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Killer Mike is trying to accomplish things with his life, both for himself and for his soon-to-be five-year-old daughter. Thus, he hopes that God allows him to live long enough to accomplish his goals, before calling him to Heaven.

Alternatively, Mike might be saying that he needs time to atone for his sins – he has “things to do” before he can “meet that glory in the sky” (heaven). This interpretation is bolstered by the lyrics that follow, about Mike doing positive things so that God spares him from the fires of Hell.

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Oakland rap pioneer Too Short made the word “beeeyatch!” (bitch) famous. Here, Killer Mike is putting Too Short in the same pantheon with Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, James Brown, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, etc., thus elevating hip-hop.

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Miles Davis is considered one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, and his 1970 double album Bitches Brew is considered one the best of his handful of masterpieces.

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A Love Supreme is an album by legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. It is generally considered to be one of his finest works.

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“Your Love is King” is a song by the R&B singer Sade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1ljpLQ1V6Y

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Nina Simone was a classically trained pianist, a civil rights activist, and one of the most legendary female jazz singers of all time.

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Shirley Caesar is considered “The First Lady of Gospel.” This is the first gospel artist mentioned by Mike, despite gospel being cited in the hook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyGeM0-IgR8

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Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, is the first woman mentioned in the verse.

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George Clinton was the front-man for Parliament and Funkadelic, pioneering bands in cutting-edge 70’s funk. As a soloist, he released the classic “Atomic Dog” in 1982.

Clinton’s music is some of the most sampled in hip-hop history, especially by west-coast artists during the G-Funk era of the early 90’s. In 1993, he released an album called Sample Some of Disc, Sample Some of D.A.T. which was intended for artists to sample; tracks were broken down by instrument for easier manipulation. One song from this album is the basis of “Blowing Up the Spot” by Gang Starr.

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Rock ‘n roll was also created by African-Americans, and although it was later adopted by whites, Jimi Hendrix is a legend of the genre.

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