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They're straight up clever
So you step down off the pedestal Eli Porter – Iron Mic: Eli Porter vs. Envy
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What is this?
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Derrick Rose, playing for his native Chicago’s Bulls when this song was written, was the youngest person ever to win the NBA MVP award. Kanye also shouted out Rose on his “Don’t Like” verse. Jay considers him just as important to the whole of Chicago as Rose was to the Bulls.
Jay bookends the verse with a references to the Brooklyn Net. However, while he is representing himself (as he is often portrayed) as the team’s “owner” and a driving force behind their move from New Jersey in 2012, Jay was actually recruited by developer Bruce Ratner to come in for a small stake in the franchise to lend the move to his native Brooklyn credibility. In fact, Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov owned a controlling 80% interest in the team, and Jay ended up selling his shares, for which he paid $4.5 million, for $350K the following year. Nevertheless, he seems to be alluding to his relationship with the team to paint himself as the kind of “hometown hero” to Brooklyn that Rose and West were to Chicago.
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On the radio and TV, see me, we fly
Y'all buggin' out like Wendy Williams starin' at a beehive Bad Meets Evil (Ft. Bruno Mars) – Lighters
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Wendy Williams is a TV host. She typically talks about the latest celebrity gossip and does celebrity interviews. She’s known to have an enthusiastic personality.
She would flip her shit (“bug out”) if she had a bee hive right in front of her; this plays on “we fly” since bees and flies are both insects.
It’s also a reference to her eyes, her eyes bulge out or “bug out” alot.
It’s no surprise that Royce would take a shot at Williams as she started a nasty rumor regarding Tupac Shakur, a man Royce idolizes as made clear in multiple songs such as “Startercoat”.
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Track 5 from Hell: The Sequel, Eminem & Royce sing a humorous song about drugs (no surprise when Eminem enters the studio, just look at songs like “Purple Pills”) and about how they’re on shit more wicked than you think. The hook describes the song best:
Syrup, painkillers, cigarette, weed, Hennessy, vodka, ha-ha-ha ha-ha, [I’m on everything!]
Cover art:
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Another film reference (first was The Hangover). This time it’s Dinner for Schmucks.
In the movie Dinner for Schmucks, each person attending the dinner had to bring an extraordinarily talented person with them – Royce is calling himself talented as fuck.
Could also imply Eminem is the talented person he came with or the other way around.
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Reference to a scene in The Hangover. Royce goes on to use movies as an extended metaphor.
Mike Epps was actually in The Hangover. He is “Black Doug”
Those who don't know what happened
Those who wonder what happened
And people like us from the streets that make things happen Dr. Dre (Ft. Bushwick Bill, Kurupt, The Lady of Rage, RBX & Snoop Dogg) – Stranded on Death Row
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What is this?
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People who are dyslexic have trouble reading, sometimes letters and words seem backwards to them. Pac makes a nice metaphor here, saying his rhymes are “dyslexic” so “backward ass niggas” (stupid/ignorant people) will notice his music.
This is another reference to De La Soul. Posdnous (a/k/a Pos) and Trugoy (a/k/a Dave) are both names in reverse (Soundsop and Yogurt).