I was definitely using open as a replacement for amazed, “open” was the slang of the time. And I was definitely rocking open mics when I wrote 2000 seasons.

My intro is from a quote in the prologue.

Hi Tek’s verse on the Blast is fresh as hell, a perfect example of why producers always sound great rapping on their own beats.

My parents actually pronounce my name Ta- leeb, so that’s what I was called growing up. It wasn’t until I partnered with Mos Def (Yasiin Bey), a Muslim, that people began to pronounce it Talib, which is the correct way.

88 Keys, who was a constant visitor, brought this random girl with him. She could not say my name no matter how hard she tried, so this became the perfect intro for the Blast.

Fed is Federico Lopez aka CSik an engineer I work with often from Colombia who lives in LA

Play on words. Lying, lion. Lions are ferocious and bare their teeth.

Boxers must get lean before every fight, and lean is also slang for promethazine mixed with soda, popularized and carried in foam cups by certain hip hop artists.

Also a play on words. I just referenced prisoners of conscience, and the most famous one is Mumia Abu Jamal, who I visited in prison. He was on death row for 30 years, is still locked up for life for a crime I do not believe he committed, and he wrote a book called “Live From Death Row.” Also a reference to Death Row Records which was owned by Suge Knight.