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This is a fantastic line.
The “paper” here he is referencing is a common term in hip hop for money.
The need for money is weighing him down – the stress of not having enough to support himself is beginning to get to him, leaving him feeling depressed (“being down” is another way of saying that you are sad). There’s an ironic tone to this line, as paper and money are both very light things, making it pretty much impossible for them to physically weigh you down.
The title of the song that this song samples is called “Dead Presidents”, and while it is originally Jay-Z’s, the line heard in the chorus of the song is from fellow New York rapper Nas (a verified artist here on RapGenius), which is sampled from his song The World Is Yours.
“Dead Presidents” is hip hop slang for money, and as you learned above, paper is another hip hop term for money.
The stress of not having enough (something I also talked about above) is his main drive for “trying to get his wealth up”. If he gets his wealth UP, the thoughts will no longer be weighing him DOWN, because the following relief will ease him of the stress he once had.
If he gets it up off of him, it’ll no longer be holding him down.
And finally, the paper will be weighing him down after he gets his wealth up, cause all them stacks in his pockets is gonna make it pretty hard to walk!
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Big Pun and his comrade don’t have enough time before the plan goes wrong, i.e “goes sour like Ameretto”.
Ameretto Sour is a type of mixed drink, and that link takes you to a recipe for it!
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He can’t go around calling himself Big Punisher if he isn’t willing to administer punishment on those who cross him!
He’s saying to look at what he’s done to his enemies… his deeds have earned him the name of Big Punisher.
Marvel Comics also has an extremely brutal anti-hero named The Punisher, who goes around mercilessly slaughtering criminals.
See the resembence?
You over 200 pounds, I'mma make you mine R.A. The Rugged Man – How Low
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R.A has never really shied away from the fat women before. As he spits on “Da Girlz, They Luv Me”:
People say I’m a disgrace to the human race
I love overweight women when they sit on my face
These snitches will start singing and turn the police precinct into a musical Vinnie Paz (Ft. R.A. The Rugged Man) – Razor Gloves
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Not every rapper claiming to be real is actually telling the truth (follows up with the “Never know if a politician’s speaking truth of fiction” line above). A lot of these so called gangsters will start “singing” (telling the cops everything), and with the information they give, it’ll turn the police station into big bustle of activity as they go after the criminals they now know of.
Also, the “singing” and “musical” word use also relates all of this back to music, and what is rap? A genre of music.
You spit with true conviction you'll be the victim of a crucifixion Vinnie Paz (Ft. R.A. The Rugged Man) – Razor Gloves
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Referencing a very common problem in today’s society: Is the government trustworthy? Who’s lying? Who’s REALLY got our backs?
R.A further cleverly relates his problems with that of the deity of the Christian religion, Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’s story, he comes to earth as the son of God (another Christian deity), telling stories of truth and spreading a message of love and kindness. Eventually, however, he is rejected and suffers the death of crucifixion.
R.A faces a similar (though not as extreme), fate. At the young age of 18, R.A entered the rap game with a trail of flame already blazing behind him. Nine record labels were seeking him to be signed to them, all because R.A was real with the content of his rhymes and his amazing skill. Eventually, however, he became blackballed in the industry after he intentionally fucked up his debut album to piss off the industry. Since then he has suffered a life full of struggle, i.e his own personal crucifixion.
Also, if a politician speaks the truth instead of lying, that politician will not get very far.
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Chino is not capable of losing his skill or title in rap. And that’s the whole reason “never” exists. Chino falling off will never happen!
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Brilliant line here. The “murder scene” (i.e, the song) is gonna be pretty gruesome (“grizzly”) after Chino is done with it. And you, the listener, is (“bare/bear”) witnessing the event!
The play on “grizzly bear” is also Chino letting us know what he is compared to the other rappers in the game…. a beast in the wild.
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Chino XL often calls himself Lyric Jesus and Jesus is known to have walked on water. Even when Chino commits a fascinating act, such as walking on water, his haters still find a way to critique him, saying he’s only doing that because he can’t swim.
It’s a beautiful comparison that accurately depicts his lyrical talent – his fascinating flow and unbelievably witty punchlines are like the miracle of walking on water, but because he chooses to go with his style more often than the style of others, he’s accused of not being versatile enough.
But seriously….
#HOW CAN ANYONE GET TIRED OF LINES LIKE THESE?
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