Gabby Shea - Hip Hop Love

 

All right. So, my husband and I, we were really good friends before we started dating. Music has been a part of our relationship from the beginning. My husband introduced me to hip hop, The Roots, Common, Black Star. I'm embarrassed to say that this white dude from Flatbush, Brooklyn, put me on. [audience laughter] 

 

So, our first official date was to a Common concert. I was in heaven. I had my man at my side, and my boo was on stage serenading me. [audience laughter] It was absolutely perfect. When Common started to perform The Light, Frank pulled me a little closer, and I knew that I was done and we were in it for the long haul. So, we had talked about marriage for a little while, and I said to him, “Do not propose to me until I find a job. I did not want to plan a wedding while I was dead broke.” 

 

And lucky enough, I found a man that listens, because I started my job November 25th, 2002, and I got engaged December 19th, 2002. So, on our engagement night, we were yet again another Common concert. My brother came along, my friends came along, so I was really, really excited. So, we get to SOBs a little earlier than expected, and we're hanging out with the crowd and in comes Questlove from The Roots. 

 

So, I'm all excited and giddy, because we love The Roots. He walks past us and my now husband taps him on the shoulder and whispers something in his ear. Questlove looks at me and he extends his hand and he smiles and he says, “Hi, I'm Amir.” And I'm like, “Okay.” [audience laughter] I take his hand and I say, “Hi, I'm Gabby.” I thought it was strange, but whatever. 

 

So, before he's able to say something else. Frank whispers something else in his ear. He gives me this strange look and he says, “Enjoy the show,” and he runs off. All right, again, I thought it was weird, but I'm here to enjoy the show, so I let it go. So, Common gets on stage and he's performing. The crowd is going crazy. Everybody's loving him. Halfway through the show, he starts with I never knew. A luh luh A love like this. And I'm like, “This is my song.” I close my eyes, I lean up against Frank and I'm feeling the music. And then, Frank taps me on my shoulder, and my first thought is, “Are you kidding me?” [audience laughter] Like, “This is our song. Why are you interrupting? [audience laughter] 

 

So, I slowly turn my head, because I'm ready to tell him this. [audience laughter] I catch my breath, because I am still staring into the most beautiful diamond ring that I've ever seen. So, through my tears, I look around and everyone is smiling, and I think to myself, what the hell is going on here? Come to find out that they all knew it was happening. See, he had posted on okayplayer.com, and everyone in the audience expected that something was going to happen. So, Erykah Badu grabs my hand. She's checking out my bling, music Soul Child claps him on the back and is like, “Congratulations.” As I'm hugging him, Questlove runs over and snaps a picture. [audience laughter] 

 

I happened to email him the next day, and to my surprise, he emailed me back with that picture. So, throughout this whole time, I knew that Common wasn't paying attention to us, because he's on stage and he's performing. But a few months later, he was interviewed, and I'll read you an excerpt. [audience laughter] [audience cheers and applause] 

 

“At a performance in New York City last December, Common turned to see a man holding a sobbing woman tight. [audience laughter] Common was performing The Light, one of his many meditations on true love. He had no idea why the woman was crying. Common's lyrics hit a deeper chord. The weeping woman, Common later learned, had received a marriage proposal during that very song. It's an honor to create music to affect someone's life like that and have something so special be done at one of my concerts.” [audience cheers and applause] 

 

Now, granted. Thank you. I love, love, love that he remembered me, [audience laughter] because keep in mind, Common is my hall pass. [audience laughter] However, I shed a couple of tears, but I wasn't sobbing and weeping the way that he, but I was cool with it. I was cool with it. [audience laughter] So, Common and I crossed paths a couple of times over the years. Once at an album signing where I had him signed my wedding invitation which included lyrics to the Light and the centerpiece was the photo that Questlove took of my husband and I.

 

And then, another time at a press junket that he was doing for his movie, Just Right. This time though, I brought a family photo, because I wanted him to see his honorary granddaughters. [audience laughter] In my mind, he is their godfather. [audience laughter] I get that it's a bit stalkerish. However, I wanted him to see how he affected me and how his music affected my life. Now, they say that every love song is connected to a story and I am 100% certain, no doubt in my mind, that the Light is absolutely connected to mine. Thank you.