In the movie, The Godfather Part I, a rival gangster by the name of Sollozzo (aka The Turk), ordered a hit on mafia don, Vito Corleone. MF Grimm is portraying Vito’s son and mafia heir, Michael Corleone, in this song. In the movie, Michael orchestrated and carried out a hit on The Turk as well as crooked police officer McCluskey. The three of them went to a restaurant (where a gun was planted in the bathroom for Michael) and sat at a table. Michael went to the bathroom, got the gun and came back and killed The Turk and McCluskey. After the hit, he left the restaurant and left America for Italy, to avoid getting arrested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9cGYBqmUvU

A reference to The Godfather Part I. Mafia don, Vito Corleone’s driver, Paulie, called in sick the day the assassination attempt on Vito was carried out (indicating that he knew about the hit). Vito’s son, Fredo, filled in as his driver but he was so clumsy, nervous and scared that he couldn’t retaliate against the hitmen who shot his father and ended up dropping his gun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY8yBhhZkwY

The concept of this song is that MF Grimm is rapping from the perspective of the fictional gangster, Michael Corleone, from The Godfather film series. In the movie, The Godfather Part II, Fredo Corleone provided Jewish gangster, Hyman Roth, enough information that nearly led to his brother, Michael Corleone (the mafia don of the Corleone crime family), getting assassinated. Once Michael found out that Fredo was the traitor, he confronted him at a New Year’s celebration in Cuba and told him that he knew it was him and that he broke his heart. Ultimately, Michael ordered his right hand man, Al Neri, to kill Fredo for his betrayal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcFlp6kl508

In the movie, The Godfather Part II, Fredo Corleone provided Jewish gangster, Hyman Roth, enough information that nearly led to his brother, Michael Corleone (the mafia don of the Corleone crime family), getting assassinated. Once Michael found out that Fredo was the traitor, he confronted him at a New Year’s celebration in Cuba and told him that he knew it was him and that he broke his heart. Ultimately, Michael ordered his right hand man, Al Neri, to kill Fredo for his betrayal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcFlp6kl508

Big Pun is referring to Queens, NYC rapper, Nas, in this line. Nas famously said: “I never sleep cause sleep is the cousin of death” in his song, “N.Y. State of Mind” from his debut album, Illmatic.

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

According to the Nation of Gods & Earths (aka Five Percenters), 85% of the world’s population is dumb, deaf & blind (basically, they’re ignorant and don’t know any better).

At the time Pun recorded this verse, he weighed 400 pounds.

Chino XL is of Black and Puerto Rican descent.

River Phoenix was an actor who collapsed and died of drug-induced heart failure on the sidewalk outside the West Hollywood nightclub, The Viper Room, in 1993. He was the older brother of current actor, Joaquin Phoenix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWZ4E4zy2SE

Due to Chino XL’s high SAT score (a standardized test for college admissions in the United States), he believes that he’ll die respected like Raul Julia. Raul Julia was a highly respected, movie/theatre actor from Puerto Rico who died of a stroke in 1994.

Spic is a derogatory term for people of Hispanic backgrounds. Raul was Puerto Rican and Chino is part Puerto Rican.

Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies animated TV show aired from 1984-1991. The Muppet Babies were taken care of by their Nanny, who’s face was never shown on the show.