He Should Have Done His Homework on James Baldwin

The rapper Common, who claims to “really like having some substance and culture” and to “love” James Baldwin’s writing, seems to know little about the writer and writing that he claims “influenced” him (“Common on Looking ‘Live,’” by Elizabeth Khuri, Style, Jan. 14). Born in Harlem in 1924, Baldwin missed participating in the Harlem Renaissance, which began in the early 1920s and ended in the early 1930s, by several years. One of the most compelling essayists of the 1950s, Baldwin also wrote powerful novels (among the major titles are “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” 1953; “Giovanni’s Room,” 1956; “Another Country,” 1962; and “Just Above My Head,” 1979), short fiction (the brilliant “Sonny’s Blues” and “Going to Meet the Man”) and plays (“Blues for Mr. Charlie,” 1964; and “The Amen Corner,” 1968).

James Baldwin was a perceptive, eloquent and prolific writer, but he was neither a member of the Harlem Renaissance nor a poet. If Common wants to pretend to be an intellectual, he should at least do a little homework. He may be “up on France,” but he certainly isn’t “up on” African American culture.

Marilyn Elkins

Professor of English

Cal State Los Angeles

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Common referring to James Baldwin as a “Harlem Renaissance poet” is precise only inasmuch as Baldwin was born in Harlem during some part of what is referred to as the Harlem Renaissance. One could speculate that Baldwin’s writing and career would not have been possible without the Harlem Renaissance, as one could speculate that Common’s music would not have come about without the work of Gil Scott-Heron and other antecedents to hip-hop. Still, it is obvious how misplaced it would be to reference Common alongside artists forming the foundations of hip-hop three decades ago; it is as egregious an error to place Baldwin among those who were his literary ancestors rather than his contemporaries.

E. Amato

Santa Monica