Rapper Common and Mom Were Once Kidnapped at Gunpoint by His Dad

The famous entertainer shocked fans after revealing that his father once kidnapped him and his mother and that they had barely escaped his close watch. We all thought Common was the average American celebrity until the release of his memoir, “One Day It’ll All Make Sense.”

There, he made a startling revelation about how his father had taken drastic measures to achieve his dreams of being a sports star even if it included putting his estranged wife and son in danger.

Lonnie Lynn Snr., Common’s father, had enjoyed success briefly in his basketball career pursuit. He was a pro-basketballer with the "American Basketball Association League." His tall frame indeed gave him a significant edge on the court, but the success only lasted a few years and soon got Lonnie battling addiction.

The hunky sportsman found solace in drugs and alcohol, but they only worsened his progress as he became notoriously known for his constant abuse of substances. His career hit a dead end as no one was willing to take him in considering his erratic behaviors whenever he was “high.” Common said:

“He was getting high, keeping drugs right out in the open on the nightstand. One time my mother locked him out of our apartment, and he shot out all the windows. When he was sober, he was a loving man, but when he was high, he was somebody else…”

Lonnie finally found hope when he landed himself a chance to try out for the Seattle SuperSonics. They were, however, aware of his troubles, and wanted to ascertain that he was a family man. At the time, Lonnie’s relationship with his wife, Common’s mum was already in the dump, and the pair were soon to divorce.

Blind to the fact that his choices may scar his family, Lonnie opted to kidnap his estranged wife and their son so he could show them off. Common had been just 18 months old at the time of the incident and could only rely on tell-tale. He explained that his mother's account told of how they'd been held at gunpoint while papa Lonnie recounted that they followed him voluntarily. Common:

“Here is where my parents’ stories diverge. “He took us out the house at gunpoint, handcuffed me to the front seat, put you in the back, and started driving across the country to Seattle,” my mother says.”

He continued saying:

“You and your mother got in the front seat with me, and we started out on Interstate 90 heading west.”

Well, his mother's, if true, is quite alarming as she was left fearful of the unknown as Lonnie stayed alert at all times keeping her handcuffed and staying right at the door when she had asked to use the restroom. Common’s mom proved smart and somehow managed to drug Lonnie. Common said:

“My mother escaped with me early one Sunday morning. She recalls my father pulling off the highway to get gas; there were no plans to stop for food, no plans to sleep. She complained of a headache and asked my father to bring her something for the pain.”

He continued:

“He came back to the car with a bottle of pills. My mother took two like the container directed then somehow managed to put the rest in his can of Coke as he gassed up the car. When he got back in, he took a big swig of soda then threw the can out the window. It wasn’t long before he started feeling the effects.”

Soon after, Lonnie pulled up at a motel and could barely stay on his feet as he handcuffed his wife and thus their escape. Common:

“My mother says she started working her small hand against the cuff, folding her fingers in on themselves and pulling until metal scraped skin.”

She immediately got the authorities to lock Lonnie up getting him labeled a kidnapper, the killing blow for his career. Thankfully, Common and his Dad reunited sometime later in life with Lonnie Snr. even getting featured on some of Common’s albums. Before his demise in 2014, he publicly confessed that his son had taught him “a lot of life lessons.”