Black Korea Lyrics

[Verse: Ice Cube]
Every time I wanna go get a fuckin' brew
I gotta go down to the store with the two
Oriental one penny countin' motherfuckers
That make a nigga mad enough to cause a little ruckus

Thinkin' every brother in the world's out to take
So they watch every damn move that I make
They hope I don't pull out a gat and try to rob
They funky little store, but, bitch, I got a job
Look, you little Chinese motherfucker
I ain't tryin' to steal none of this shit
Leave me alone!
(Mother fuck you, yo, yo, check it out)
So don't follow me up and down your market
Or your little chop suey ass'll be a target
Of a nationwide boycott

Juice with the people, that's what the boy got
So pay respect to the Black fist
Or we'll burn your store right down to a crisp
And then we'll see ya
'Cause you can't turn the ghetto into Black Korea

[Outro]
Mother fuck you

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About

Genius Annotation

A very controversial track, and one of the reasons Ice Cube was called racist after this album’s release. (There’s also that one line on the previous track, “go down to the corner store and beat the Jap up.”)

In it, Cube discusses the persistent racism of Korean shop owners, particularly in Los Angeles, against the black community. It was (likely) a response to the highly publicized death of Latasha Harlins, who was unlawfully shot by Soon Ja Du, a Korean store owner, in 1991.

Incensed Korean-American merchants boycotted St. Ides Malt Liquor, whom Ice Cube was pitchman for at the time, in response to this song. The boycott reached over 3,000 Liquor dispensaries, and eventually ended with St. Ides donating $90,000 to Korean-American groups. Much of that money was invested into scholarships for the Black community, in which many Korean-American owned liquor stores were based.

The controversy surrounding this song led to African-American and Korean-American activists meeting and KAGRO, an association of Korean store owners, adapting a 10-point behavior code to address the issue of in-store racism. Ice Cube also met with KAGRO representatives and reconciled with the Korean community, even leading to a picture of him on the front page of the Korea Times below the headline “ICE CUBE THE PEACEMAKER”.

In a bitterly ironic twist, the issue appeared in print on May 4, 1992, the final day of the Rodney King riots. 3,767 buildings burned in its wake, and many Korean-American merchants never recovered.

For more on the subject, see Chapter 15 of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by David Chang.

The track samples “2001” by The Cecil Holmes Soulful Sounds.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Ice Cube say about "Black Korea"?
Genius Answer

In response to the controversial statements that were expressed concerning the majority of Asian Americans on “Black Korea”, Ice Cube developed a statement 3 weeks after the song’s release about his thoughts on this issue:

I explained some of the feelings and attitudes of black people today, and the problems and frustrations that we confront. And I clarified the intent of my album Death Certificate. It was not intended to offend anyone or incite violence of any kind. It was not directed at all Korean Americans or at all Korean American store owners. I respect Korean Americans. It was directed at a few store where my friends and I have had actual problems. Working together we can help solve these problems and build a bridge between our communities.”

Credits
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Mastering Engineer
Recorded At
Paramount Studios (Los Angeles)
Release Date
October 29, 1991
Songs That Sample Black Korea
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