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Following the destruction of the twin towers on 9/11, a number of new buildings are being constructed on the site including One World Trade Center.
Capitalism ignores death and destruction, saying business must go on.
As George W Bush, basically said after 9/11, go out and shop.
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A reference to the mass slaughter of unarmed civilians by the United States (and allied forces such as the South Koreans) as well as by the opposing forces during the Vietnam war.
In the My Lai massacre hundreds of people were killed.
There are suggestions that such practices continue in the present day.
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Faema is an Italian producer of commercial grade coffee machines.
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Science acknowledges that we have two active strands of physical DNA.
This line refers to the mystical belief that we also have a further ten energetic DNA strands which have remained dormant within humans for many years.
These dormant strands of DNA have allegedly been discovered by scientists, who not knowing the function of these strands, have identified them as ‘junk’ DNA
Put simply B.o.B. is suggesting we are not yet complete spiritual beings.
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The track just stops, reminiscent of the ending of the TV series The Sopranos. The word “missing” is missing.
All verses end up with the word missing, so by having this part cut off, it implies that he has in fact just gone missing as the song was about to finish.
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Lupe deserves applause. He’s displayed some virtuoso lyricism across the SLR tracks.
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What is this?
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Rolex is a famous and expensive brand producing wristwatches. Lupe has one covering his wrist, so the wrist has covered eyes by Rolex (if it had eyes of course).
Lupe does own and wear a gold Rolex watch. He is known to reference this to show how he’s not immune to contradictions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rCxIjd0Wtc#t=8m55s
It’s also play on how people chase money; their eyes are covered by dreams of having a Rolex, a Lamborghini or… a Mercedes SLR.
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In this verse Lupe spits his acid lyrics using the flow of several well known artists:
Line 1 to Line 4: Rick Ross
Line 7 (“get these heathens off”) to Line 9: Meek Mill
Line 14 (“Lu the boy”) to Line 18: T.I.
Line 19 (“Dinosaurs, I’m fine”) to Line 24: Kanye West, Eminem, Tyler the Creator, any of them can be heard.
1:45-1:57: Jay Z?
1:57-2:12: 2 Chainz?
2:13-2:19: Drake, but also is similar to the hook in “Bitch, Don’t Kill my Vibe” by Kendrick Lamar
2:20-2:39: Kendrick Lamar?
Line 46 (“He’s so crazy) to Line 49: Lil Wayne
(line numbers start from the line immediately after this i.e. following “Verse”)
Got a different opinion or a flow to add:
Then add a suggestion (one suggestion per rapper) stating the rapper and the line numbers.
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The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.
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In a Charles Bukowski poem a “Bluebird” represents vulnerability.
“Wetted” means that the bird is bleeding to death from a gunshot wound.
These lines are about how it’s possible to be dead inside but on the outside appear unscathed (“it got wetted, I stayed dry”).
There is also the contrast between being exposed and being protected. Birds live outside exposed to the weather. Humans typically live under cover protected from the elements.
Alternatively, the bluebirds are his expectations. He neglect all his expectations, (that’s why the bluebirds are wet), and maintains his exterior self, numb to the anxiety that lives within.
The CIA ran a project called “Bluebird” shortly before they began MKULTRA. People theorize because Project Bluebird was so short lived that it was simply a test run for the “grander scheme”, ie MKULTRA, thus relating to the next line because Bluebird died but MKULTRA was still on.
the symbol of the bluebird is also used as a harbinger of happiness in many cultures
Dude, in what world does getting ‘Wetted’ mean getting covered in blood? That’s a long shot
Birds also fly high – like expectations. They surround us, and are always flying higher than the ground in which we stand. So, there´s that.