True it wasn't big and I think for people who have always been into Common, The Roots, Mos, and the like felt that 1-9-9-9 marked either a beginning or an end (depending on how you look at it). For me it said that Hip-Hop was making it's return to the sound that I loved and had been disconnected from for awhile. 1-9-9-9 was that song that when I heard it, it left me speechless. The first time I heard it I felt that it was so good that I couldn't even nod my head to it. I just had to sit there and listen. Then I played it in my car and made the people on the road think I was crazy cuz I was shouting it at the top of my lungs and snaping my head back and forth like I was going through substance withdrawal. Then I remember The OneDrop played it at a club in Savannah and the people in the crowd sang every word of it as we jumped up and down like House of Pain wish they coulda made us do. But these were the heads who checked for it. This song meant that with all that The Roots and all were doing was about to turn the Hip-Hop world on it's ear and one of my favorite rappers, Common, was gonna be right in the thick of it.

But like I said, we are talking about the heads. When it comes to everyone else (and everyone else has to take notice for him to have blown up cuz we already know he done been blown up to us. When folks make mention to Com like he a new jack we raise an eyebrow and say Com been getting down) here is how I see they got into him using the 3 songs I mentioned before. Com does "I used to love H.E.R." That song was a classic to heads as it came out. But Common was still largely unknown to the mainstream. Ice Cube disses Com and folks turn and look at Common and say, "who the hell is he?" Com then tells them who he is by handing Ice Cube his ass in the form of "The Bitch In Yoo". Folks say whoa. This Common Sense is something serious. So now more people are paying attention. Fresh off the Fugees success and a much media talked about baby which made a star out of Lauryn Hill, Com does Retrospect for life. Eager to hear more of Ms. Hill, folks listen to this song about newborns and this time the women listen. And the women love a sensitive man who still maintains his manhood through his sensitivity. They embrace Common Sense. Now not only are many people checking for Common anyway, but they get a song with Com and Badu...instant hit and large scale fame.

So I'm with you TeddyBear that 1-9-9-9 was a monolith to hip-hop for me, but Com's now mainstream success didn't come from that song.

Oh yeah...stop using my icon in the chatroom sucka! I'm sick of people saying "that icon reminds me of DJ TeddyBear". :-)

Peace
Tasty
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TastyDog: The snack man for Snoop n'dem. -haji rana pinya

"MOOSEHEAD: A great beer and a new experience for a moose"