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Rapsody points out how rare it is for rappers to be vulnerable in their music. They would rather pull out guns (Dracos). The use of “Drac'” is ironic given that Drake is known for being vulnerable in a lot of his music, e.g. “Marvin’s Room.”

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This refers to the Range Rover 4.6 that was made by Land Rover from 1996 to 2002. It was the epitome of success in the late 90s, especially after Jay-Z, one of Rapsody favorite rappers, referred to it in the outro of “Imaginary Players.”

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Continuing the cooking metaphor, Mick compares his skill to that of a sous chef. In a restaurant kitchen, line cooks are trained and take instructions from sous chefs. With enough skill and experience, line chefs can be promoted to sous chef. Like a sous chef, Mick is very meticulous about the end product he presents to the world.

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Mick is referencing Kyrie Irving’s pregame ritual of burning sage which is said to rid areas of negative energy among other things.

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The waters of the Everglades National Park in Florida are known to be murky and filled with alligators and other dangerous animals, a metaphor to real life danger.

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Stony Island Avenue is a major street in Mick’s hometown of Chicago. This line may also refer to the 1978 film of the same name where two Chicago jazz musicians defy all odds and make it to stardom.

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This is a reference to the tv show The Bear about a chef who takes over his late brother’s restaurant and aims to get a Michelin star with the new restaurant concept. Also, the show is based in Chicago where Mick is from. Mick considers his art to be high quality.

Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants for serving high quality meals. Originally created by Michelin (yes, the tire company) to incentivize people to buy cars and tires, the Michelin Guide contained a list of restaurants that had received the star.

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There is no time when Mick feels like he’s unfit to handle a situation. “Never” out of my element,“ has a second meaning which refers to the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. In the show, some people are able to telekinetically control one of four elements: air, earth, fire, or water, but the Avatar is able to control all of them.

This line could also be a reference to the popular movie Avatar: The Way of Water given Mick’s affinity for aquatically-themed lines.

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Mick criticizes those who don’t stand firm in their beliefs, calling them imposters (which sounds like pasta). “Al dente” is a term used to describe pasta that has been cooked to the ideal consistency which is must softer than firm, raw pasta.

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The Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, and Black P Stones are all major gangs that were founded in Chicago. Due to Mick’s associations with members of the gangs, there are times when they’re gathered together without any hostility.

The image of the gangs coming together evokes the ideas of the fellow Chicago native and civil rights leader Fred Hampton. He founded the Rainbow Coalition movement which unified many opposing groups and brokered peace between gangs.

Fred (left) with other members of the Rainbow Coalition

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