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This letter was originally circulated by Mos Def after the NYPD shooting of Amadou Diallo in 1999. Def was calling for a response from the hip hop community.

More recently, Davey D recirculated the letter in a plea for Jay-Z to respond to the shooting of Kimani Gray and subsequent riots in Flatbush.

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Jams301 (James301) out here

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Due to the 9/11 attacks and other similar terrorist attacks by radical Muslims, Muslims were generalized as being terrorists throughout the world

However, real muslims believe in

paradise and resisting Shaitan

Paradise refers to peace, and heaven, and Shaitan is an Arabic translation for the Devil.

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The first book of the Bible (which is the religious reference he is making, alluding to the previous religious texts), The Book of Genesis from verse 1-3 says;

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light

Talib is most likely not referring specifically to Chapter 1 verse 2, but making an inference to the assumptions that come from misinterpretations of other, various verses

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In 2009, Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States. During that time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate was 7.8% in January and 9.8% in November

In November of 2012 it was announced that the unemployment rate had dropped down to 7.7%. Although fluctuating from going up and then back down, the rate has stayed moderately the same from now as to when Barack Obama first stepped into office

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In The Book of Genesis takes place the story of Adam & Eve in The Garden of Eden.

Also, when Eve bit the apple, the two were kicked out of the Garden of Edan, which at the time was the biggest punishment they could receive. He would be an asshole to go ahead and tell her to bite the apple, knowing full well that she would be kicked out of Edan

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A Czar (Tsar) was a descrepitory term used in the Roman era to describe Emporers, Kings, etc. as Caesar, which derived from Julius Caesar

I’m treated like a Czar

Ultimately means he’s treated like royalty

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In The Book of John, a miracle is preformed by Jesus where he (Jesus) resurrects Lazarus from being dead.

When Yasiin says

Lazarus was unsilent

He is alluding to the fact that he didn’t go out without a fight, thanks to the help of Jesus

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