One of Nine

About

One of Nine is featured as a double A-side single comprising "One-Nine-Nine-Nine" and "Like They Used to Say" by rapper Common. "One-Nine-Nine-Nine" appears on Soundbombing II, a compilation album released by Rawkus Records in 1999. The track includes an introduction by Talib Kweli, guest rapping by Sadat X, and production by Hi-Tek. A music video was produced for the song, which featured brief cameos from Jeru The Damaja and Harold Hunter. The song was notable enough to be included in Rawkus Records' Best of Decade I: 1995-2005 compilation. Common's vocals from "One-Nine-Nine-Nine" were later sampled by Cunninlynguists for their track "Mic Like a Memory." The companion single "Like They Used to Say" was produced by Dug Infinite, a producer who worked on Common's first three albums. In this song, Common reflects on hip-hop's earlier days while offering commentary on the direction he sees the genre heading in the future.