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Kurt Cobain was the lead singer of Nirvana, who infamously took his own life.
Rocky is comparing his suicidal thoughts to those of Kurt Cobain. The scrutiny is overwhelming, as he goes on to talk about in the following track on the album Suddenly. It is worth noting that this track is titled “Phoenix,” for when a phoenix dies it rises from the ashes and is reborn.
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Alluding back to the wars mentioned in the line earlier, Rocky dramatically poses the good versus evil motif again.
Rocky may be paying homage to the Beecher family, well-known anti-slavery activists in the 19th century South. Henry Ward Beecher, brother of the famous Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, one of the most influential anti-slavery texts in history), led a militia of Kansas citizens to fight those who were pro-slavery. “Beecher’s Bibles” referred to the rifles they carried, as Lyman Beecher was a reverend. There is a church in Kansas today called the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church.
ACCEPTED COMMENT: During this verse, the click, click sound of a gun occurs and provides an answer to his question: he chooses guns over God.
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A similar line was used in Trinidad James' hit song All Gold Everything (Remix).
If you a real nigga then fuck with me
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Now your world is in my palm, take cover niggas A$AP Rocky – Phoenix
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While he was grinding hard and was gaining fans day by day and hour by hour, he was underestimated and underappreciated. Now, having made it big in just a few months, dropping a hit mixtape and now his debut album, the general rap population is fond of him and his popularity is still building to an unimaginable level.
There is a hidden allusion here. He says “your world is in my palm, take cover niggas”, and right after he does a gunshot sounds in the song, as if ASAP fired at them, saying “take cover”. But when firing, the gun would be in his palm, so he is implying that “these other niggas” only live for superficial things like guns, and he has one in his hand, and is using it against them. People flocking to superficial things, and to the fame he has is a theme in this songk
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What is this?
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That's what all the people say
You're riding high in April
And shot down in May
That's life
And as ugly as it may seem
Some people get their kicks
Stomping on your dreams No Malice (Ft. Eric David) – June
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What is this?
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What is this?
The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.
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The way Wiz was brought up, he knew not to do anything gimmicky for his in to the mainstream rap game. Since he put out numerous mixtapes and worked hard to get to where he is, he plans to be there for much longer. He’s worked hard to get to the top, he’s playing hard while he’s here.
Wiz is from Pittsburgh, a city known for a very strong work ethic due to it’s history of steel mills and other industrial job. Wiz plays homage to this tradition several different ways in the video.
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