Common - The Light

"The Light" is the Grammy-nominated second single off Common's 2000 album Like Water for Chocolate. It is produced by Jay Dee and features keyboards performed by James Poyser. It samples "Open Your Eyes" as performed by Bobby Caldwell and the drums from "You're Getting a Little too Smart" by the The Detroit Emeralds. Framed as a love letter, it is a confession of Common's love for a woman whom many believe to have been his girlfriend at the time, Erykah Badu. Cythia Fuchs of PopMatters describes it as a "charming, tender, and undeniably soulful declaration of affection and respect." A music video directed by Nzingha Stewart features Common, Erykah Badu and "recognizable sensual delights" including "a homemade Minnie Ripperton cassette, a mango, a pink lava lamp and a deeply green water-beaded leaf.

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[Roninartillery]

Drake should take notes... THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE A HIP HOP ROMANCE BALLAD.... WITHOUT SINGING.

[blazednsleepy]

J Dilla.

that is all.

[DiazMillenia]

I like Common and Drake, but singing is part of Hip Hop.Thats what hooks are for! What's wrong with being multifaceted with music? When Lauryn Hill did both, we were calling her the Greatest Hip Hop/R&B artist. Is she soft? And we all know that Lauryn Hill can spit with the best of them. Most Def was singing in his songs, also Andre 3000 and many more, and they are TRUE HIP HOP HEADS, hip hop transforms and transcends so everything doesn't sound the same. It's really dumb beef between these 2.

[Roninartillery]

@niiiiiiiiiiickk - Since when is offering a critical analysis insulting a rapper? You sound sensitive.

[niiiiiiiiiiickk]

siiiick production on this track

[niiiiiiiiiiickk]

@Roninartillery stfu and stop insulting today's rappers. just listen to common dude

[ThePhenomoly]

i cant stop replaying

[gamemadder]

This song proves there's not of people out there that appreciates good music.

[Roninartillery]

@MikeMejia95 - Common's music is versatile and multi-layered. Common can make a record praising women for their beauty, then he can turn around and make a song uplifting Black people. Drake is always on that singing shit, and it's playing himself out. Drake is a rapper, not a singer. Until Drake makes songs like "A Song for Assata" , "Ghetto Heaven" , "The 6th Sense" , and " I Used to Love Her" ; his name shouldn't be CLOSE TO COMPETING WITH COMMON'S NAME. PERIOD.

[MikeMejia95]

@Roninartillery That's funny 'cause Drake makes the same type of music, and he's considered soft .How doesn't this make Common soft?

[83BAnn]

@Roninartillery HAA!!! YOU SAID IT :) RIGHT ON.... SO TRUE, TAKE NOTES DRAKE.... CAUSE "WE KNOW WE KNOW WE KNOW" THIS IS WAY BETTER THAN YOUR SHIT ;)