Common to Honor Dr. Maya Angelou at Chicago Gala

Chicago rapper Common will hold a high-profile gala fundraiser for his Common Ground Foundation in the Windy City on April 16.

The Common Ground Foundation Gala & Fundraiser will commemorate women who have demonstrated successful leadership roles within their communities. A few of the honorees will include poet and author Dr. Maya Angelou, hospitality mogul Dee Robinson Reid, comedian Sherri Shepard and actress Keke Palmer. A silent auction will take place throughout the event to raise proceeds for Common's non-profit organization and live entertainment will be provided.

The gala, hosted by Cheryl Burton -- a local news anchor on Chicago's WLS-TV station -- will begin at 6:30PM on Saturday, April 16 at Chicago's InterContinental Hotel. Individual tickets are priced at $250 each, while a 10-seat table can be purchased for $2,250.

The Common Ground Foundation, founded in 2000, is aimed at instilling leadership qualities in urban youth. Visit CommonFoundation.org for more information.

In February, Common headlined a five-city speaking tour to celebrate Black History Month. Now he is at work on his ninth studio album, 'The Dreamer, The Believer,' which is slated for a late 2011 release. In December, he revealed to the BoomBox that Nas would be one of the few guest features on the album, appearing on a track called 'Ghetto Dreams.'