"You Got Me" is a song by American
hip hop band
The Roots, featuring vocals from
Erykah Badu (who sings the chorus) and
Eve, then known as Eve of Destruction, who raps the second verse but does not appear in the music video. The track was released as a
single from the band's fourth studio album, Things Fall Apart (1999), in January 1999.
Background
"You Got Me" was co-written by musician
Jill Scott, who recorded vocals for the song's chorus and bridge. Her part was subsequently re-recorded by Badu at the insistence of
MCA Records, who wanted a higher-profile collaboration for the album's official lead single (at the time, Scott was relatively unknown outside
Philadelphia). When the group later went on tour, Scott joined them during performances of the song. The original version was later released on the 2005 compilation Home Grown! The Beginners Guide to Understanding the Roots, Volume One.
The music video for "You Got Me" was directed by
Charles Stone III[3] and features cameos from rapper and actor
Common, plus
Tracy Morgan as a rider on the bus.
^Pitchfork Staff (September 28, 2022).
"The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 26, 2023. The Philadelphia hip-hop group's fourth album boasts one of the most breathtaking ballads of the neo-soul era they helped guide, "You Got Me"...
^"AddVance Notice". Radio & Records. No. 1283. January 22, 1999. p. 52.
^Oumano, Elena (January 23, 1999). "The Roots Are Very Together on 'Things'". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 4. p. 31. 'You Got Me' ships to R&B and crossover stations Jan. 25.
^"New Releases – For Week Starting 22 February, 1999: Singles". Music Week. February 20, 1999. p. 31.