Leaders (Crib Love) - Common, A-Trak

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

Since I was a shorty, I had vision like Coleco

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