Fred Astaire was a Jewish-to-catholic-convert dancer who is pretty much a boss; the backspin is a breakdancing move.

In this alter-world, Freddie would be a B-boy.

Lupe says that there wouldn’t be any ghettos, no crack and no gangs if the social disparity between classes didn’t exist. The founding of the Crips occurred because of the falling out of the Black Panthers and similar Groups. The Crips would never of had to rise to fill that gap left in black society if there wasn’t social inequality. Likewise, the Bloods would not have had to come into existence to keep the Crips in check.

Also, This line also has somewhat of a hidden meaning to it. A lot of mainstream media (i.e. Bill O'Rreilly) accuse hip-hop/rap as though it is causing problems in America by glorifying violence. Lupe disagrees and is saying here that it is not the rap that causes the problems, but the problems that cause the rap. Without racism and horrible things happening to black people, there would be no gangsta rap music like there is today (violent, degrading to women, et cetera.)

Since the Civil War was caused by (among a fuckload of other, smaller things) slavery, if there was no slavery, people wouldn’t have had anything to fight over.

Ikon later changed his rap name to Vinnie Paz, supposedly after a dispute with an underground emcee known as iCon the Mic King. It all went downhill from there

Either he owns something that civilians can’t legally own (a big-ass gun, cocaine) or it means he’s committed offenses against federal law.

He’s so rich he can buy tons of outfits, wear them once, and toss them in the closet

The Crips are a gang formed in L.A by Stanley Tookie Williams. Snoop Dogg is a crip and he’s from Eastside Longbeach.

Their color is blue-hence, Snoop’s Blue Carpet Treatment, the album this song appears on.

Questions his seemingly forced involvement in Operation Rolling Thunder, a Vietnam “War” aerial bombardment campaign against North Vietnam, causing heavy Vietnamese casualties

“Cents/sense” wordplay. He has neither lost money nor become foolish since becoming famous.

From the old Superman television show