What is this?

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.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

Level 1:
It seems that Mr Man’s rhymes are so dope, not only can they be heard, but they can also potentially be seen… kind of like synesthesia.

Level 2:
Seeing Mr Man’s rhymes is so desirable that even blind people are trying.

Level 3:
In fact, Mr Man’s rhymes are so dope that they are “out of sight” and thus no one can see them, blind* or otherwise. Like trying to look at God, perhaps.

Level 4:
We’ve come all the way around and are now back where we started: Mr Man’s rhymes can only be heard and not seen.

(*like Mr Man’s rhymes, blind people are also “out of sight”)

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

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.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

By stating that gunplay is of no particular inconvenience to him, Ghost hopes to deter attempts from lesser MCs to best him or portray themselves as something they are not.

“…shots splatter your goose scatter ya feathers”:
A pun connecting hunting fowl to the result of a bullet passing through a down-feather winter coat. “Scatter feathers” is also reminiscent of scattering ashes – another connection to death. Finally, notice that these three lines each end with a different material getting “broken” in a different way: leathers, mirrors and feathers.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

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.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

An ambiguous conclusion to the song. Is she spinning out of control? Or giving it her all to go all the way to the top?

If we read Fergie’s verse as a continuation of the story concerning a couple with domestic troubles, “going all the way this time” could mean that the couple is getting back together to fix their issues.

“Going all the way the way this time” also has sexual connotations, bringing us back to the beginning of the song with Rihanna singing “I want you to see everything”.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

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.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

Mr Cheeks is from South Jamaica, Queens.
If he was living there during the time of the action of this story, the Van Wyck would have been the first segment of his journey to Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan. Here’s a map

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

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.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

The first two verses of this song are structured as letters that Nas has written to his friend “doing a bid” (serving a prison sentence). Nas is delivering news from his world, on the outside, and is asking to hear about what is going on inside where a subsection of his community has been transplanted.

Notice that Nas never overtly says “this is a letter”. Instead he creates a single voice for this song – that of the letter writer – and he never breaks that voice. He leaves it to the listener to pull apart what is happening here.

This song is a demonstration of the remarkable literary creativity and artistic sophistication that Nas had at the age of 20 when Illmatic was released.

The first verse is a letter to Lakey da kid, hence the phrase “what up kid”.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

What is this?

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.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

In its early days, hip hop was performed during street parties or in the parks in New York City. This is also a reference to “The Bridge” by MC Shan

In the reading of this song where the subject is a woman, the phrase “did her in the park” is meant to suggest that she’s had sex with several men in a park, which in turn implies that she might be a current or former prostitute. The way in which this line follows “I respected her” in the previous line creates a stark and surprising moment. This is a classic hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold story.

Given the way in which mainstream Hip-Hop later becomes “about the money”, this comparison to a prostitute is probably no accident.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.