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That's my MO, add a B to that shit Drake (Ft. Lil Wayne) – The Motto
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“M.O.” is an abbreviation for the Latin term modus operandi (1), or “Mode of Operation”–simply put, how you live your life. His modus operandi is to add a B to anything to make it better (music, food, sex etc.).

Wayne’s M.O. is Money Over Bitches (as his chest tattoo states).

M.O.B. is also slang for the Bloods, with whom Wayne is openly affiliated. The Bloods are a gang, or a mob.

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Edda96d5e303ec94baffc3c142c88a33

170

2 years

Thats my M.O add a BEAT to that shit (its beat not B)

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Escape Artist Sage Francis – Escape Artist
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An extended metaphor on how being an emcee is like being a magician. Sage pulled the ultimate vanishing act when he got out of the game.

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It's just there ain't no magic in the breakdown, baby Sage Francis – Escape Artist
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Sage Francis commented on the meaning of this lyric in a Strange Famous Records blog post celebrating 15 years since the release of A Healthy Distrust:

I’ve always viewed [this lyric] in two different ways. It can be a literal reference to breaking down a stage after performing. When all the music and magic is gone. When the man behind the curtain is revealed. It can also be a reference to an emotional breakdown after trying to put on your best face for too long. When all the music and magic is gone. When the man behind the curtain is revealed.

Also, if the extended metaphor of hip-hop as magic is being continued, the lyric is saying there is nothing special about a hip-hop breakdown. There’s no magic in overanalyzing things and taking them apart (like we’re doing here!). Like a great joke, if you have to explain it, it’s not the same.

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The best legal team, so the deals is ill
It's MAC, OPI, and a fragrance too
Apparel, I'm dominatin' every avenue Drake (Ft. Nicki Minaj) – Make Me Proud
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Nicki’s taking over every business venture she can. She has a deal with MAC Cosmetics. She has her own nail polishes, and is working on a fragrance and clothing line. She’s dominating every avenue, especially 5th Avenue, New York’s fashion district.

Nicki was “dominating every avenue” as she was the most popular Halloween costume that year.

Her lipstick!

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Samm
6 years

The best legal teams so the deal is ill= Nicki has built an empire and has secure team with her. They not allowing any bullshit offers.

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Most people don't fuck and hit the lotto but my folks did Childish Gambino – L.E.S.
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Donald Glover’s (blood) parents also raised foster kids, as referenced heavily in his stand-up Weirdo. His parents hit the lottery when they had him, meaning he’s going to bring them untold amounts of fortune and fame.

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370810749cd4380780c80d15671dcfd2

151

5 years

In reference to the line before it, Gambino seems to be saying that most people don’t meet someone they have relations with and still develop a genuine connection with like his parents, hence they hit the “lotto” when finding each other.

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7244d5a4c24459bb6d5dc64e4ee79598

105

5 years

I always thought this meant most people don’t hook up and end up meeting the person they settle down with, but married couples like Donald’s parents “hit the lotto” when they met each other. Makes more sense than a reference to wealth/poverty in the context of the previous lines.

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Marked this as restating the line?
7 years

I agree with this more than the other explanation

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253137af97dccc01bbae415dc53b7ab9

128

8 years

I thought what he meant by this was that he grew up poor. Most parents don’t fuck around and have a lot of kids without a reliable way of making money, but Donald’s parents idea was to hit the lottery and hope to win. Obviously his parents didn’t win the lottery and explains why he was poor growing up. He touches on growing up poor in songs like “The Last” and “Hold you Down”, also “Outside” and “That Power”.

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He's lucky, she's a career woman, no kids Childish Gambino – L.E.S.
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He’s lucky that the girl he’s after is unattached and won’t have to deal with taking care of her bambinos if they hook up. Kids are so awkward!

There isn’t the threat of this chick trying to get herself pregnant during sex.

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Default_avatar_100

10

3 years

The fact that he knows that she’s “a career woman” means that his friend is not only interested in this girl, but so into her that he tells Bino about her outside of the sex.
Furthermore, the fact that Bino says he’s just “sleeping with this girl” highlights an important part of the song and the character: he’s not here to recognize relationships, he’s here for the physical only. Sounds kinda childish, no?

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Cause the crowd is packed and the louder they clap
The less he is able to make the connection
Between what he sees when he hears certain notes
And the hurt that is shown in his facial expression Sage Francis (Ft. Alias (anticon.) & Will Oldham) – Sea Lion
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The paradox of expressing your deepest personal feelings in an extremely public space. Being a contrarian, Sage goes against the usual idea of connecting with an audience by setting up an exhibitionist/voyeur angle instead.

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Sea Lion Sage Francis (Ft. Alias (anticon.) & Will Oldham) – Sea Lion
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A song about Sage’s childhood, specifically his relationship to his mother. On the album version, this is a rare single-verse song—it originally had a guest verse by Saul Williams, but Sage, at the time, liked to keep his albums guest-free. Saul Williams' verse was kept as a b-side on the “Sea Lion” single only.

We include both verses here for completeness

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The Buzz Kill Sage Francis – The Buzz Kill
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Sage Francis' anthem to himself being the bearer of bad news, i.e. the only one willing to speak the truth. Here he argues for self-improvement and moderation.

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Make Me Proud Drake (Ft. Nicki Minaj) – Make Me Proud
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The second single from Drake’s album Take Care.

A love note to Drake’s main squeeze/Nicki Minaj asserting the fact that she’s the queen of the game. Drake’s verse is deliberately ambiguous: he could be talking to Nicki, but he doesn’t have to be. This is a furtherance of the publicity stunt that is their “relationship,” began in Nicki’s Moment 4 Life and carried on to bolster both emcees' careers by feeding the gossip blogs.

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040294c00fee2308327d29d1374d157b

103

5 years

all day

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