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Foursquare is a popular social networking platform for smartphones that allows people to “check in” at different locations.
In this digital age a lot of people download their books to an e-reader (for B&N patrons, it’s the Nook). Annabelle is challenging the listener to go to and check in at an actual Barnes & Noble. You know, the place where they sell shit printed on paper and bound hardcopy?
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Barnes & Noble is a well-known international chain of bookstores
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Animal Farm is the classic 1948 allegorical novel by George Orwell that describes what happens when a group of animals take over their farm from the resident human and try to run things themselves. It critiques the corrupting nature of power and touches of themes of socialism and communism.
Go on Goodreads, so much rated Annabelle Quezada (Ft. La Shea Delaney) – Bitches in Bookshops
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Goodreads is a website that allows people to read and rate books. If you go on Annabelle’s page you’ll see that she’s rated a shit-ton of stuff.
They can't identify me
Checked in with a pseudonym, so I guess you can say I'm Mark Twaining Annabelle Quezada (Ft. La Shea Delaney) – Bitches in Bookshops
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Annabelle is one of those people who’ll still be reading a book well past its due date. Usually librarians will be able to track you down by email or phone to collect their books (and those late fees). But she used a pseudonym to hide her real name just like Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) did and many contemporary authors do (Lemony Snicket, the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events comes to mind).
This is what I see (Okay)
Everybody stops and is staring at me LMFAO – Sexy and I Know It
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Johnnie Cochran was the lawyer who famously got O.J. acquitted for the double murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman.
After this he became the go to defence lawyer for black celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Puffy, Tupac and Snoop.
Rick Ross would later name-drop Cochran in a very different context in Ali Bomaye.
It also suggests that after Johnnie Cochran, who else will be able to keep black people free. “Give us us free” or “Give us free” is a famous quote from the movie Amistad. http://youtu.be/Ee8NvgURCZs
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Wanted to drink Miller nips
And smoke Newports just like you
As he noted back in 2000 on “Where Have You Been,” a young Shawn Carter idolized his father Adnis “AJ” Reeves, and wanted to be just like him. In his replicating efforts, Jay would sneak sips of his father’s beer: “Miller nips” is a reference to the small “pony” sized bottles of Miller High Life, which is promoted by the brewer as “The Champagne of Beer.”
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Kanye has been known to suit up on many occasions and even started the Rosewood movement as a means of bringing some gangsta class to the rap fashion palate.
Fall of Rome is Lupe’s clothing line (depicted on the man himself below). As a fellow suit wearer, it wouldn’t be out of place for Kanye to be decked out in one of Lupe’s designs.
Barney Stinson would be so proud of them!
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“Devil In a New Dress” is the only song on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that features no production from West himself. In spite of this, Kanye can’t help but love the beat.
First line, he clearly says “I love the devil”… Foreshadowing the theme of the song, in relation to the title.
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I agree with @KyngCold, “I love it, though” is like saying “I still love it”. Considering these are the first lines of this track, it makes sense to relate them to the previous songs. That’s why I think he’s saying “Life can be ridiculous sometimes, but I still love it”.
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@BoredBorderlineGenius Happy to clarify Steven. When considering the album in sequence, the line follows logically from the last line of So Appalled, as I explained in my previous comment. Thematically, “So Appalled” touches on themes of disillusionment and ambivalent indulgence in the “rockstar” lifestyle adopted by Kanye and his peers. Whereas “So Appalled” borders on the nihilistic, “Devil in a New Dress"shows Kanye legitimately caught up in his feelings over an old flame. Thus, not only does the line function as a response to the final statement of "So Appalled”, but it sets the stage for a song which is thematically a response to the themes in “So Appalled”. This sets the stage for a sequence of songs centered around Kanye’s relationships with women (“Runaway”, “Hell of a Life”, and “Blame Game”).
One could also argue that the inclusion of the word “though” linguistically implies that this must be a response to something, though I’m certainly not gonna play grammar nazi on a rap song.
If you don’t mind, can you elaborate on why you think this is Kanye complimenting Bink? After all, he doesn’t explicitly mention the beat or Bink’s name. Is there any reason other than the fact that he happens to say this while the beat is playing?
As an aside, Bink isn’t on 99% of Kanye’s songs, and the “tradition” of shouting out producers in hip hop has existed long before the Black Album.
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@KyngCold @PR2107 I’d love to not reject your suggestions, so could you by any means argue why your interpretation is right for this “line”? Is there any clue why this “line” is in reference to “So Appalled”, except for this just being the next song?
Unless there’s a good reason to believe it could be more, I just see it as an intro in which he compliments the producer (who is in 99% of Kanye’s songs Kanye), which is pretty normal in hiphop. In fact, shouting out the producer even seems to be a tradition that was started on an album Kanye played a role in.
Could also be a response to the final line in “So Appalled”. Kanye is saying that, though “Life can be sometimes ridiculous,” he still loves it.