Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” is an unforgettable Hip Hop relic, a jam whose opening six words alone make you want to party, as said on the Still Processing podcast.
LISTEN NOW: Still Processing 'This Is How We Do It'
But could it actually be a Country song? When “This Is How We Do It” was released in 1995, it became part of the era’s pop culture soundtrack, appearing in films like Poetic Justice, Boyz in da Hood and Menace to Society. The song also charted No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #95 on VH1’s “100 Greatest Songs of the ‘90s.”
New York Times culture writer and Still Processing host Wesley Morris has heard “This Is How We Do It” countless times since he was a teenager, but it wasn’t until hearing it recently that he had an epiphany. “What I heard was, it wasn't just some stellar piece of Hip Hop/R&B it was a Country song," says Morris. “I listen to this song now with such depth and complexity that I couldn't have possibly heard as a 19 year old,” he added, referring to the song’s lyrical ode to South Central Los Angeles.
With a newfound perspective, Morris believes that the hit record belongs to a long tradition of Country music that expresses love and respect for one's hometown. On the latest episode of Still Processing, Morris additionally explores other songs that have changed in meaning for him over the years such as “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M.
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