Common, who won an Academy Award in 2015 for his song "Glory" from the movie "Selma," was announced as Kean's commencement speaker through the college's Twitter account, Bergen County newspaper The Record reported. However, a Kean spokesperson told the newspaper that the announcement was premature.
"The students expressed interest in Common because he composed the Oscar-winning song 'Glory' with our prior commencement speaker John Legend," Kean spokeswoman Susan Kayne said. "While we respect his talent, Kean is pursuing other speaker options."
Known for his socially conscious lyrics, Common has been the subject of controversy for his 2000 track "A Song for Assata" about Black Liberation Army member Assata Shakur, Insider's Peter Jacobs reported. Shakur, also known as Joanne Chesimard, was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1977. She escaped from prison and fled to Cuba.
New Jersey law enforcement representatives had denounced Kean's apparent choice of Common as their commencement speaker.
"We can't control who the university invites to speak. However, we will continue our efforts to make the public aware of Joanne Chesimard's escape and life on the lam and continue to seek her return to New Jersey and justice," Steve Jones, spokesman for the New Jersey State Police, told The Record.