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Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates known for it’s extravagant riches and architecture.
"I can't run it for ya, but God know's I'ma coach ya" Common – Windows
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Alluding back to the track meet mentioned in the previous line, Common understands that he can’t be too overbearing and “live his daughter’s life.” But, he does want to help guide her through life in the best way he can.
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Common uses an allusion to Aretha Franklin’s “A Rose is Still a Rose”, which features Lauryn Hill, to show that no matter how much she had to go through, she still retained her rose-like beauty.
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Her perception of men was that they are dogs (especially when it’s dark; thus, dogs in that “all they want is sex”).
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What is this?
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An allusion to 2Pac’s poem “The Rose that Grew from Concrete”.
Common adds his own interpretation of it into the song, where a beautiful woman from the ghetto is enduring the hardships and pain that come from living in that area representing an oppressed group: women (one may even say Black women).
Taking the word “heat” into a deeper context, one could interpret this in two different ways:
- Personified heat (from the hardships formerly mentioned)
- Heat from the sun (which a plant needs to literally grow via photosynthesis)
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When she escapes reality and closes her eyes, her soul is warmed with the beauty of her dreams. Her eye lids block out the coldness of her everyday life.
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“The eyes are the window to the soul” is a famous quote (it’s origin has been attributed to Shakespeare and Da Vinci). Because the version of reality the main character of this song sees during the day is cold and heartless, her soul, in turn, becomes cold.
Said peace, give thanks to the holy one Common (Ft. Maya Angelou) – The Dreamer
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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.
To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.
Notice the contrast between “fly” and “feet planted”.
Even though he’s looking fly, he still keeps his feet firmly planted on the grown; the stardom won’t make him forget where he came from.
