Common has opened up about the making of his iconic single “The Light” and the song’s video, calling it “one of the greatest” things he’s ever been a part of.
The Chicago MC is the latest to be featured in the ongoing VEVO Footnotes series, as part of a special collection of videos commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. As fans revisit the 2000 video, which co-stars the rapper’s then-girlfriend Erykah Badu, Common’s thoughts appear as on-screen notes, hence the name of the series.
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He starts out by sharing that, from a strictly musical standpoint, the song started with J. Dilla’s vision.
“Sonically, I give all the respect, honor and credit to J Dilla because he produced the music,” the Footnotes read. “It was a sample from a beautiful Bobby Caldwell song called ‘Open Your Eyes.’ Dilla played me the beat he made for it, and I was like ‘Yo, this is incredible.’”
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As Common’s notes continue to flash along the screen, he reveals the origins of the song’s famous final line, which many a fan have wondered about over the years.
“I hadn’t finished the song yet, and I was laying the vocals,” he writes, “and that’s why I ended up saying ‘Digga-da, digga-da, digga-da, digga-digga-da-da, Yo’ I tell you the rest when I see you.’ Later I came up with a line for that part, but I tried to re-record it at least 20 times and it was never better than that take.”
While the song’s ending has been a topic of conversation over the years, Common stated that the feedback he’s received about a different part of the Like Water For Chocolate song has given him the biggest sense of pride.
“The line I’m most proud of is ‘It don’t take a whole day to recognize sunshine’,” he writes. “I’m proud of that because so many people have told me they’ve used this song in their weddings. I didn’t think of that line as being dope or whatever, I just thought it was a fun line to say. But I guess it could be kinda flirty and romantic and cool, so now that’s probably my favorite line.
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“I hope that ‘The Light’ helped inspire more love and continues to encourage hip-hop in a way that we can always be authentic to who we are,” he recounts elsewhere. “I think that’s a beautiful thing about hip-hop. This was just one of those songs that allowed us as males to feel like we could express love in a pure way — say what we’re feeling and not be afraid. It took me a long time to understand that.”
Both “The Light” and its accompanying video, directed by filmmaker Nzinga Stewart, were a stylistic departure for Common, which he said was the most challenging aspect of bringing the video to life. While he admitted to having been at a more open space in his career, he wondered if some visual elements might be taking things a little too far, including appearing barefoot on camera.
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Common also heaped praise on Stewart’s vision for the Badu-inspired track, but said that he has thought about an alternate version.
“I wouldn’t change the video we made,” he explains, “but if I did a new version, I think it would have a new co-star. All due respect Erykah is a queen, but in an update I would make it a short film, and have another love story for the song.”
VEVO is one of several organizations planning special content and events in celebration of Hip Hop 50 this year. On Sunday (February 5), Questlove partnered with Mass Appeal to curate a multigenerational tribute to the genre at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
Introduced by LL Cool J, the special performance was kicked off by Black Thought backed by the rest of The Roots crew. With DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Drama holding down the turntables, a parade of artists starting with the Furious Five and Run-DMC kicked off a journey celebrating the genre’s full history.
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Following acts like De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Public Enemy and Rakim, the show moved into the late ’90s and early 2000s with appearances by Method Man, The LOX, Missy Elliott and Nelly. The show was closed out by GloRilla, Lil Baby and Lil Uzi Vert representing the current generation of Hip Hop talent.
In November, Grandmaster Flash,Roxanne Shante and other rap legends visited New York City to announce planned celebrations for Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary this year.
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Photos snapped at New York’s City Hall showed numerous rap pioneers – Flash, Shante, Slick Rick, and Master Gee included – standing alongside the city’s current mayor Eric Adams as they spoke about the celebrations planned in coordination with Bronx’s Universal Hip Hop Museum, which will finally open its doors in 2024.
