The Corner

The Corner was the second single from Be, released on 1 March 2005. Kanye West produced it and provides the chorus, and the Last Poets contribute spoken word. Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan are among the credited writers. It samples You Make the Sun Shine by the Temprees and What It Is by the Temptations. The lyrics deal with street corners in poor neighborhoods. Common said the Last Poets took the song to a higher level, that they gave him a better understanding of the corner, and that he was glad to introduce some of the youth to them. West directed the video.

It reached 42 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and was nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 48th Grammy Awards. Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork called it a crack-a-lack street symphony and wrote that Common, with the Last Poets, was less preaching than speaking leisurely. An official remix with West, the Last Poets, Scarface and Mos Def appears on Scarface's My Homies Part 2 and was released by Common as a single. Clipse rapped over it with heavily revised lyrics on the mixtape We Got It 4 Cheap: Vol. 2.