“Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)” is the second collaboration between Erykah Badu and Common, following Erykah’s appearance on Common’s 1998 track “All Night Long.” “Love of My Life” won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and topped Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for a month, while peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was also released as a single from the Brown Sugar soundtrack. The link between hip-hop and love was a Soulquarian theme, with evident crossover and multi-inter-referencing:

• Firstly, “Love of My Life”, references “Act Too (Love of My Life)” by The Roots in the song title, as well at the beginning of the song’s music video:

• “Love of My Life” also features Common, one of Erykah’s high-profile ex-boyfriends, who originally performed:

• “I Used To Love H.E.R” is referenced by “Love of My Life” both thematically (as both equate hip-hop to a lover) and in its music video, bringing us full circle…

• Common also features in “Act Too (Love of My Life)” in which he and Black Thought discuss their history with hip-hop.