We all know that the “Hip-Hop is my girlfriend” comparison has been done before, perhaps most notably by Common Sense back in the mid 90’s, and then again by Common (amazing video by the way) several years later. But this song might provide a totally unique take on the metaphor.
While Common alludes to his girl Hip-Hop as being nothing more than an gold-digging jezebel in the ’94 version, he points out that his love for H.E.R. was built on a foundation of commitment.
“Stressing how hardcore and real she is/ she was really the realest, before she got into showbiz/ I did her, not just to say I did it, but I’m committed/ But so, many niggas hit it that she’s just not the same letting all these groupies do her/ I see niggas slammin’ her, and taking her to the sewer”.
In the 2000s collab with Erykah Badu however, Common recognizes and accepts her desire for growth and monetary gain in what ostensibly was a make-up song.
“She needed cheddar and I understood that /looking for cheese, that don’t make her a hoodrat”
Leave it to Face Mob and Nasty Nas though to resurrect the feelings from the original song in an intense and emotional manner. The two legendary MCs (who hold more than one classic record under their belt together) and outstanding producers (Premo is probably my all-time favorite) illustrate the raw pain and heartache that comes with losing a lover on this track from Khaled’s Kiss the Ring album, which dropped last week.
Which is darker, the lyrics or the beat?