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Sean was 15 when 50 Cent dropped Get Rich Or Die Tryin' in 2003. Seeing as it was one of the biggest releases of all time and Sean was just reaching the age where you can really appreciate hip-hop, it makes sense that he was constantly bumping it.

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This line is filled with dog wordplay, since dogs are incredibly loyal, and dogs usually chase after paper boys to fetch the newspaper for their owner. When it comes to money, Big Sean always brings it home.

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To flip the script is to do something no one expected you to do. This ties in with the movie references from the first few bars, since movie actors read scripts.

But “script” is also short for prescription, which ties in with Marshall’s long struggle with painkiller addiction. Prescription bottles typically come with a “push-and-turn” safety cap to keep the pills away from children, and once Em cracked the top it gave him a false sense of bravery and invincibility, as if he was a Navy SEAL. Refills on the prescriptions allowed him to get more pills without re-visiting a doctor.

In both cases, the important takeaway is that Em didn’t need help from anyone else to get to where he is. He didn’t need a doctor’s prescription to score more pills, and he didn’t need a writer’s script telling him how to live his life; he chose his own fate.

Furthermore, in 2012, “Not Afraid” was featured in a Super Bowl commercial for the movie Act of Valor. The film starred real-life Navy SEALs.

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Here’s that real local knowledge for you. Kettering is a high school in Detroit that hosts a giant K outside of its building. The Ks at Danny’s school were of a different sort – kilos of cocaine and ketamine.

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Making use of alliteration (“Awaiting anyone who ain’t affiliated”) Marshall references Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down in July 2014, as well as the infamous Bermuda Triangle. Both are associated with death and allude to the “No Fly Zone” enforced in Detroit. Earlier in 2014, he also mentioned the missing plane MH370.

The “No Fly Zone” is Detroit protocol that states you have to get clearance from Trick Trick to perform in the city if you aren’t from there. This isn’t just an urban legend, Trick Trick actually blocked Rick Ross from performing in Detroit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiv76rAuEbE

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Sean’s friends are shocked at the impressive lines he spits in his songs, however they are equally surprised he has never had to switch up his “line” (phone number). Sean is particular who he trusts with this information, as to avoid it being released to the public.
He might need to change it soon though…

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Most people write in diaries to get out their inner most thoughts, but they keep it private so that no one will ever see what they’re saying. Sean on the other hand gets as personal as a diary entry with his raps, but allows millions of people to listen to them.

I treat the beat like it’s a reverend
I tell the truth like father, forgive me, these are all my confessions

Sean connects the pronunciation of “diary” and “I” in the next line, making it sound like “I treat that shit like a diarrhea.”

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Sean uses basketball as a metaphor for his career, calling himself “the D,” both a nickname for Detroit and an abbreviation of Defense. Thus, no offense (in sport) can dunk on him, and no offensive statements can get Detroit down.

“Mr. Big Shot” is the nickname of Chauncey Billups, the former point guard of the Detroit Pistons. He earned the name by coming through for his team in the playoffs, especially when he was named MVP of the 2003-2004 NBA finals. And all of Chauncey’s Piston teams were among the league leaders in defense, which means Sean never allows his opponents to “score”, or get any shine.

Finally, he plays on the other meaning of “big shot” (a serving of hard alcohol) to say that girls get as drunk off of his big-shot persona as they would if they were slamming tequila.

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For most rappers, the term lady killer only means that they have smooth moves and can pull any girl they like. But Slim Shady is far different from most rappers, and actually murders females.

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The literal translation of this line is that Sean spits awesome lines that make today the prime of his career, but this means he has a lot to lose if he falls off.

But this line is filled with steak wordplay, since A1 is a type of steak sauce, prime refers to prime ribs, and stake is a homophone with steak.

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