23 years ago today, Chicago rapper Common released one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time, “I Used to Love H.E.R.”
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Released on his 1994 album ‘Resurrection,’ “I Used to Love H.E.R.” is one of Common’s most influential tracks to date. Its authentic hip-hop feel with a heavy jazz influence allows this track to stand the test of time no matter how old it gets.
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The song also established Common as a new, modern day conscious rapper. The “H.E.R.” he is referring to is hip-hop. The acronym means “Hip-Hop in its Essence is Real.”
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The song tells the story of how hip-hop evolved from the 1980s to the 1990s. Common specifically speaks on the fall of Afrocentric rap and the rise of West Coast hip hop, ultimately claiming that hip-hop or this woman have become less authentic as hip-hop continues to become mainstream.
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To this day, the song remains a classic and has inspired many artists we know today. Fellow Chicago native, Kanye West, samples the first two lines of the opening verse in his song, “Homecoming.”
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