To ‘bang on the same drum’ means to speak on the same ideas repetitively. On the other hand, the Black Lip Bastard’s:

1. Smoking his ganja, tobacco and etc. so much now it’s unbelievable compared to how much he could smoke in the past.

2. Rapping hot and smoking music that’s so much better that what he used to, it’s hard to believe they both came from the same lungs.

Keys/Ki’s refers to a kilogram of cocaine. The Command key a.k.a the Apple key is used for Macintosh shortcuts – Apple + ’S' saves.

Also, an apple is thought to be the forbidden fruit of the Bible that, despite its appeal, was the key to death. Despite his words and your wealth, you must save yourself.

Some seek to lead and uplift, others exploit. Soul’s claim is mainly to the former.

He’s a tough guy slaving in the game (‘rugby’/‘rug be’ ‘toughin’‘/'tough in’ the ‘feel’/‘field’) whilst others stay in the false comfort of their homes with their peers (house niggas/slaves that often looked down on field slaves). Him calling them ‘house niggas’ alludes to everyone, contrary to appearances, being a slave to something or someone. Nas spoke of this on the outro for “We’re Not Alone”.

A bit of wordplay between ‘plane’ and ‘plain’ – one’s a form of terrain and the other often takes off and flies over it. The plane could also be plane of consciousness. After all, “Control System” makes reference to a belief system that speaks to different planes of consciousness.

All he needs is one mic and a lil' extra to work a miracle. In this case, he’s turning his once unrefined skill (the straw) into something precious (the gold).

Rumpelstiltskin is a character from a fairy tale of the same name, where a young princess was given three days to turn straw into gold, but couldn’t. Rumpelstiltskin, an imp, saved her by doing this task, but in exchange for her necklace, ring and (though he didn’t get it) her first-born.

As he’s expanded upon in multiple interviews and “Illuminate”, Soulo has an eye condition that prevents him from looking directly into bright light. That turns this into a double entendre, since:

1. “I’d say the future is looking bright contrary to CNN” – He’d say the future’s bright, even though news outlets like CNN are always showing life’s horrific side.

2. “I’d say the future is looking bright contrary to seeing in” – He’d say the future’s bright, even though he’s always seeing in the darkness behind the shades he’s always wearing.

Also using the line prior to this one, this is also an allusion to the Future song, “Same Damn Time.” .

The Williams-es here are probably Venus and Serena Williams, who play doubles tennis together. Two twenty-two’s is the same as “22 Two’s”, a reference to Rapsody’s favorite rapper, Jay-Z, who once said:

Hardly the youth I used to be, soon to see a mill'in
No more Big Willie, my game has grown: prefer you call me William

Nowadays, a squad like Jamla is as uncommon as the sheer caliber of music Common and Jay Dee made in their primes, and as themselves – they’re ‘two uncommon’ people. This is also a reference to their classic, “The Light”, which Complex actually named as the greatest Dilla-produced joint of all time.

Some cultures believe that drinking an animal’s blood gifts a warrior with added bravery and skill, as Soul explains above. Ironically, rare steak is only slightly cooked and often retains some blood, so maybe he’s eating off causing some bloody consequences himself.