Common and his girlfriend, actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish, have been dating for over a year now, and the rapper-actor says the secret to their sticking together has been his ability to communicate better while "listening better to what she has to say."

"I think one of the important things about relationships for me has been to really know myself more and love myself and be able to express the things that I want," Common, 49, tells People.  "I've evolved and gotten to that place."

Additionally, Common says, "I listen and take things in and try to do my best to understand."

"I listen to what Tiffany would have to say about how she feels about something and just try to understand it instead of always having an answer," he continues.

Common says he and Haddish bring out the best in each other: "It's about really just being in a relationship where you can grow and you really support each other's purpose and vision...I'm making you better, you're making me better and you can have fun."

Common also credits Haddish, 41, with turning him on to the Netflix teen comedy-drama Never Have I Ever, in which he currently stars as Dr. Chris Jackson.

"Tiffany put it on and I was like, 'Oh man, I love this show!' So to get a call and hear 'They're potentially looking at you for a role,' man, I was geeked."

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