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White boat, white robe, JAY-Z (Ft. Frank Ocean) – Oceans

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After spending 17 years in the game (Reasonable Doubt dropped in 1996) Jay-Z gained quite a lot of money which with he can afford boats, cars, jewels…Everything really!.

When Hova’s aboard he always wears white shoes, matching all white everything clothes and a white boat.

This line also introduces the theme of duality between holy and material in the song, the contrast here lies between the white boat, borne out of material wealth, and the white robe, which is often seen as a symbol of spirituality and purity.

Also a veiled reference to cocaine being shipped on boats. That’s how he got his start to success (the prominence of the color white here plays on previous line, as cocaine is obviously white).

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103

5 years

White boat, white robe, can he be more cleaner? when speaking of cocaine and its purity, some say clean. also maybe a stretch but I like to think the white robe line speaks on Mr clean who sports a white t-shirt and is the commercial model of clean. saying is it possible to be cleaner the The Mr Clean.

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I know nobody to blame
Kurt Cobain, I did it to myself, uh JAY-Z (Ft. Justin Timberlake) – Holy Grail

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Kurt Cobain, whose Nirvana song is interpolated in the following bridge, committed suicide by gunshot in 1994. Hova talked about Cobain’s suicide in his autobiography, Decoded:

Kurt Cobain OD’d on heroin before committing suicide, but he also OD’d on fame. Cobain was like Basquiat: They both wanted to be famous, and were brilliant enough to make it happen. But then what? Drug addicts kill themselves trying to get that feeling they got from their first high, looking for an experience they’ll never get again. In his suicide note, Cobain asked himself, “Why don’t you just enjoy it?” and then answered, “I don’t know!” It’s amazing how much of a mindfuck success can be.

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Tweets About New Album and New Rules JAY-Z – Tweets About New Album and New Rules

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A day after the release of the teaser trailer for Hov’s new album, he hopped on his Twitter account to share with the world some of his thoughts about the new ways of marketing music.

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OTA Minicamp Interview Tim Tebow (Ft. New England Patriots) – OTA Minicamp Interview

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The first interview Tebow released after signing with the New England Patriots on June 11th 2013.

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L'Infinito Giacomo Leopardi – L'Infinito

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L'Infinito è una delle liriche fondamentali dei Canti di Giacomo Leopardi. Il poeta la scrisse negli anni della sua gioventù a Recanati, sua cittadina natale, nelle Marche. Le stesure definitive risalgono agli anni 1818-19.

La lirica, composta da 15 endecasillabi sciolti, appartiene alla serie di scritti pubblicati nel 1826 con il titolo di Idilli. In questo testo l'elemento del paesaggio naturale è strettamente legato all'espressione degli stati d'animo dell'uomo

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I gotta testify J. Cole – Ain't That Some Shit (Interlude)

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Another reference to Kanye, this time from Touch The Sky:

I gotta testify
Come up in the spot lookin' extra fly

After his friends took care of you, he’ll need to show up in court to testify.

Also a reference to the Common song “Testify” (produced by Kanye West, which primarily takes place in a courtroom.

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Max Armstrong

7 years

Not what he’s referring to

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PRISM Statement Mark Zuckerberg – PRISM Statement

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After the PRISM files leak, Zuckerberg decided to write a public Facebook status to deny Facebook’s connection with the government program.

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Spinning in circles, live my life without rehearsal J. Cole (Ft. James Fauntleroy) – Born Sinner

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By spinning in circles, Cole states how crazy and messed up his life is. This is normally what happens when something isn’t rehearsed or practiced. He lives this crazy life either intentionally, day by day, playing it by ear, or unintentionally, in need of a change, yearning for order.

“Spinning in circles” also suggests being lost and lacking a sense of direction. No one has laid down a path for him to walk, so he has to blaze his own trail and trudge on without a chance to plan or prepare. It could further mean that he makes the same mistakes over and over again.

“Spinning in circles” may even be a literary reference to the Nine Circles of Hell depicted in Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. Each circle represents a sin and is home to various sinners. Cole would insinuate that while living life, he is journeying through all of them, i.e. committing all types of sins. This would fit in perfectly with the theme and title of both the album and this song.

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By spinning in circles, Cole states how crazy and messed up his life is. This is normally what happens when something isn't rehearsed or practiced. He lives this crazy life either intentionally, day by day, playing it by ear, or unintentionally, in need of a change, yearning for order.

"Spinning in circles" also suggests being lost and lacking a sense of direction. No one has laid down a path for him to walk, so he has to blaze his own trail and trudge on without a chance to plan or prepare. It could further mean that he makes the same mistakes over and over again.

"Spinning in circles" may even be a literary reference to the [Nine Circles of Hell](https://www.thoughtco.com/dantes-9-circles-of-hell-741539) depicted in Dante Alighieri's [*Inferno*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Dante\)). Each circle represents a sin and is home to various sinners. Cole would insinuate that while living life, he is journeying through all of them, i.e. committing all types of sins. This would fit in perfectly with the theme and title of both the album and this song.

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