Released: September 30, 1997

Featuring: Lonnie “Pops” Lynn

Songwriter: Lonnie “Pops” Lynn Common Karriem Riggins

Producer: Karriem Riggins

Hey, Hey old been, and you too baby sweets
I'm back in the studio, you know, I drove up
In the parking lot, and the parking lot was empty
Wasn't no cars out there like nobody wasn't even in here
All the doors were locked from the inside
But, I found a window cracked on the first floor so now I'm in here
Let's rap
So, I come in here, talk to my son, you know?
But, but, his next album he got comin' out
You know it's been such a spiritual feelin'
I had to come back in the studio just to see what he was doing
Cause I was gettin' those vibes all in the rocky mountains say, "I got to go,"
You know? I understand I'm finna' be a grandfather
And I'm so proud
I can say that in many ways, I can say I'm so happy, I'm so proud
You know? Son I wanna give you, you know?
Any direction in parenting at this stage
Because I think it's gonna come to you, just like it came to me
See you came to me and your mom from the spiritual world
We're just the physical parents, you know?
God loaned you to us, as God's spirit
We're the physical parents, you know?
Like I say, I'm not gonna give you no directions, you know?
But, I know when you started teaching me
See we talk about the life and education of one Lonnie Lynn
I think I'm the one that got taught, I do believe that, son, you know?
And I know when you started teaching me too
You know, I was hanging out, mad at the world
My professional basketball career was over
And I didn't believe in the red, white and blue anymore
And I was dissipatin' heavily, I wasn't experimentin', you know?
And one morning you looked across the table at me, it was like "What? Whatchu' gon' be? Whatchu' gon' do?
You got the responsibility to teach me the right things
You got the responsibility to teach me truth and respect and love, and safety"
You know? And my knees started gettin' a little stronger, you know?
I said, cause I can't get past these eyes man, it's just the eyes of a babe looking at me
And I couldn't look it off, I couldn't even play it off, you know?
And immediately I started gettin' the road maps seein' like how am I gon' do this?
I had to thank The Almighty for the strength, that he sent to me through you
So, I'm here to say, you know, thank you son
I'm here to say I'm so proud and numerous other things
Cause you've been a teacher to me, just like, I have supposed to be a teacher to you
Cause a lot of people think that parenting and raising a child is a one way street
But, you taught me continuous numerous lessons
And I love you my son

Common

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known by his stage name Common (previously Common Sense), is a Grammy and Oscar-winning rapper and actor from Chicago, Illinois. Common’s inspired mix of poetic flow and hip-hop soul has helped him earn his status as one of the most respected rappers in the game.

After being a ball boy for his hometown Chicago Bulls as a teen and attending Florida A&M University for business administration, Common Sense kicked in and he left school to become a rapper. He gained national attention after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source magazine in 1991. He released his debut album Can I Borrow a Dollar? through Relativity Records in 1992, followed by his breakthrough second album Resurrection in 1994, which features his hip-hop classic single “I Used To Love H.E.R.”

As his career began to take off, he was sued by the music group Common Sense over the name, leading Common to drop the “Sense” and allude to the change in the title of his third album, One Day It’ll All Make Sense (1997). He has released several critically acclaimed albums, including Like Water For Chocolate (2000), which features his J Dilla-produced hit single “The Light”, and Be (2005), which was released under fellow Chicago musician Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint. He also joined musicians Karriem Riggins and Robert Glasper to form the group August Greene, and the trio released their self-titled album in 2018.