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.
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- Will Smith – “Gettin’ Jiggy With It”
- The Notorious B.I.G. – Gimme the Loot
So shake that nigga and pass me the pill
And I’ll slam dunk ya like Shaquille O'Neal
- Ice Cube – “Wicked”
I’m a paper chasin' dog, check my toenails
And I never miss a game, no Shaq O'Neal
- Lil Wayne – “Get High Rule the World”
- Nas – “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”
The speaker at this point becomes Nas himself. He begins by belittling Jay’s “Empire State of Mind” with a pun on the word ‘umpire.’
Yeah, Hov might have had a big pop hit (‘crossover’ from the previous line), but Nas calls him out for going mainstream, dumbing down, and spouting lies.
Nas' famous diss track of Jay-Z was called “Ether.” Hence, if Nas made his way into the Poetry Genius forum, he might etheree all of us!
Also, this line is framed as a quote of advice from Jay-Z himself, who likes to use ‘dead poets’ imagery, only in this case we have all been slain by Nas.
This etheree came about because of a thread on Poetry Genius where we were challenged to compose our own.
Therefore, since I was posting in an online forum, I begin my contribution with the common internet slang inb4 to indicate that I am posting before Nas comes in and destroys us all.
[Text you want hyperlinked](web address) Mr. Varnell (Ft. Mr. Varnell) – Upping Your Annotation Game!
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.
In other words:
bracket [ ] the words to be hyperlinked
put in parenthesis ( ) the actual link
your bracket and your parenthesis must not have any space between them:
Becomes:
I’m a large, white rapper – with the skills to kill you on the mic.
Also a reference to the Great White Shark, who “breaches” (jumps from the water) on occasion when hunting seals.
Born in 1980, I just do fall into those labeled Generation X, though a better determining factor might be: were you a teenager when Nirvana broke? I certainly was.
This poem utilizes a stream-of-consciousness style, not unlike some of Kurt Cobain’s lyrics, in which I do a rundown of various images from my formative teenage years in the 90’s.
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