I Used to Love H.E.R.

E10870

"I Used to Love H.E.R." is a seminal 1994 hip-hop track by Common that personifies hip-hop as a woman to critique the genre’s commercialization and artistic decline.


Statements (46)
Predicate Object
instanceOf single
song
album Resurrection
artist Common
associatedWithArtistPersona Common Sense
associatedWithMovement underground hip hop
chronology follows the single "Resurrection"
precedes the single "Reminding Me (Of Sef)"
countryOfOrigin United States
criticalReception widely acclaimed by music critics
describes evolution of hip hop from its origins to the early 1990s
format 12-inch single
CD single
genre conscious hip hop
hip hop
hasBside Communism
hasCoverVersions multiple later reinterpretations by other artists
hasMusicVideo I Used to Love H.E.R. music video
hasStyle boom bap
jazzy production
influenced later conscious hip hop artists
inspiredFeudWith Ice Cube
Westside Connection
language English
length approximately 4:30
listedIn many best hip hop songs of all time lists
lyricist Common
musicVideoDirector Chris Hall
narrativeDevice extended metaphor
notableFor influential critique of 1990s hip hop culture
use of storytelling in rap
openingLine "I met this girl when I was ten years old"
originalArtistNameCredit Common Sense
partOf Common discography
Resurrection track listing
performer Common
producer No I.D.
recordLabel Relativity Records
releaseDate 1994-09-27
setInTimePeriod golden age of hip hop
subjectOf controversy with West Coast rappers
theme artistic decline of hip hop
critique of commercialization of hip hop
personification of hip hop as a woman
writer Common
year 1994

Referenced by (4)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Common
Common
notableWork
Resurrection
hasPart
Resurrection
hasSingle

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