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'Kanye is one of the good-hearted brothers in this game,' Common says on the red carpet. By By Kyle Anderson, with reporting by Sway Calloway Sunday night's 52nd annual Grammy Awards featured performances and appearances from some of the biggest names in the music business, from Beyoncé and Taylor Swift to Lil Wayne and the Jonas Brothers. But there was at least one notable absence: Hip-hop tastemaker Kanye West, who was not only missing from the performance of "Forever" (which also features Drake, Lil Wayne and Eminem) but also missed out on collecting a pair of awards — Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, both for his team-up with Jay-Z and Rihanna on "Run This Town." Still, West did get a thank you during Jay-Z and Rihanna's acceptance speech for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and Common gave him a shout-out on the Grammy red carpet. "He's doing really good, man," Common told MTV News' Sway, seeming to allude to the backlash West has received since his still-notorious appearance at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where he dropped in on Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. 'Ye has been lying low in the music world ever since, though he did make headlines with his appearances at Paris fashion week. "Kanye is one of the good-hearted brothers in this game," Common attested. "I've seen him do so much for so many people. I can never fix my mouth to say anything negative about him. If I see him do something that I don't feel is right, that's something I'll take care of personally." Common is clearly cool with West, as the two are collaborating on tracks for Common's next record. "I'm starting on the next album right now with No I.D., who produced some of my earlier stuff, and Twilight Tone, who also produced some of the earlier stuff," he said. "I'm working with them and Kanye, and I'm going to go to some boom-bap." Common's new album, tentatively titled The Believer, should be out later this year.
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