GRORTNETA: “Like They Used To Say”
Common – “Like They Used To Say“
from One-Nine-Nine-Nine (Rawkus, 1999)
After splitting from Relativity but before misspelling his own name at then neo-soul halfway house MCA, Coomon dropped this one off on the razor blade. “1999″ was the lead off for the Soundbombing 2 compilation and is a cool enough chin stroking conscious rap song with an always welcome Sadat X cameo, but it’s the B-side that wins (again) with Lonnie trying his hand at Buhloone era style De La recontextualized nostalgia. Except he was never quiet as smart as those guys so it comes off like the “I Used To Love HER” video if it was a song about songs and not a song about a person who was actually a genre. Still it’s a fun record and might just be the last great song that Common Sense the lyrically lyrical half drunk rap fanboy ever recorded. Presumably it never made it past the 12″ because it would have cost a fortune to clear all the vocal samples. “1999″ vid after the jump.
February 8th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
It was apt that it was Maseo cut doin’ the cuts on this too.
This 12″, Car Horn and Funk Shit were the perfect antidote to the dullness of One Day It’ll All Make Sense. Just a pity that another boring album followed ‘em..
February 8th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Nah, I got rid of this one too. I think you’ve now passed the point of adding kind counter to the backlash. You can’t keep finding Rawkus tracks that were actually pretty good. There weren’t many.
February 8th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
“One-Nine-Nine-Nine” was another one of those videos i distinctly remember showing up on The Box in my childhood. shit i love that song.
February 8th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
I picked this up for free while buying a Lyricist Lounge comp. I always liked the instrumentals – who did the beats for these?
February 8th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Damn i hate Common… Resurrection was a great album. But this was mostly because of No.I.D.´s dope production- as it seems in retrospect. How can you write a song like I Used to Love Her and at the end fuck it up by saying “cause who i´m talking about ya´ll is hip hop”?
(not even talking about his weak approach trying do dis West Coast Rap)
February 8th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I´m just gonna keep on mentioning BMS “Mucho Stereo” in the comment field of every one of these. BMS “Mucho Stereo”! There!
February 8th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
@kidbristol
Hi-Tek def did the beat on “One-Nine-Nine-Nine” (though i think i remember DJ Babu appearing in the video for the song and thought for the longest he made the beat), dunno about “Like They Used to Be”
February 8th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Like They Used To Say was a Dug Infinite beat with scratches by Maseo from De La.
February 8th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Like They Used To Say was a Dug Infinite beat with scratches by Maseo from De La.
Tekzilla was another good unreleased Common joint from the same era.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Premier and DJ Eclipse host a monthly party called “Like They Used To Say” at APT in Manhattan. I had thought that they were referencing De La, but maybe it’s more influenced by this record? Where else does the phrase appear?
February 8th, 2010 at 6:57 pm
Barns – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvP6BpHsnuA
(Probably, though I’m sure someone said the phrase “like they used to say” prior to this record.)
February 8th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
word!
February 9th, 2010 at 9:12 am
1-9-9-9>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
LOVE this song
February 9th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Nick you trippin! To say Resurrection was only dope because of No I.D.’s production is ludicrous. Common had a HUGE part in its’ dope factor. It’s the only common album I dig and is easily one of my top 25 hip hop joints. Soooo listen-able from front to back. I do agree with you on the weak dis approach and the unnecessary “cause who I’m talkin bout ya’ll is hip hop” line though. I def don’t think it “ruined” the track though.
February 11th, 2010 at 5:38 am
Of course…i exaggerated a bit. But for a reasonable cause. Resurrection has been one of my top rap albums for a long time too. But how quick he fell off after that and how terribly weak he is today still makes me trippin…sometimes.
February 12th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
This my 1st time hearing this. I fucks wit common.