Common Says Beyoncé and JAY-Z Set a 'Good Example' as Parents Building a Family Amid Big Careers

As a famous father, himself, Common shares how much he respects Beyoncé and JAY-Z for being parents of three while maintaining such impressive careers

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Famed rapper, actor and father Common has nothing but respect for Beyoncé and JAY-Z and their growing family.

Common, 45, chatted with PEOPLE about the star-studded couple after announcing to students of the Renaissance School of the Arts in New York City that he, having teamed up with AdoptAClassroom.org and their partner Burlington Stores, would be adopting their school.

“I got a lot of respect for both of them,” he said of Jay and Bey, who are parents to 5-year-old daughter Blue and just welcomed twins Rumi and Sir on June 13.

“For them to have tremendous careers, and then to be building a family like that, they set a good example for us,” he added.

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As father to 19-year-old daughter Omoye Assata Lynn, Common himself knows what it’s like to be a parent while living in the spotlight. Omoye, however, is not exactly planning on following in her dad’s footsteps.

“She’s going to school to be an attorney,” the award-winning artist shared. “She said she’s definitely is not into music – like wanting to create it. She likes listening to it, and she likes watching TV and movies, but she watches some of that reality TV so that’s not acting at all.”

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So while multi-tasking as a parent and celebrity, Common is keeping extra busy by using his fame to take on a philanthropic and activist role. Besides adopting the school, he has worked to spread awareness about the criminal justice system, and started his own organization, the Common Ground Foundation. And he credits Stevie Wonder, whom he said had the biggest impact on him as an artist, for inspiring him to use his career as a way to address social matters.

“I remember having [Stevie Wonder’s] record ‘Happy Birthday,’ which was dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, and it helped get Dr. King’s birthday to be a national holiday,” Common shared. “So that type of activism through music and using your music as a tool to empower and to bring up socially relevant things is something that resonated with me.”