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Fast food is frequently very unhealthy and people know it, but it’s nevertheless popular. Fluoride, which is used in toothpaste (and water), is generally viewed by agencies such as the American Dental Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as safe in the correct dose, important for preventing tooth decay and helpful in limiting dental costs.

However, the use of the chemical is subject to controversy. In 2017 the EPA rebuffed an Anti-Fluoridation group’s petition to ban fluoride from drinking water. Frequently cited, The Harvard School of Public Health and China Medical University in Shenyang published a meta-analysis in 2012, concluding that their results supported “the possibility of an adverse effect of high fluoride exposure on children’s neurodevelopment.” Notably, it mainly drew its data from China, with the researchers noting their differing standards to the United States. The study has been subject to criticism, being cited in a 2014 New Zealand study as biased, with its methodology criticised. The NZ study found that there were “no clear differences in IQ because of fluoride exposure.”

Still, multiple organisations such as the Fluoride Action Network view its current use as being dangerous despite assertions otherwise. It is generally accepted that it is hazardous if ingested in large amounts and the recommended range to be used in water was moved from 0.7 – 1.2ppm to 0.7ppm in 2015 following fluorosis concerns. Some, including Harvard’s Dr. Philippe Grandjean, primarily support topical use versus ingestion and urge for new studies to verify that older research is “still valid for the current fluoride exposure situation.” For an advocate of alternative uses of the pineal gland like Soulo, it’s also problematic because of the commonly held belief that Fluoride accumulates in the organ.

This line also points towards controversies surrounding additives in our food, along with GMOs. For instance, the FDA has moved to remove artificial trans fats from foods while the researchers behind a 2007 research paper published in The Lancet, utilising mixes of food additives, found that their findings lent “strong support for the case that food additives exacerbate hyperactive behaviors (inattention, impulsivity and overactivity) at least into middle childhood.” As portrayed, there’s irony in eating what you know is bad for you and then using things you feel are beneficial, but are indeed also harmful.

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Instead of returning to the first person, Cole instead utilizes the third person perspective to give another perspective on the events that are unfolding

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People are always experiencing and thus oftentimes change in manner and beliefs. Cole compares the extremities of the changes people go through to the radical differences between the seasons. Change in people consequently causes separation and a growing distance. Because ‘'everything happens for a reason’‘, these situations do have a meaning, and are possibly inevitable.

Kanye expressed a similar sentiment in Heard ‘Em Say:

They say people in your life are seasons
And anything that happen is for a reason

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The narrator here speculates that the woman in this story, and others like her, get pregnant on purpose without their partners' knowledge for financial gain. Given the incredibly stingy federal benefits for poor mothers, this is likely more paranoid ranting than reality

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Poetic. J. Cole used to tell her that he loves her, now he’s stopped and maybe only says “I love you too” when she initiates it (an easily-flipped reciprocation..).

MEN: If you love her, tell her you love her – don’t just say “I love you too” when she says it (otherwise she’ll stop giving you blow jobs!)

A reciprocal is a mathematical term for the inverted form of a number. For example, the reciprocal of 2 is ½ and the reciprocal of 3/2 is 2/3. Cole uses wordplay here; the girl is accusing him of flipping on her and switching his attitude completely. He strengthens the mathematical reference with “figures though”. She figures he’d do that as is shown in her next words. A figure is also a number, which is flipped when reciprocated as previously stated. Clever.

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Delays to Cole World: The Sideline Story – J. Cole’s debut album, made many people say that it wasn’t going to come out. That’s history though, as it dropped on Sept. 27, 2011.

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A reference to the Black Panthers, who initiated armed patrols in Oakland, CA in the late 1960s with the intention of monitoring police interactions with black civilians

The Black Panthers wanted to offer the community legal assistance first – as well as armed resistance as a last resort

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Nicki wants to hang with her best friend, not her groupies! Their car sucks (by her standards at least) but Nicki got the LP460.

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Double entendre. Ivan Jasper is a plane designer, credited with the creation of the boomerang plane. Ibn Jasper is a barber who cuts Lupe’s and Kanye’s hair, hence making them ‘fly’. Similarly to Lupe, Ibn is a skateboarder and Chicagoan.

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This is a meta-reference to the fact that Cole produces most of his own tracks, including this one. This allows him to delicately craft his beats so that they complement his flows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjxdny59Coc

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