Soul by the Pound


"Soul by the Pound" is the third single from rapper Common's 1992 debut album, Can I Borrow a Dollar?. Its beat, produced by Immenslope and The Twilite Tone, is similar to much production from Common's second album, Resurrection. Its beat contains samples from "I Like It" by DeBarge, "Feelin' It" by Ultramagnetic MC's, "Sneakin' in the Back" by Tom Scott, and "A Chorus Line" by Ultramagnetic MC's. It is considered to be a "black solidarity" track, but has been attacked for its misogyny. A music video was made for the "Thump Mix" version of this song, but not for the album version. "Soul by the Pound " contains samples from "Pot Belly" by Lou Donaldson, "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim, "Jazz " by A Tribe Called Quest, "Tonight's Da Night" by Redman, and "Check It Out" by Grand Puba with Mary J. Blige. The "Thump Mix" can be found on the Guidance Recordings compilation album 2001: A Rhyme Odyssey.

Track listing

A-side

  1. "Soul by the Pound "
  2. "Soul by the Pound "
  3. "Soul by the Pound "

    B-side

  4. "Can-I-Bust "
  5. "Heidi Hoe "
  6. "Heidi Hoe "

    Chart positions