Before Mike Jack came along Elvis had the music game “sewed up”. But by the time a young Michael Jackson’s career started to peek in his late teens the “King of Rock N' Roll” was dead and fans had moved on to a more hip act and by the time both careers were finished the “King of Pop” had more Grammy WINS then Elvis had Grammy Nominations.

… Not to mention the fact that Michael Jackson bagged Elvis' daughter…

In what was most likely the funniest Oscar acceptance in history, Three 6 Mafia took home an Oscar for the DJ Paul produced (“P on the sticks”), “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN0xK6bgQkQ

The “P on the sticks” line refers to Pharrell, who was a part of an all-star band that played music into and out of commercial breaks during the 2012 Oscars. Link. Below, at the ceremony with legendary percussionist Sheila E:

Perhaps a stretch, but this line may reference Oscar Pistorious a famous runner who is a double amputee.

In J. Cole’s “Sideline Story”, J. Cole says:

Up in 1st class, laugh even though it’s not funny
See a white man wonder how the fuck I got money
While he sit at coach, hate to see me walk past em'
Young black pants sag, headphones blastin'
Know what he askin', “how did he manage?”

Ten’s = 10" Subwoofer Speakers that are installed (typically in the trunk) to produce low frequency bass.

Twenty – 10" speakers in the trunk of any model Mercedes Benz (or any other vehicle for that matter) is an insane number of subwoofers but Lupe is trying to prove a point of complete excessiveness.

Wearing “house shoes” aka “debo shoes” outside of the home was made popular by the 1995 film Friday Starring: Ice Cube, Chris Tuck, Nia Long, and Tommy Lister (Debo).

These shoes are known for high comfort, convenience, and need for replacement after little usage.

Lupe shouts out American philosopher Cornel West, who went to college at Princeton and has taught at both Princeton and Harvard. The two men have become good friends, and Fiasco performed at West’s Princeton retirement party

He also plays on the name “Cornel” since Cornell University is actually an Ivy League college. Furthermore, it was a late-comer to the Ivy-League athletic club (96+ years after any of the other schools) and is still an awkward sibling/“black sheep” among its 7 Ivy-League institutions.

Textbooks are notorious for leaving out pieces of history; especially when it comes to the history of minority groups.

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” – Marcus Garvey (one of many historical figures Lupe likens himself to)

School of Hard Knocks = the streets (the environment)

Every day you spend in an environment you adapt to your surroundings so everyday spent in the streets gives you experience (street smarts) and teaches you how to survive in the streets.

Since the system that is in place doesn’t adequately teach our youth the truth, they are forced to learn how the system really works out in the streets. You don’t have to be a scholar to understand the odds are not in your favor.

Elvis Presley claimed to know of “Hard Knocks” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lek2WuUfqHE

But, Little Orphan Annie might have known a little more than he did about the “Hard Knock Life”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0bOH8ABpco

But something tells me that Lupe is referencing a different “school” than the ones Elvis and Annie attended. Perhaps the same school that Jay-Z attended Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)