Common performing last night at the Kennedy Center with the NSO Pops (Photo courtesy of Common).

A woman named Rashida was the envy of many last night at the Kennedy Center’s concert hall.

About halfway through his performance with the NSO Pops, rapper Common asked for a woman to be brought on stage. This lucky District resident, looking resplendent in a black evening gown and killer heels, was led to a table that had been set up on stage. Common, so smooth, took a seat across from her and poured a glass of wine as he and background singer Elena Pinderhughes serenaded her with “Red Wine”, a sensual track off Common’s latest release, Black America Again.

This moment was just one of many highlights during an evening that started on a positive note, with confident spoken word from the young people of Split This Rock. The orchestra took the stage after the opening act, and at conductor Steven Reineke’s behest, bassist Derrick Hodge played a solo to start “Be”, the introduction and title track track to Common’s 2005 album. The MC then bounded onto stage and launched into “The Corners” to truly kick off the show.

After having seen previous NSO hip-hop performances with Nas and Kendrick Lamar, it’s clear that arranger Tim Davies is getting a handle on how to fit hip-hop into this setting. Whether it was the horn stabs on “The Food” or the string interlude that bridged “I Used To Love Her” and “Rewind That”, there were fewer seams between orchestra, band, and DJ than there had been in those previous concerts.

Common himself understood how to bridge the divide, down to his wardrobe, which was a hybrid tuxedo and track suit. He also showed great skill in matching his flow with the textural changes. He pulled back during the softer moments, often bringing in some freestyle, and even stepping aside entirely at times to put the focus on the instrumentalists.

Band members that shined included the aforementioned Pinderhughes, who took several flute solos throughout the evening and drummer Jimmy Rashid Williams. Backing vocalist Maimouna Youssef’s gospel sound provided many of the hooks throughout the night, while DJ Andre “DJ Dummy” Smith essentially served as co-conductor.

The setlist spanned Common’s entire career, stretching back to 1994’s “Resurrection”, when he had just stopped going by the name, Common Sense. He also performed his notable collaborations, including the Jay-Z/Kanye track, “Get ‘Em High”, which brought the crowd to its feet, and songs he developed with the late J DIlla.

The strongest moments came out of Black America Again, a politically charged album that addresses many of the issues that gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. The title song, “Pyramids”, and “The Day That Women Took Over” all received strong treatment, and the last of which led into a tribute to Prince.

Common journeyed through several moods throughout the 90 minute performance, but ended the evening on an uplifting note. Bringing out members of Howard University’s gospel choir, the show closed with “Glory”, the Grammy and Oscar winning anthem from the film, Selma. “The movement is a rhythm to us/Freedom is like religion to us,” he rhymed, sending a message that is needed for these times.