Rapper Common will headline Jam Day as part of the 27th annual JazzReggae Festival, said the festival’s Facebook page on Monday. He will join artists Santigold, the Grouch and Eligh and Ryan McDermott on May 26.
Common first gained commercial success with his studio debut “Like Water for Chocolate” in 2000. His 10th studio album, featuring Kanye West, will be released in September 2013.
Common last performed at UCLA during Bruin Bash 2005.
Melissa Julian, third-year music history student and executive producer of JazzReggae Festival, said the committee decided to book Common to appeal to festivalgoers’ tastes. She said Common is an ideal choice because Jam Day has showcased more hip-hop than jazz as the event has grown.
“The community has been wanting to see (Common). We had a lot of requests over Facebook … to see him,” Julian said. “With Santigold, we wanted to bring out a different crowd. But we (still) wanted to keep with a more traditional lineup (with) Common.”
The festival will also feature Ziggy Marley, Barrington Levy and Marcia Griffiths on Reggae Day, which is May 27.