Lyrics Common – Leaders (Crib Love)
Text:
I’m into Chi-Town heroes like Fred Hampton
And neighborhood Deebo’s, the rebirth of D. Rose
The eye of a eagle, I keep on the people
Some gettin repo’d, some need clothes
Opportunity knocks, I’m lookin’ through the peephole
In my daughters laugh, I can hear a deep soul
Eve was my first love, now I’m on the sequel
Hearts stay open, in you I keep gold
Crossroads of beast mode to peace mode
Southeast code, Avalon to Ekersall
Too much on my back for me to set it off
From the «offset», I just wanna be, be, be
Like Cardi or ‘yonce or Harry Belefonte
Whenever I eat, my peeps get the same entree like they my fiancee
It ain’t easy when niggas like, «Feed me»
When I ain’t got it, they don’t believe me
Read me truth, lead me, truth
The birth of freedom can’t be induced
We reproduce so our fruits can see the fruits
A harvest for the world that the mustard seed produce
Faith walk my thoughts through yellow tape and chalk
Tigerstyle, gettin’ back on course
Well, well, well, well, well, well, well
They want us to be in jail
But you know we’ll never fail
We goin’ up, yeah, we goin’ up
No, this soul is not for sale
I won’t put that on them scales
And I know we will prevail
Man, I’m struggling
Man I be struggling
Till something inside tell me to come again
Like when you fuckin’ and you get another wind
I’m from the City of Wind, that’s another win
Take the L, Green line, Red line, get your paper
Headlines tryna feed your fam, get fed time
It happens, trappin’ and rappin’ got us backed in
To a corner, it’s normal for black men
The Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley re-enactment
Savion with a beard, yo, I’m tapped in
Stretch money and make it do a back bend
Frontin’ niggas try to front you on the back end
Live from the Chi where guns be clappin’
Poetic justice with raps, I’m snappin’
Meditating to Kamasi song, ask him
Robbin’ and baskin’, our heroes ain’t masked men
When I do it, Com, do it with passion
My compassion for brown and black skin
In the hood I used to backspin
Now I’m spendin’ back in the hood when I’m back, yo, what’s good?
If you stand up, then that’s understood
I tell them black sheep, «Don’t react to them wolves»
Crib Love, our heroes are on murals
So five year olds get told in their ear lobe that they can let fear go
Souls clear the way, let these palms peel away your pirouette
In the silhouette of blackness and cigarettes
Well, well, well, well, well, well, well
They want us to be in jail
But you know we’ll never fail
We goin’ up, yeah, we goin’ up
No, this soul is not for sale
I won’t put that on them scales
And I know we will prevail
