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Frank is experimenting with different women (and likely different drugs), so he’s known as a sort of expert on the topic. Though he’s been dabbling in a lot of different substances, he can’t seem to find anything as stimulating or intoxicating as his girl.

A “chemist“ is also slang for a drug dealer.

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This can easily be an analogy of the forefathers of the U.S. who owned slaves. As an African-American, it should be difficult to pledge allegiance to a flag when the same country nearly wiped out the black race. The first couple of presidents of this country owned slaves, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Can African Americans really respect them as much as people say they should?

This could also be referencing the story of the first imam of Islam, Ali, forgiving his attempted murderer.

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This is a reference to the previous line: Royce will shoot you even if you’re not in a bad area (i.e. the Metro of Detroit).

Also, when you have no reception (like most subway areas do), chances are your “calls“ will be “dropped“. Therefore, you’ll be in an area that is called the “dead zone”.

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Nas accentuates the syllables to express exasperation; that anyone who looked like Jay-Z could get girls without money and fame is a joke. For Jay-Z not to realize this means he must be stupid or deluding himself.

Literally: please understand you’re an ugly man. The tone is used to make it clear how easy it is for Nas to diss him, he’s just playing with him. Which makes it unique to other diss tracks, where people mostly go after having better albums or that they make more money.

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Referencing Hurricane Chris’s song, “Hand Clap

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Everyone knows a girl likes a guy with a sense of humor.

Only problem is a lot of women don’t find a lot of guys funny, especially when they try for the sole purpose of getting into her pants.

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He obviously doesn’t agree with Mark Twain’s quote: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

Interesting, Hova later namechecks Mark Twain on 2013’s “100$ Bill.”

History don’t repeat itself it rhymes, 1929 still
Write like Mark Twain

http://youtu.be/FIwxIobtab4

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Girls be wearing the smoothest type of fabric for their lingeries. And Shock’s bringing them home to get with them.

This line is also a reference to 2Pac’s “I Get Around”, in which Shock-G said

I’m Shock G: the one who put the satin on your panties
Never knew a hooker that could share me

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One of the transitions for this guy, as well…

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MTV News interviewed Common about “Ghetto Dreams”, and he had the following to say about this particular line:

Right there I’m saying, ‘Look, I want a bad woman.’ She look raw and she could cook […] I wrote it about someone in the neighborhood that got a dream of reaching a higher level and they’re in that process, and their woman is really like the correlation and the parallel and the symbol to that progress. It was coming from me, but it was also the voice of many others.

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