“The Hypnotic” (Remix), Illadelph Halflife, The Roots featuring D’Angelo and Erykah Badu (1996)
The Roots, led by Black Thought and Questlove, put out “The Hypnotic” out in 1996 when Hip-Hop was in smack dap in the middle of the legendary “East Coast vs. West Coat” wars. While some of the more popular rappers were talking about how their side of the country was the best, Black Thought (with the Soulaquarian stylings of D’Angelo and Erykah Badu) was spitting how Black love or lust is difficult for artists to achieve with the complication of touring and their hectic lives. Yet, it also shows that those moments where they let themselves go … that energy that they share with a special someone can be “Hypnotic.”
“But as time flowed on, we grew more mature and further apart,
When I began to do tours, we lost contact and slowly parted,
Reminiscin’ of when it started, It keep me feelin’ heavy-hearted.
A stolen moment, periodic, Addicted to her presence like a narcotic
Though, I wonder if she ever got it, The Hypnotic.”