"The 6th Sense" is the first single from Common's 2000 album '' Like Water for Chocolate''. It was produced by

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He has been frequently lauded as one of hip hop's greatest producers by publications such as '' ...

, making it the only song on Common's 2000 album not produced by a member of the

Soulquarians The Soulquarians were a rotating collective of experimental Black music artists active during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Initially formed by singer and multi-instrumentalist D'Angelo, drummer and producer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and p ...

. It features Premier's trademark chorus with scratched samples; the samples are from "Memories Are Here to Stay" by the Intruders and "Allustrious" by

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo formed in Queens, New York (state), New York in 1990. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy (rapper), Prodigy and Havoc (musician), Havoc, they are considered to be among the pr ...

. The chorus also features singing by

neo-soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contem ...

artist

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name), or Belal or Bilel, including a list of people with the name * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad, made calls for prayers * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places * Bi ...

. The song's lyrics discuss

afrocentricity Afrocentricity is an academic theory and approach to scholarship that seeks to center the experiences and peoples of Africa and the African diaspora within their own historical, cultural, and sociological contexts. First developed as a systemati ...

hip hop culture Hip-hop culture is an art movement that emerged in New York City, in the borough of The Bronx; Primarily within the black community. Hip Hop as an art form and culture has been heavily influenced by both male and female artists. It is charac ...

and various social issues. "The 6th Sense" begins with an introduction in which Common states "the revolution will not be televised, the revolution is here" referencing the famous

Gil-Scott Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American jazz poet, singer, musician, and author known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackson fused ja ...

song named "

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is a satirical poem and Black Liberation song by Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron first recorded it for his 1970 album ''Small Talk at 125th and Lenox'', on which he recited the lyrics, accompanied by congas a ...

". "The 6th Sense" was also a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of the following single, " The Light". The song reached No. 87 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart and No. 14 on the

Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio statio ...

chart. A music video directed by

Andrew Dosunmu Andrew Dosunmu is a Nigerian photographer and filmmaker who came to prominence in the United States after directing music videos for various artists including Isaac Hayes, Angie Stone, Common, Tracy Chapman, Wyclef Jean, Kelis, Aaron Neville, Ta ...

was made for "The 6th Sense". The video features Common rapping in a stationary car alongside Bilal, while chaos ensues outside of the car.

Critical reception

"The 6th Sense" received positive recognition from multiple sources: Mark Anthony Neal of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' considered it to be a classic song and Common's best single besides " I Used to Love H.E.R."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

writer Steve Huey considered "The 6th Sense" as well as " The Light" as "quintessential Common, uplifting and thoughtful ongs thathelped bring him a whole new audience." Rashaun Hall of

BarnesandNoble.com Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

said that " e freestyle-sounding lead single ..showcases Common's fluid flow backed by a dense,

beat that knocks harder than the

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

." ''

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'' writer Taylor Clark declared that on "The 6th Sense", "Common gets iller than

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

over an addictive track supplied by

Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston-based rapper Guru (rapper), Guru. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2003, and is considered a widely influential MC-and-pr ...

's DJ Premier." There is a popular remix of the song produced by

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is an American record producer, record ...

, which utilizes the same scratches by DJ Premier, and was shared on many Peer-to-peer file sharing, P2P networks as a free download. The remix was also featured on some of 9th Wonder's remix compilations.

Track listing

A-side

# "The 6th Sense (Album Version)" # "The 6th Sense (Instrumental)" # "The 6th Sense (Acapella)"

B-side

# "Dooinit (Album Version)" # "Dooinit (Instrumental)"

Critical reception

Track listing

A-side

B-side

Chart positions

References

See also