Alluding to the Good Kid before the major label debut. The Good Kid represents Kendrick’s strive to avoid the influence of the Compton blocks.

The Crips, thought to have been started in 1969 by Raymond Washington rapidly grew in size in across South Central LA eventually outnumbering the smaller gangs significantly, particularly in Compton. This led too the smaller gangs forming an alliance which eventually became the Bloods. The Pirus were a Compton gang at the centre of this alliance. Still outnumbered the Blood alliance had a stronger allegiance and sense of honour to one another than the Crip sets who eventually fragmented and turned on one another (since happened to a few Blood sets). To be outnumbered and continue fighting shows strength.

Kendrick grew up in Westside Compton and while he didn’t bang, growing up on the block, it’s likely he was affiliated

‘Take one step towards Allah and he will take two steps towards you’

James Meredith was the first African-American student enrolled in the University of Mississippi at a time where many southern US states were under intense racial segregation. James Meredith’s enrollment served as a significant turning point in the fight for civil rights for African-Americans.

Apolo Milton Obote was the president of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and again from 1980 to 1985. Prior to his presidency he helped lead Uganda to independence from British colonial powers.

Ahmed Sekou Toure was the president of Guinea from 1958 until 1984. In that time he was instrumental in Guinea gaining independence from France. He introduced a Marxist influenced socialist regime

Gamal Abdel Nasser was the second President of Egypt succeeding Muhammad Naguib. Both Naguib and Nasser lead the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 with Naguib taking office until 1954 where a disagreement between Naguib and Nasser saw Naguib removed rom office and placed under house arrest. Nasser’s decision to remain a neutral party in the Cold War lead to tensions with Western powers, this decision was evident in his being president o the Non-Aligned Movement

Throughout Malcolm’s struggle for the rights of African Americans, he likened the struggle to that experienced by black people throughout the world. This helped turn the battle for civil rights into one of human rights helping to bring he oppression of black people in America to the world’s attention and inspiring many world leaders to feel a kinship to the African American people. Malcolm’s dedication to this view increase dramatically with his eventual departure from the Nation of Islam with Malcolm attending events such as a meeting for the Organization of African Unity. Upon visiting Nigeria, the Nigerian Muslim Students Association gave him the honorary Yoruba name Omowale “the son who has come home”. He later called this his most treasured honor

Could be interpreted as:

• ‘Brief intermission’ – Brief break from the work Pro Era puts in
• ‘Briefing the mission’ – Outlining the mission to take over on some 47 shit
• ‘Brief inner mission’ – Taking an inner mission through internal meditation or astral projection

These interpretations are a literary device/wordplay dubbed ‘tone of perception’, a technique STEEZ employed throughout his music

The Cold War was a state of tension between two power blocs, countries aligned with the United States and countries aligned with the Soviet union. Cuba, and it’s then prime minister, Fidel Castro were aligned with the Soviet Union due to their Communist political ideology. The US wished to decrease the level of influence Communism would have on the world and so this may have been the reason Fidel Castro was confined to Manhattan. However, Fidel may have had an influence of the the black people of Harlem, who were already oppressed and disenfranchised from the wider US society

Jackie Robinson was an American baseball player who, in April 1947, became the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball. This invent proved influential in not only sports but the Civil Rights Movement