Contrasts the “darkened back streets” of two lines previous: while there is a darkness to the city, there is also the light of many lives lived, surviving despite daily oppressions.

“Unbeliever hearts” refers to the loss of faith in God and meaning borne of the decaying and depressing urban environment. They no longer believe in the laws of God, and, unafraid of Hell, they murder and steal to thrive.

Despite the promise of the American dream, the reality is not so “fair”: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Great way to describe Killer Mike’s personna in the song and on the album. A “bad guy” in the eyes of the government, but “educated” enough to know that he is just trying to survive in a police state.

From the censoring of rap artists to more conspiratorial theories that Tupac and others were victims of a violent government crackdown on the protest music that is hip hop, Killer thinks that the government hates rap.

Mike’s character shoots 45 caliber gun at the teeth of the cop in order to escape.

On top of everything, they mace him using pepper spray.

The irony here is that Mike is not talking about “real bad guy shit.” His character in the song is innocent of crime, only guilty of speaking out and fighting back against oppression. The mock evil laugh that proceeds the line suggests that it is a cartoonish statement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7edeOEuXdMU

It seems crazy to Killer Mike that the cops would be harassing a family man. In this moment of crisis, his thoughts are with his child and woman.

The sample here comes from comedian Dick Gregory’s remarks as part of a roundtable on rap music. Sampled remarks begin at 6:46. (Thanks to whosampled for help in the research.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esHb-HZ3FH4&feature=player_embedded

In the song, Killer Mike takes up Dick Gregory’s call to “chastise the police” at the end of his remarks. In the tradition of “Fuck the Police,” this is a song against the police state of inner-city America.