Jay and Beyoncé were rumored to have significant problems conceiving — and when they had conceived their first child before Blue Ivy, unfortunately, the unborn child’s heart wasn’t functioning properly, which led to a miscarriage — which Jay confirms here. But the eventual birth of his daughter erases all the heartbreak of failure.

Common referring to Drake being biracial and raised in a suburban home, while trying to front like he’s full black and from the streets.

He’s also commenting on the duality of Drake’s style and persona: singing and rapping and being hard and soft.

Stage Five Cling-On
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Z4KrmZ1Oc

Common refers to the most (ahem) common criticism of his actions in this beef, which is that he’s lashing out at someone popular just for the attention.

Common’s reply to that notion is that Drake is a hypocrite and a biter who needs to be called out, as he does in the next lines

The Chi-town native has a point here — Drake has often (and with some justice) been accused of borrowing large chunks of his style from Big Sean and Phonte (to whom he went so far as to dedicate an award)

“Yardfather” is a playful corruption of the term Godfather which means the most respected inmate in a prison. Saigon’s the one who runs shit in the prison yard.

Possession of cocaine will easily get someone locked up.

When Saigon says “especially if you cook it up,” he is referring to the disproportionate criminal penalties between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Until 2007 in the US, a five-year minimum sentence for trafficking was required for 500g of powered cocaine, but also for only 5 grams of crack cocaine. The disproportionate penalties for crack cocaine possession was seen by many as institutionalize racism, as crack cocaine is found more often in inner-city black communities.

In 2007, the ratio between crack and powder cocaine for trafficking charges was reduced from 100:1 to 17:1, with minimum sentences eliminated, but the bias still exists today.

Having a gun will get you in to prison with the ease that a famous person gets into a club — no identification required.

Imaginatively expanding on the prison / party metaphor. Catching a body (killing someone) will get someone on death row almost automatically in some areas, especially for a black man. Death Row is here re-imagined as the VIP section of the club.

Scoliosis is curvature of the spine which is characterized by back pain and difficultly maintaining correct posture.

Saigon’s line is a play on the dual meaning of the word “back.” Racist authorities have historically tried to push minorities to the back figuratively (or literally, in the case of Rosa Parks).

Referring to the Iran-Contra affair, in which the United States government under President Ronald Reagan allowed cocaine to enter the country in order to help finance political rebels in Nicaragua.

This dirty little bit of US history is fertile ground for rappers.