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I Used To Love H.E.R. Lyrics
I met this girl, when I was ten years old
And what I loved most she had so much soul
She was old school, when I was just a shorty
Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me
ont he regular, not a church girl she was secular
Not about the money, no studs was mic checkin her
But I respected her, she hit me in the heart
A few New York niggaz, had did her in the park
But she was there for me, and I was there for her
Pull out a chair for her, turn on the air for her
and just cool out, cool out and listen to her
Sittin on a bone, wishin that I could do her
Eventually if it was meant to be, then it would be
because we related, physically and mentally
And she was fun then, I'd be geeked when she'd come around
Slim was fresh yo, when she was underground
Original, pure untampered and down sister
Boy I tell ya, I miss her
Now periodically I would see
ol girl at the clubs, and at the house parties
She didn't have a body but she started gettin thick quick
DId a couple of videos and became afrocentric
Out goes the weave, in goes the braids beads medallions
She was on that tip about, stoppin the violence
About my people she was teachin me
By not preachin to me but speakin to me
in a method that was leisurely, so easily I approached
She dug my rap, that's how we got close
But then she broke to the West coast, and that was cool
Cause around the same time, I went away to school
And I'm a man of expandin, so why should I stand in her way
She probably get her money in L.A.
And she did stud, she got big pub but what was foul
She said that the pro-black, was goin out of style
She said, afrocentricity, was of the past
So she got into R&B hip-house bass and jazz
Now black music is black music and it's all good
I wasn't salty, she was with the boys in the hood
Cause that was good for her, she was becomin well rounded
I thought it was dope how she was on that freestyle shit
Just havin fun, not worried about anyone
And you could tell, by how her titties hung
I might've failed to mention that this chick was creative
But once the man got you well he altered her native
Told her if she got an image and a gimmick
that she could make money, and she did it like a dummy
Now I see her in commercials, she's universal
She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle
Now she be in the burbs lickin rock and dressin hip
And on some dumb shit, when she comes to the city
Talkin about poppin glocks servin rocks and hittin switches
Now she's a gangsta rollin with gangsta bitches
Always smokin blunts and gettin drunk
Tellin me sad stories, now she only fucks with the funk
Stressin how hardcore and real she is
She was really the realest, before she got into showbiz
I did her, not just to say that I did it
But I'm committed, but so many niggaz hit it
That she's just not the same lettin all these groupies do her
I see niggaz slammin her, and takin her to the sewer
But I'ma take her back hopin that the shit stop
Cause who I'm talkin bout y'all is hip-hop
And what I loved most she had so much soul
She was old school, when I was just a shorty
Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me
ont he regular, not a church girl she was secular
Not about the money, no studs was mic checkin her
But I respected her, she hit me in the heart
A few New York niggaz, had did her in the park
But she was there for me, and I was there for her
Pull out a chair for her, turn on the air for her
and just cool out, cool out and listen to her
Sittin on a bone, wishin that I could do her
Eventually if it was meant to be, then it would be
because we related, physically and mentally
And she was fun then, I'd be geeked when she'd come around
Slim was fresh yo, when she was underground
Original, pure untampered and down sister
Boy I tell ya, I miss her
ol girl at the clubs, and at the house parties
She didn't have a body but she started gettin thick quick
DId a couple of videos and became afrocentric
Out goes the weave, in goes the braids beads medallions
She was on that tip about, stoppin the violence
About my people she was teachin me
By not preachin to me but speakin to me
in a method that was leisurely, so easily I approached
She dug my rap, that's how we got close
But then she broke to the West coast, and that was cool
Cause around the same time, I went away to school
And I'm a man of expandin, so why should I stand in her way
She probably get her money in L.A.
And she did stud, she got big pub but what was foul
She said that the pro-black, was goin out of style
She said, afrocentricity, was of the past
So she got into R&B hip-house bass and jazz
Now black music is black music and it's all good
I wasn't salty, she was with the boys in the hood
Cause that was good for her, she was becomin well rounded
I thought it was dope how she was on that freestyle shit
Just havin fun, not worried about anyone
And you could tell, by how her titties hung
But once the man got you well he altered her native
Told her if she got an image and a gimmick
that she could make money, and she did it like a dummy
Now I see her in commercials, she's universal
She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle
Now she be in the burbs lickin rock and dressin hip
And on some dumb shit, when she comes to the city
Talkin about poppin glocks servin rocks and hittin switches
Now she's a gangsta rollin with gangsta bitches
Always smokin blunts and gettin drunk
Tellin me sad stories, now she only fucks with the funk
Stressin how hardcore and real she is
She was really the realest, before she got into showbiz
I did her, not just to say that I did it
But I'm committed, but so many niggaz hit it
That she's just not the same lettin all these groupies do her
I see niggaz slammin her, and takin her to the sewer
But I'ma take her back hopin that the shit stop
Cause who I'm talkin bout y'all is hip-hop
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this song made me even more of a fan to common because of the amazin way he personified hip hop. i think today hip hop is so corrupted. They group every rapper into the hip hop genre when rap and hip hop are 2 entirely different things. Ja Rule, P. Diddy, and the 504 boys do not hold a candle to Common, The Roots, De La Soul, Jurassic 5, or Pharcyde in terms of talent or anything else. Its sad to see them lumped together.
I Used to Love H.E.R, "I Used to Love Hip Hop in its Essence and Realness" by Common has to by far be one of the greatest songs in hip-hop history. Unlike many artist today talking about money, promoting a clothing line, or degrating women; Common keeps hip-hop clean and speaks nothing less than realness. A young corrupted girl is the analogy used for hip-hop, and their rocky relationship throughout the years. A true mastermind of rhyme and flow, Common puts where hip-hop has gone and where it is going into a perfectly crafted track. Talkin' about popping glocks serving rocks and hitting switches Now she’s a gangsta rolling with gangsta bitches Always smokin’ blunts and getting drunk Telling me sad stories, now she only fucks with the funk Stressing how hard core and real she is She was really the realest before she got into show-biz
I did her not just to say I did it But im committed but so many niggas hit it That she’s just not the same letting all the groupies do her I see niggas slammin’ her and taking her to the sewer But imma take her back hopin’ that shit stop Cause who im talking ‘bout ya’ll is hip hop. (50-61)
To me it's about the importance of the decision of who and what you surround yourself with. And the importanceof getting out gracefully once you realize that the crowd you are running with is trying to run you...
i still love H.E.R.
Thank U!!! I guess u saw that movie Brown Sugar too. Good movie. This song is so great. So is Erykah Badu's 'Love of my Life' In the movie it says "Saying that Rap & HipHop are the same thing is like saying that I Love u is the same as being IN love. One is just a word" This means HipHop is a soul thing that i cant explain so i'm just gonna shut up. BYE
H.E.R. in the title is actually an acronym, does anyone know for sure what it means, from what i've heard it was "hip hop in its essence and realness", but i dunno
The Ressurection album is one of the most well written and imitated hip hop albums in history, and this was Common Sense's best lyrical endeavor.
Both he, De La, and a few others make hiphop come clean the way it should be, no guns, gangsters, or clothing lines. Just rhythm and rhyme.
I love this song. I agree with all the comments for this song. I couldn't have said it better. :)
So meaningful. The song is almost chilling when you thihk about the Irony of him comparing a girl to hip - hop. Hip - Hop is clearly untainted until new experiences and diffrent environmets and experiences overcome HER.
People, how many times do I have to explain this to you????Hip hop is the culture and rap is JUST AN ORAL EXPRESSION of it or literature!Just like Sidney said in Brow Sugar and you've obviesly missunderstood that movie!For further readings Nelson George "Hip Hop America"!!!!!!!BTW what H.E.R. means, that is why I'm here!:)