"I Used to Love H.E.R." is a hip hop song by the Chicago-born rapper Common Sense. Released on the 1994 album Resurrection, "I Used to Love H.E.R." has since become one of Common's best known songs. Produced by No I.D., its jazzy beat samples "The Changing World" by George Benson. A music video directed by Chris Halliburton was made for the song. The song is also found on Common's greatest hits album, Thisisme Then. Overview Content The song uses an extended metaphor, using a woman to represent hip hop music. The acronym "H.E.R" means "Hip-Hop in its Essence is Real"" The song speaks on the direction that hip hop music took during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It specifically refers to the fall of conscious and Afrocentric rap; as well as the rising popularity of West Coast hip hop and G-funk. In the song, Common compares the degradation of a woman with the deterioration of hip hop music after its commercial success forced it into the mainstream. This criticism ignited a feud with West Coast rapper Ice Cube, and helped fuel the growing animosity towards the West Coast hip hop scene during the early stages of the East Coast-West Coast rivalry despite Common hailing from the Midwest. Acclaim It is often regarded as one of the greatest hip hop recordings ever. Tiffany Hamilton of AllHipHop.com describes it as a "timeless ode to Hip-Hop [...] that established Common as one of the pioneers in conscious Hip-Hop." Vukile Simelane of RapReviews.com claims it to have one of the "fattest beat[s] ever constructed". Alex Henderson of Allmusic considers it to be the standout track on Resurrection. Duke University professor Mark Anthony Neal considers it to be Common's best single ever. Andrea Duncan-Mao of XXL describes it as a "bittersweet ode to hip-hop" and a "classic" track. Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal considers it to be a "classic hip-hop parable". In 2008, the song was ranked number 69 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. It was ranked number 1 on About.com's Greatest Rap Songs Of All Time. Significance In 1999, "I Used to Love H.E.R." was featured on the Chuck D hosted compilation album Louder Than a Bomb. In 2002, the opening lines were sung by Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan in a park scene for the movie Brown Sugar. In 2005, Jin released a single named "Top 5 (Dead or Alive)", where