It's been a while since Common and Erykah Badu were a thing, but Badu's charms have had a lasting effect on the singer. The pair were linked from 2000 until 2002, and in a recent interview with the Combat Jack Show, to promote his latest album, Nobody's Smiling, Common opened up about his past relationship with the songstress and the spell she casts on men.

"Yeah, the 'Badu Box' is real. Man, it could take you to another universe," Common joked. "Nah but seriously... That's when you meet somebody that's real special and you're like, 'Man, this woman's got…she got something else, man. It ain't just sex, it ain't just the looks. It's just something that's kind of like spirit-wise where you're like, 'This woman got something else.' And that's all it is. But for me, I just appreciated her for all those aspects: her being super-talented, of being real fresh, and being into new s--t I just wasn't up on. And then at the same token that whole spiritual thing is real. We're both Pisces."

Common also addressed how Badu affected his style even if she didn't exactly tell him what to wear. In addition, Badu influenced his cultural tastes and it seems like she inspired him to explore creative ways of expressing himself.

"She definitely was not like, 'Wear this.' It was something that was coming from me. Moving to New York I had the aspirations to do something new, to change, to grow, just try new things. She definitely was an influence. I can't act like she wasn't an influence because she introduced me to certain people that were creative artists, but as far as my choice — it was my choice to say, 'I want to do this. I want to do that.'” 

“She wasn't agreeing with some of my fashion choices either, to be honest. But that period in my life, I had a great time. Erykah, I be listening to some of her songs, and I'm like, 'This girl is dope.'"

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(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)