Reminding Me Of Self
Common Lyrics

Yeah, yeah, what, yeah
Common is hyping himself up and getting ready to talk about his past.

Reminding me of self, what?
The song is about reminiscing and thinking about the past.

Fat fat thick booty, what?
Someone is commenting on a woman's body in a sexual way.

You say jack that big booty, yo
Someone is suggesting that they should try to have sex with a woman with a big butt.

He say OOH OH
Someone said something that made an impression on Common.

I heard the boy he said OOH OH
Common is repeating what someone said that he found interesting or exciting.

The party people he said OOH OH
Common is referencing a moment at a party when someone said something that caught everyone's attention.

Uhh uh uh uhh yo yo yo
Common is making a vocal introduction to his verse.

Driftin' on a memory, brought forth from a fifth of Hennesey, as in times of eighty-nine they envision me
Common is reminiscing about a time in his life where he drank a lot of Hennessy and his friends were able to imagine him being there with them even when he wasn't physically there.

Warm days and the cold beer chemistry
Common is remembering a time where he and his friends would drink beer together during warm days.

Eventually broken up by responsibilities and such
Common's carefree times with his friends began to dissipate as they all began to take on more responsibilities.

Sometimes this era mentally I reconstruct
Common often thinks back on that time in his life and tries to recreate it in his mind.

High school I came out it
Common is reflecting on how he moved on from high school.

Cats with clout at graduation got they name shouted
At graduation, the popular kids were acknowledged and celebrated.

Go to Great America, me and my lady rock the same outfit
Common and his girlfriend would coordinate their outfits for a trip to an amusement park.

My niggaz be fuckin' girls that she hang out with
Common's friends were having sex with girls that his girlfriend hung out with, causing a problem in their relationship.

Round then Guy came out with, 'Piece of My Love'
The R&B group Guy released a popular song called 'Piece of My Love' around this time period.

Arguin' over if he said, "Dumb bitch"
There was controversy over whether or not the lyrics to 'Piece of My Love' contained a derogatory term for women.

Everyday the same old with rainbow, watchin the sun twist
Common and his friends would often sit around and watch the sunset together.

Cool as a Mig Dry, that in the trunk shit
Common liked to drink Miller Genuine Draft, and sometimes kept it in the trunk of his car.

After parties in Wendy's parkin' lot, unfamiliar faces got marked a lot
After parties, Common and his friends would gather in the parking lot of a fast-food chain Wendy's. If a stranger showed up, they were likely to be 'marked' or marked with graffiti to signify that they didn't belong there.

Showin' off for hoes in bricks and rows had us charged to box
Common and his friends would show off for women in their cars and it would lead to arguments and fistfights.

That demo sorta stopped once A.C. got popped
Common's group was recording a demo together but it came to a halt when one of their friends, A.C., got in trouble with the law.

Before these minds got ahold to some drugs and start thinkin' they thugs
Common is reflecting on a time before drug use became more common among his peers and led to a tough-guy attitude.

We'd be at the Bismarck, and the Racquetball club
Common and his friends would hang out at the Bismarck Hotel, where they also played racquetball.

Plugged with Gucci promotion so we got in free
Common and his friends received free admission to events because they were promoting Gucci products.

Against the wall me and my guys formed a colony, Ron'll be beatin'
Common and his friends would stand against a wall together and dance, and one of their friends, Ron, was a particularly good dancer.

Saved my day, dancin' on speakers
Dancing on speakers was a thrilling experience for Common and it helped him forget his problems for a while.

Flames snatched I was born this way
Common feels like he was born to do the things he enjoys, like dancing and having fun with his friends.

87th Street and Hyde Park was warrin'
Common's neighborhood of Hyde Park was in conflict with the neighboring area of 87th Street.

Over gossip, Kenwood bras was pourin'
Gossip and drama between girls from Kenwood High School caused tension between schools.

Suited in three-quarter Jordans, pro-models and started coach out the back of Beauty Shop Sevalas
Common wore a fashionable outfit and bought shoes at a store called Beauty Shop Sevalas.

Buy the dope, put my name in they verse, EPMD
EPMD was a popular rap group and people began to reference Common in their verses.

I would quote, stolen leathers I'd sell, like a child of broke
Common used to sell leather jackets that he stole.

behind the beat, I took my first shot of Henny
Common drank Hennessy for the first time while in a recording studio.

It hit me in the chest like when them marks shot Benji
The Hennessy had a strong effect on Common, like a bullet hitting a man named Benji.

Shame on the girl that left her Fendi around crew
A girl who left behind her expensive Fendi bag was seen as foolish for trusting Common's group of friends.

I'da go through it or, take it, we was bound to
Common and his friends were known to take and keep things that didn't belong to them.

Travellin like Vice Lords, down to the taste
Common and his friends would travel together and sometimes imitated the behavior of the Vice Lords, a notorious gang in Chicago.

Not wantin to bring my lady around crew cause they would snake
Common's friends were untrustworthy and disloyal, making him hesitant to bring his girlfriend around them.

House parties was the lick, behind bars we'd come up
Common and his friends would throw parties at someone's house and would often spend time planning and scheming in jail.

at em' I did the Hooper dance with my thumbs up
Common would do a dance called the Hooper Dance and give a thumbs up to imitate basketball players when he won an argument against someone.

Nowadays niggaz is fake, like that party at McCormick Place
Common is reflecting on how his peers today are less authentic and genuine than they used to be.

I don't draw with em, cause they was born to trace
Common doesn't interact much with fake people because they lack originality and creativity.

At times I contemplate movin' to a warmer place
Common sometimes thinks about leaving Chicago and moving somewhere warmer.

Then the Lake and skyline, give me a warm embrace
However, Common still feels a strong connection to Chicago because of its beautiful Lake Michigan and skyline.

remindin' me of the pointed parties Moe used to mace
The city of Chicago reminds Common of wild parties that his friend Moe would host, sometimes involving the use of pepper spray.

Six deep in the Hyundai bumpin Twilight Tone tapes
Common and his friends would drive around in a six-person car, listening to music by DJ Twilight Tone.

Come home late callin' broads hang up on they mother
Common and his friends would often call women late at night and hang up on them, causing trouble with their parents.

If it wasn't nowhere to scrap at then we would fight each other
If Common and his friends didn't have a target for their anger, they would turn on each other and get into fights.

Get a room at the Dunes havin' bakeouts
Common and his friends would rent a room at a hotel called the Dunes and smoke marijuana together.

We'd eat, at Giadonno's and break out
Common and his friends would eat at restaurant Giadonno's and leave before the bill arrived.

Then everybody thought that they could spend
Because Common and his friends often lived a flashy lifestyle without paying for it, others thought they could do the same.

High rollers had the MCM blazer blend
Wealthy people wore fashionable MCM blazers and Common and his friends emulated their style.

Girbauds and Guess jeans we was takin' in
Common's group of friends was known for stealing designer denim jeans.

Cranes and freight trains we was breakin' in
Common and his friends would break into construction sites and hop on trains for fun.

Tim a be basin Mike down at I.I.T.
Common and his friends would hang out with a group of guys named Tim and Mike who attended the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Rememberin' numbers depended on how high I'd be
Common sometimes struggled to remember phone numbers because he was under the influence of drugs.

It's a Deja-Brew, when I see bottles of Gill
Seeing bottles of a drink called Gill reminds Common of past experiences and memories.

My man Sef passed I feel hollow but still
Common lost a good friend named Sef and still feels saddened by his death.