Common
Common & Kanye West & The Last Poets
Common & John Mayer & Kanye West
Common & John Legend & Bilal
Common
Common
Common
Common & Kanye West
Common
Common & Kanye West & John Legend
Common & Bilal & Lonnie “Pops” Lynn
Common
The titular, introductory track off Common’s album Be exemplifies every possible element that makes Be the classic that it is: from Common’s poetic lyricism to Kanye West’s soulful production.
The Be intro samples Albert Jones' song, “Mother Nature”.
Here is the official music video for the track:...
[Intro]
Yeah
Yes
[Verse]
I wanna be as free as the spirits of those who left
I'm talking Malcolm, Coltrane, my man Yusef
Through death grew conception, new breath and resurrection
For moms, new steps in a direction
In the right way, told her, "Inside is where the fight lay
And everything a nigga do may not be what he might say"
Chicago nights, they stay on the mind
But I write many lives, they lay on these lines
Wavin' signs of the times, many say the grind's on the mind
Shorties blunted-eyed and everyone wanna rhyme
Bush pushing lies, killers immortalized
We got arms but won't reach for the skies
Waiting for the Lord to rise, I look into my daughter's eyes
And realize I'ma learn through her
The Messiah might even return through her
If I'ma do it, I gotta change the world through her
Furs and a Benz, Gramps wantin 'em
Demons and old friends, Pops, they hauntin' him
The chosen one from the land of the frozen sun
Where drunk nights get remembered more than sober ones
Walk like warriors, we were never told to run
Explored the world to return to where my soul begun
Never looking back, or too far in front of me
The present is a gift, and I just wanna be (Be, be, be, be)
[Produced by Kanye West]
Be (Intro) was written by Caesar Frazier & Common & Kanye West.
Be (Intro) was produced by Kanye West.
Common released Be (Intro) on Tue May 24 2005.
Bass player Derrick Hodge spoke about recording the iconic instrumental for this song.