Against the canvas of the night
 Appears a curious celestial phenomena
 called Black Star, but what is it?

 [Talib Kweli]
 Black people unite and let's all get down
 We got to have what? We got to have that love

 [Mos Def]
 What is the Black Star?
 Is it the cat with the black shades, the black car?
 Is it shinin from very far, to where you are?
 It is commonplace and different
 Intimate and distant
 Fresher than an infant

 [Talib Kweli]
 Black, my family thick, like they're striped molasses
 Star, on the rise, in the eyes of the masses
 Black is the color of my true love's hair
 Star's are bright, shining, hot balls of air

 [Mos Def]
 Black like my baby girl's stare
 Black like the veil that the muslimina wear
 Black like the planet that they fear, why they scared?
 Black like the slave ship that later brought us here
 Black like the cheeks that are roadways for tears
 that leave black faces well traveled with years
 Black like assassin crosshairs
 Blacker than my granddaddy armchair
 He never really got no time to chill there
 Cause this life is warfare, warfare

 [Talib Kweli]
 Deep on the front lines, and blacks is all there
 Black like the perception of who, on welfare
 Black like faces at the bottom of the well
 I've been there before
 To bring the light and heat it up like "la cocina"
 Make without imagine happen but maybe I'm just a dreamer
 I love rockin tracks like John Coltrane love Naema

 [M] Like the student love the teacher
 [T] Like the prophet love Khadeja
 [M] Like I love my baby features
 [A] Like the creator love all creatures

 [Talib Kweli]
 Who acknowledge truth and peace seekers
 We on point like heat seekers
 Targettin the black marketing strategists
 Run up on em with the heaters
 Everybody followin with no leaders
 Feelin like we killin ourselves
 because I know they can't defeat us
 It don't stop til we complete this, keep this fly
 There's so much to life when you just stay Black and God

 [Mos Def]
 Blacker than the nighttime sky of Bed-Stuy in July
 Blacker than the seed in the blackberry pie
 Blacker than the middle of my eye
 Black like feh-lah man cry
 Some man wan ask "Who am I?"
 I simply reply, "The U.N.I., V.E.R.S.A.L. Magnetic"
 Work to respect the angelic, climb the mountaintop
 and tell it til the valley's enveloped
 You're full of big chat but you nah know me
 I'm dark like the side of the moon you don't see
 when the moon shine newly

 [M] You know who else is a Black Star? (Who?) Me
 [T] You know who else is a Black Star? (Who?) Me
 [A] You know who else is a Black Star, who we? (And we)
 [A] be shinin and shinin, when we rhymin and rhymin
 We be shinin and shinin, when we rhymin and rhymin

 [Mos Def]
 Now everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two
 It's the third eye vision, five side dimension
 The 8th Light, is gonna shine bright tonight
 It's the third eye vision, five side dimension

 [T] You know the light
 [M] Go from the dark
 [T] The other way is ass-backwards
 [M] It's absurd
 [T] Make you wanna crow like a blackbird
 [M] That's right
 [T] You livin from your first day to your last night
 [T] Sometimes you show your ass like
 [M] Lint on your clothes
 [T] When you froze in
 [A] THE BLACK LIGHT
 [M] Dead that
 [T] Before you get your head wrapped
 [M] Like Badu
 [T] We see through your voodoo
 [T] Just like Eve's Bayou, you dealin with that black magic
 [M] Try to civilize you
 [T] Not walk on by you
 [M] Like civil-(lies do get you black listed) it'll
 [T] Be unlucky for you like a black cat
 [M] A panther
 [T] Revolution is the answer
 [M] That's what we need
 [T] Greed plague my people like the cancer
 [M] True indeed

 [Mos Def]
 Now black people unite, and let's ALL GET DOWN
 Now everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two
 It's the third eye vision, five side dimension
 The 8th Light, is gonna shine bright tonight
 Everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two
 It's the third eye vision, five side dimension
 The 8th Light, is gonna shine bright tonight
 It's the third eye vision, five side dimension
 Equalin up to eight, light shine bright