Common ushered in his 53rd birthday on Thursday and was no doubt joined by his girlfriend Jennifer Hudson and daughter Omoye Lynn for the celebrations. However, the rapper's relationship with his only child hasn't always been smooth sailing.
The Silo star welcomed his daughter with his ex-partner Kim Jones back in August 1997. However, the couple parted ways when Omoye was only one year old. The separation proved to put a strain on Common's relationship with his child.
The actor opened up to People in 2019 about the early years of his daughter's life. "It's the typical things you hear about with two parents who are splitting up, especially young," he said.
"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."
© Getty ImagesIn his memoir Let Love Have the Last Word, Common shared that his daughter had told him she felt he was to blame for his absence in her life.The 27-year-old, who was 19 at the time, questioned her father's care for her during a heartfelt conversation they shared one evening.
"It kind of shocked me because that's the first time I had ever heard it," Common told People.
"I was like, 'What do you mean?'."
"She said, 'It felt like you didn't fight for me.'"
© Penske Media via Getty ImagesThe rapper acknowledged that his career got in the way of his role as a father. "Some of it was me being in the pursuit of my career, too," he explained.
"It was like, not only am I fulfilling a dream but I'm also using it to take care of her, the family."
However, the pair worked on mending their relationship through attending therapy sessions together. "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 shared.
© Instagram"A woman's relationship with her father definitely affects how she is in relationships."
Omoye graduated with a law degree from Howard University in May 2022 and was joined by her father for the celebration. "There are no words to describe how proud I am!," wrote Common on an Instagram post.
He added: "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!."
