Common Thanks 'Selma' Director Ava DuVernay After 2015 Critics' Choice Award Win For 'Glory'

Common openly thanked “Selma” director Ava DuVernay at the 2015 Critics’ Choice Award after he won Best Song for “Glory,” which is a collaboration with John Legend. DuVernay was snubbed by the Oscars Thursday after it was revealed she did not receive a Best Director nomination for the 2015 show, but Common made sure to give her credit.

“Thank you. Well, today is Dr. King’s birthday, so I want to receive this award in his honor. And thank you Ava DuVernay for making the first feature film about Martin Luther King so beautifully. When Ava heard the first draft of ‘Glory,’ she said, ‘That’s good, but I want to hear something like ‘We Are The World.’”

Common noted she was ordering some big shoes to fill, considering "We Are the World" sold at least 10 million copies since it was recorded in 1985. “We knew the spirit and intention of the film … And that’s love and justice and freedom for all people.”

Then he thanked the “Selma” director openly for her help in making “Glory” a Critics’ Choice Award winner: “I thank you Ava for motivating us and getting us to that place.”

He turned his attention to the cast, crew and producer Oprah Winfrey, who he also thanked. Before he left the stage, the rapper wanted to tell the audience one more thing. “I want to dedicate this to my father. The last thing my father said to me was that I would feel an angel wrapped around my shoulders and I feel that now.”

CLICK HERE to watch the Critics’ Choice Awards live stream.

CLICK HERE for the full list of 2015 CCMA nominees.

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