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ODB was indeed a general in the Wu-Tang Clan. ODB, RZA, and GZA are all actual family, and it’s easy to see in RZA and GZA, but if you look at ODB he looks kinda like RZA and thus GZA.
Anyway, ODB’s power was strong; I mean, homie broke out of jail
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He misses ODB, whose nickname is Ason Unique and real name is Russell Tyrone Jones, which explains the song’s title.
“God” is a Five-percenter term for black man.
Not at all, real niggas stand tall for something
Make sure I don't fall for nothing Curren$y – Reagan Era
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Rosecrans Avenue is a main street that runs through several cities including Compton, Paramount, & Hawthorne in south Los Angeles county.
The street is named after Union General William S. Rosecrans, who spent his later years in Southern California.
This van would play a central role in songs like “Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter” and throughout Kendrick’s full-length debut. It even graced the deluxe edition cover of good kid, m.A.A.d city.
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He's just nice, he just slice like a Ginsu
Look at the life that I've been through
I'm the last real nigga alive, that's official
Lord have mercy, Jesus Christ
He's just nice, he just slice like a Ginsu
Look at the life that I've been through (uhh)
I'm the last real nigga alive, that's official Nas – Last Real Nigga Alive
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Adapted from Biggie’s verse on 4 My Peeps by Red Hot Lover Tone.
Lord have mercy, Jesus Christ
He’s just nice, he just sliced like a ginsu
Look what I been through, the Brooklyn streets
As well as dealing with the Jay-Z rivalry, the song also serves as a shout to Biggie. Last real nigga alive implies that the others died, either literally like Big, or in the rap battles that he describes in the song. Nas sees himself as the last man standing from that early to mid nineties period
Also, a ginsu knife is an extremely sharp style of Japanese knife. Nas is on point like this lyrically
My niggas, but dig it, they couldn't get along Nas – Last Real Nigga Alive
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Wasn't a perfect fit so I couldn't sport 'em
Young murderers ride, I knew all them Nas – Last Real Nigga Alive
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The surge of crack cocaine use in Washington, D.C. (and other major cities) between 1984 and early 1990s greatly affected the city and led to large increases in crime – the number of homicides in D.C. peaked in 1991 at 479.
Baltimore is the crack capitol of the world
The reference to Maryland comes from the TV show “The Wire,” which focuses on the drug trade and crime in Baltimore, Maryland.