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flip similes and verbs, Joey Bada$$ – 95 Til Infinity
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Joey B’s bread and butter; the main arsenal of lyric based rappers.

Simile: A metaphor where the comparison is made using a ‘like’.
I do your girl like the beat

Verb: Joey isn’t talking about just using verbs, because you can’t really have a sentence without one, but is referring more to the clever manipulation of verbs.
I do your girl like the beat
- Notice how he manipulated two meanings of the verb ‘do’.

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Default_avatar_100

232

8 years

Yes, I agree with bits. I think Joey is saying that he flips similes and verbs and is getting paid for it. :)

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A7ca6fed7f2cd813e0990d6162fdaff7

222

10 years

He flipping similes and verbs and making a profit off it, “Now I’m Eating”.

Also this could be unintended but he “flips” similes and verbs now he’s “eating”. Its like cooking

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bits
11 years

i think its clever way of saying i’m out here verses and now i’m eating goood stating that he’s got that mula noow

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Pass the herb to an actual pastor, word to the black lip bastard Joey Bada$$ – 95 Til Infinity
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A homage to Ab-Soul, the original black lip bastard, who’s first name is “Herbert” and who had this line on the song, “Only 1”:

Call me the black lipped pastor, I walk on holy water

Pass the herb

Sounds like ‘Pastor Herb’ when Joey spits it and is a PE chant from Joey’s “Don’t Front.”

Its also a follow up of the first line. Basically Joey is on the same shit that Ab-Soul’s on. That’s why they’re both so good. Or, he could be saying that he only smokes with people of talents that match his. Either way, Joey clearly likes Ab-Soul.

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91ee1005dd9bedac0872461c17836925

284

8 years

Ab Soul also has a song called Black Lip Bastard aswell. Theres also a Black Hippy remix.

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15bba236259864a714dc8c005f76810a

114

9 years

Passing Herb is also a ritual within a community. Like, breaking bread, it represents spending time to share knowledge, life, and experiences. Joey is pointing out that he has shared these things with an “Actual Pastor” as the clergy has always represented the class of knowledgeable people who in the past were key advisors to all great leaders. Basically Joey is on some higher level shit – while yall smoke weed just because, he is smoking weed doing the “knowledge” with wiser men.

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Xitpgoqxc5lbxktdq8gj

879

11 years

Ab-soul is called the Black Lipped Bastard because after surviving Steven-Johnsons syndrome as a child, his lip skin grew back as a darker pigment than it was before it was lost from all the boils and blisters [http://rapgenius.com/773768]

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Xitpgoqxc5lbxktdq8gj

879

11 years

Ab-soul is called the Black Lipped Bastard because when he had Steven-Johnson’s syndrome as a child, he lost his lip skin, which then grew back a darker than average pigment (http://rapgenius.com/Ab-soul-the-book-of-soul-lyrics)

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I know he the most high
But I am a close high Kanye West – I Am a God
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With Jesus being the son of God, Kanye acknowledges him as the “most high”, however he views himself as a close second.

But… didn’t he say that the most high was Allah? Maybe he’s disregarding orthodox religions and saying that Allah, Jesus, etc. are all just names for the same god… or maybe he just uses the name that rhymes…

This line also refers to Psalm 82:6, which states, “I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;’”

This is elaborated, more, here.

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Kalta
1 year

It’s not “I know he the most high But I am a close high”

It’s “I know he the most high But I am a close tie” like he’s close to being tied for most high. Kanye west isn’t gonna rhyme high with high 🤣

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Let Nas Down J. Cole – Let Nas Down
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The story goes that when Nas heard J.Cole’s radio single, “Work Out,” he was apparently disappointed in Cole for abandoning lyricism. Now, No I.D. was in the same room when Nas expressed his discontent, and later I.D told Cole over the phone about Nas' opinion of his song. Cole, having stated his extreme love for Nas on multiple occasions, took this to heart, and released this song.

Here’s Cole explaining the same saga to an NYC listening party audience:

And also Fuse:

UpDate: Nas responds with a flattering remix of this song, and passes the torch to Cole! Oh, the joy of happy endings!

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Thank the Lord for my praying mama Ace Hood (Ft. Lil Wayne) – We Outchea
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Ace thanks god and attributes his success to his mama’s prayer, thus indirectly thanking god again. We’re guessing he didn’t pray himself as he was caught up in his youth, enjoying life while at the same time trying to find a way out from poverty.

He uses a similar line in the form of a hook for his song Have Mercy:

I know my mama prayin' for me

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Lust apparel who dream of Rolls but can't Accord
Or afford a Dodge or a Ford Wale (Ft. Lupe Fiasco & Rick Ross) – Poor Decisions
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Some women show made lust for high value apparel and dream of owning a Rolls Royce, but can’t afford to buy basic cars.

Accord takes on two meanings. It means to grant status, and also refers to the low end car.

Wale continues the vehicle wordplay with the words “afford” and “a Ford.”

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Finna D-O-P-E, bob and weave and that boxer boxin' free Wale (Ft. Lupe Fiasco & Rick Ross) – Poor Decisions
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The line refers to the rope-a-dope, the fighting style made famous by Muhammad Ali in his legendary fight against George Foreman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EptkotqPIOo

The technique involves getting into a defensive stance and allowing the opponent to repeatedly hit you until he tires himself out.

Lupe is comparing his fight against poverty and the system to the Ali vs Foreman fight. And there were indeed several similarities between the two.

Both Lupe and Ali were the underdogs, and for both of them there was a more attractive path to take. For Ali, punching back seemed like the glorious thing to do, and in the poverty stricken projects, drug dealing was the more lucrative method used to fight the system (this is where the D-O-P-E comes in).

However they both resisted the norm and found a cleverer way to win the situation. Ali put his guards up and tired Foreman out, while Lupe stayed away from the drugs and found a way out through hip hop.

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But I'll tell you 'bout this hate dude Wale (Ft. Lupe Fiasco & Rick Ross) – Poor Decisions
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Wale may not be able to relate to all the struggles of the hood, but he can tell you about its consequence and impact;

Things like drugs and poverty play very divisive roles in the projects; they create power struggles and hate within the people. Wale is presumably calling for unity.

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It's like D-O-C a lottery, that D-O-C be lock and key Wale (Ft. Lupe Fiasco & Rick Ross) – Poor Decisions
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D-O-C is abbreviated in one form as “drug of choice”. Going back to the ‘odds’ line, Lupe says drug dealing is like a lottery, because so few of them actually make it.

On top of that its highly dangerous, as it can often lead you to prison (lock and key). D-O-C is also an abbreviation for the Department of Corrections, which oversees the imprisonment of convicts.

This could also be a comment on the number of people wrongly thrown in jail. At times the DOC imprisons people on a whim, as if they were choosing names from a lottery.

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3e07ff27df87558174445a8bb91a2ab1

103

10 years

“Cause when your POV is poverty” means if all you can look forward is poverty then “It’s like D-O-C a lottery” – then the Deck Of Cards is a lottery. Depending on what cards you get from the deck, it can be either a lock (you cannot come out of the poverty/get locked for crimes) or key (you are freed of poverty and lead a good life).

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Default_avatar_100

111

11 years

Also doc is the abbreviation for doctor and many poor people only believe the only way out of their situation is to hit the lottery and get rich

This parallels with how the doc department of corrections is suppose to be seen as a kind of doctor and make you citizen that can fit into society

The way that he leaves the doc’s meaning ambiguous shows how the systems initial purpose can be warped and distorted over time and depending on it’s use

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Her mother always wearin' gold Wale (Ft. Lupe Fiasco & Rick Ross) – Poor Decisions
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This was bound to have a negative influence, and would have no doubt instilled a sense of vanity and materialism in her daughter.

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