Common — The Corner Remix

[Produced By: Kanye West] [Intro: Common] Yeah Yeah Yeah [Verse 1: Common] I open my eyes, the corner's like African tribes The blackest of thighs, a blackened surprise where passion arise The youth fantasize of grass and cash in they eyes A youth dies, and momma's asking rationalize Trying to build a spot where ghetto bastards can rise The ghetto's been bastardized by those that capitalize Wonder if it's a plan that the master devised To bring his people to a land where blacks are despised To act you lie scriptures, the rich are getting richer The young are becoming thicker, summers becoming winter Hard times, hard liquor link cards and God figures It's moments that completes us to piece us with scar niggas The corners I picture in motion it stars niggas Emotions of those that be smoking like Todd Bridges These are our bridges, from nothing to something That's why on every city block, you hear them pumping The corner [Hook: Kanye West] I wish I could give you this feeling I wish I could give this feeling, uh-uh, uh-uh uh On the corners niggas rob or kill And dying just to make a living, huh? [Spoken Word: The Last Poets] We overstated, we underrated, we educated The corner was our time when time stood still and Gators and snakeskins in Yellow and pink and collared blue Profiles glorifying them [Verse 2: Scarface] On the corner, birth place of various dreams The ending of the beginning, the scariest thing As we survive here to die here, whatever we seen We accept it, live with it, or better the scheme On the corner, the backdrop for hustling crack rock The spot where the mac stops to issue the pack's out There's money on the corner you'd be stupid to pass up Remember there's a code and if it's broken we blast ya There's Crips on the corner, Bloods on the corner GDs and vice lords so there's thugs on the corner There's children having fun so there's love on the corner OGs with triple beams holding drugs on the corner There's cops on the corner Dope fiends that walk around in they socks is on the corner But I love 'em, so I'm on 'em It's life on the corner, death on the corner We fight until our very last breath on the corner Corner [Hook: Kanye West] I wish I could give you this feeling I wish I could give this feeling, uh-uh, uh-uh uh On the corners niggas rob or kill And dying just to make a living, huh? [Spoken Word: The Last Poets] The corner was our magic, our music, our politics Fires raised as tribal dances and war cries Broke out on different corners Power to the people Black power Black is beautiful [Verse 3: Yasiin Bey] (The corner man!) C-O-R-N-E-R My nigga, it's the corner, every city block got 4 of em' It's simple math, something jumping off on all them (break it down) The church, the chicken shack, the liquor store, the dope house The bail bonds, the nail salon, the barber shop, the courthouse The young are blowing their smoke out, he high five They're 'bout it 'bout it, no power outage for live wires The block wild and shots fired from hot eyes A cold world full of hot summers and loud sirens (woo) The 'caine slangers and gang bangers and lane changers (ha) Elders anxiety prone, them rigid teenagers They're whispering: "Man, you can't save him, the streets raised him" They on the block like they ain't neighbors They're straight strangers Grandmama hit me with 3 words: "Son, keep praying" This shorty hit me with 3 more, "Son, keep blazing" They're both deep statements, from two unique places Real forever real, I just love to hear the streets say it Corner [Hook: Kanye West] I wish I could give you this feeling I wish I could give this feeling, uh-uh, uh-uh uh On the corners niggas rob or kill And dying just to make a living, huh? [Spoken Word: The Last Poets] The corner was our Rock of Gibraltar, our Stonehenge Our Taj Mahal, our monument Our testimonial to freedom, to peace, and to love Down on the corner