an opportunity to do but sometimes art brings out even more healing and that’s what it did.”

He said that after they filmed the clips, Omoye felt the impact too, marveling at how beautiful and unique the experience was.

She went to Howard University for law school

<p>Common Instagram</p> Common and Omoye Assata Lynn celebrating her graduation from law school at Howard University.

Common Instagram

Common and Omoye Assata Lynn celebrating her graduation from law school at Howard University.

After graduating from Howard University with her bachelor’s degree in May 2019, Omoye stayed at the same school to receive her law degree. She graduated in May 2022, prompting her father to shower her with praise on Instagram.

“There are no words to describe how proud I am!” he wrote in his caption, alongside clips of Omoye’s graduation day. “Finishing Law School at Howard University in the 3 years is pretty AMAZING! Congrats to my daughter and all the graduates of 2022. Now go out in the world and be great!”

Common takes pride in being able to provide for her

<p>David Livingston/Getty</p> Common and daughter Omoye Assata Lynn attend the premiere of New Line Cinema's "Barbershop: The Next Cut" on April 6, 2016 in Hollywood, California.

David Livingston/Getty

Common and daughter Omoye Assata Lynn attend the premiere of New Line Cinema's "Barbershop: The Next Cut" on April 6, 2016 in Hollywood, California.

Common joined FOX Soul in 2021, where he discussed how his relationship with his daughter continued to get “closer” and “more fun” as she got older.

He shared that when she was younger, he was chasing his dreams of being a rapper and actor both for himself and to provide for his family, the latter of which he takes great pride in. Though Omoye had previously told him she wanted him to be more present, Common said he feels like he’s made up for that by helping her live the life he wanted for her.

“Some days she calls me and she’s like ‘Look Dad, I gotta take this trip,’ and I’m like ‘Cool, I gotchu’ — I feel like that’s where the balances come in,” he said. “Some things she might have felt she missed, I feel like I’m able to provide now in a way that’s helping fulfill her. She graduated and went to Thailand — I’ve never been to Thailand.”

He said that being able to send her places he’s never been to or do things he hasn’t experienced is “valuable” to him, including going to law school.

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