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Phife compares himself and Q-Tip to characters from the TV show Fantasy Island.
Tip is Mr. Roarke, the island’s enigmatic overseer who fulfills guest’s fantasies. Phife is Tattoo, his midget sidekick who looks out for planes bringing guests to the island. Again, Phife is referencing his short stature.
Phife uses this technique again in “Clap Your Hands” with TV duos Ralph Malph and Potsie, Laverne and Shirley, Laurel and Hardy, and Ren and Stimpy.
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Pretty Tone Capone was a Harlem street dude and member of the cult rap group MobStyle (along with Azie Faison of Paid In Full fame). He’s also known for thugged out solo cuts like “Can’t Talk Too Long on the Telephone” and “Case Dismissed”.
Note: Azie from MobStyle isn’t the Brooklyn rapper from “Life’s A Bitch”. In fact Azie sued AZ for jacking his name and gangster persona.
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Paul Mitchell aka Large Professor was an important figure in Nas' early career. He gave Nas his big break on “Live at the Barbeque” and produced his first singles “Halftime” and “It Ain’t Hard To Tell”.
I guess his specs are pretty big.
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Barbara Walters is a well-known TV presenter. At the time of this song’s release she hosted 20/20, one of those alarmist current affairs/human interest shows. Chubb Rock was clearly not a fan.
Channel Zero likely refers to Public Enemy’s “She Watch Channel Zero”, a song about the brainwashing effect of trashy TV.
Is the sky-blue Bally kid, in '83 rocked Tale Lords GZA (Ft. Ghostface Killah, Killah Priest & RZA) – 4th Chamber
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Who is the sky-blue Bally kid? That depends on what you think the first line is. Opinion is split between:
A: The only man a ho wait for…
Here Ghostface has the sky blue Ballys and the line becomes classic braggadocio. Ghost has so much mojo that chicks are willing to wait for him while he does a jail bid.
B: The only man I hold weight for…
Here Ghost is recalling his (presumably brief) time in the drug game. The sky blue Bally kid is a connect that Ghost used to deal drugs (hold weight) for, probably back in 1983.
In both scenarios Ghost remembers wearing Tale Lord jeans (also known as Devil jeans). Tale Lord was an early 80s designer brand, popular in New York especially because they were made in Bushwick, Brooklyn. He also mentions them in “In Tha Park”.
Hoes: would you wait for this man? Fellas: would you hold weight for him?
sky blue bally kid, Big Daddy Kane reigned in the 80’s.
Talking 'bout, "Dear Ghost, you the only nigga I know
Like when the cops come, you never hide your toast" Ghostface Killah (Ft. T.M.F.) – One
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Kite is prison slang for a letter. Ghost is reading a letter he got from a girl admonishing (or admiring?) him for not hiding his guns from the police. This suggests that Ghost is in jail on a weapons charge.
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Another bizarre food reference from the Wally don.
Garlic wards off vampires. Vampires are biters (like sharks). In other words, biters are repelled by Ghost’s dense wordplay.
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Batty boy is a derogatory term for gay men used in the Caribbean (Phife has Trinidadian heritage).
Although censored in most versions of the song, the slur is left intact in some remixes. In the video Q-Tip makes a point of miming the words “batty boy” straight to camera.
Even though it may just be lyrics and Phife may not have been a homophobe, it’s not the first time he would express opinions like these.
It is worth noting that ATCQ seems to have changed their opinion on the topic as they defend and unify oppressed minorities (including gay people), on “We the People….”, which was released in 2016.
81
Don’t care crybaby
86
sooooft
106
Here batty boy is covered by the scratching and Damn right I‘m。And I think the “big up” sounds like “Hiccup” as he’s interrupted by Ali。