New York hip hop is really where it all started off. All the greats reside here, Nas, B.I.G., Rakim, Big L, Run DMC, etc.

Before Rakim, nobody really talked about flow or lyricism. It was kind of just simple rhyming over dope beats. When Rakim came along, he really created lyricism and flow. He was able to fit multiple words into a bar while flowing it very smoothly in a nice, monotone style.

New York hip hop has set many trends such as the boom bap style of hip hop. Some examples are Eric B and Rakim, KRS One and Gang Starr.

Rakim likens the high he got from his rhyme to a junkie’s happiness after their first high, a hustler’s euphoria after buying his first car, and a womanizer’s triumph after fucking their first “dime”.

This line actually caused some controversy between EMPD and Rakim.

In 1987, Eric B. and Rakim dropped “I Ain’t No Joke” which was a single for their LP Paid in Full. The second verse ended with the following line:

You could get a smack for this, I ain’t no joke

Later, EMPD dropped this song, “You’re a Customer” on their 1988 album, Strictly Business.

While there was never public controversy, years later there were reportings of the beef. Source

Black Star is the duo of Talib Kweli and Mos Def. They only have one album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star. It has received acclaim in the hip hop community and influenced many artists.

Soldiers are known for killing citizens in the middle east albeit through accidental discharge. The mom gets her child away from the soldier so the child is not at risk.

MURS is obviously aware of all the great drugs out there on the streets now. He is aware some of them are great and feel really good but he doesn’t want to fall into the world of drugs and get hooked on something just to ruin his life.

I assume what MURS is saying here is that his music is heavily pirated but he still sells records because his fans are dedicated enough to pay for them. Most underground artists nowadays get a large amount of their fame from the internet. People who are finding new artists online are likely to know how to pirate music.