[Produced By: Kanye West]
[Verse 1: Common]
I open my eyes, the corner's like African tribes
The blackest of thighs, a blackened surprise where pa**ion arise
The youth fantasize of gra** and cash in they eyes
A youth dies, and momma's asking rationalize
Trying to build a spot where ghetto ba*tards can rise
The ghetto's been ba*tardized 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 n***as
The corners I picture in motion it stars n***as
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
On the corners n***as rob or k**
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 [?] stops to issue the pack [?]
There's money on the corner you'd be stupid to pa** 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 d** 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, d**h on the corner
We fight until our very last breath on the corner
Corner
[Hook]
[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 n***a, it's the corner, every city block [?]
It's simple math, something jumping off on all them
The church, the chicken shack, the liquor store, the dope house
The [?], 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
The 'caine slangers and gang bangers and lane changers
Elders anxiety prone, them rigid teenagers
They're whispering, "Man, you can't change in the streets [?]"
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 saying
Corner
[Hook]
[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