The section below (through “Seventeenth came…”) is the “project rap” part of the tune, where New Orleans' various neighborhoods are shouted out. This was a standard part of almost every bounce song. For the first example of the “project rap”, see Gregory D and Mannie Fresh’s 1987 tune “Buck Jump Time”. For information on New Orleans' Ward system, see here

Black Menace were label-mates of PNC. At the time, they consisted of J-Dawg, Threat and DJ Jaz, though Jaz would soon leave the group

Big Boy Records was PNC’s label. Other acts included Mystikal, Sporty T, Black Menace, and G-Slimm. See a great history of the label here

Prime Time was a frequent collaborator and sometimes member of the group

Not surprisingly, the group shouts out themselves first. Walter “Kango Slim” Williams and Michael “Mr. Meanor” Patterson are the two group members

The D is often referred to as a “post-industrial” city. This is a city that has the characteristics of a post-industrial society, where the phase of having a manufacturing-based economy is past and the society “moves on to a structure of society based on the provision of information, innovation, finance, and services”

Invincible explained this idea in a 2010 interview with Tikkun:

One of my favorite sayings about Detroit is, “Detroit is what the world has to look forward to.” I think it specifically applies to any industrialized area. This was the first city to have an assembly line, highways, suburbs, white flight, automation, outsourcing, and total disinvestment. It was the first city to fully experience post-industrialization. Now it is the poster child for the failure of industrial capitalism, which causes urban crisis. But in that crisis is also an opportunity for people to develop community-led solutions. Not because gardens are cute but out of necessity: there is not a single chain supermarket in the city, so it is hard to find fresh produce. With each crisis, where the government is too broke, or bogged down by bureaucracy and corporate interests to fix it, it provides an opportunity out of necessity for the community to find creative solutions to its own problems

Invincible, nee Ilana Weaver, was born in Champaign, IL and spent parts of her childhood and teen years living in Israel; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and New York City. While living in NYC, she became involved with the Detroit Summer organization. She recalled:

[I became involved with Detroit Summer] after throwing a benefit event in New York for [Detroit-based organization] Freedom House. I then started supporting Detroit Summer hip hop-related events while still living in New York and was asked to move here [Detroit] in 2002 to coordinate their events and media outreach year-round

For a scholarly look at “how, why and with what effects and impacts communities develop qualities of self-reliance, resilience and empowerment in times of crisis,” see here