This is a scratch of Smif-n-wessun vocals “Pass it” produced by Premier.

This refers to prisoners often cleaning interstate highways while in chains.

Ray Nathan is a character in the movie, Sugar Hill

Just like rapper 2 Chainz Fab wears black diamonds.

Double entendre here though, as you can see Fab uses the jewelry/jury homophone connection, which is why he says “that should do it justice.”

Paying tribute to the original “Who Shot Ya” lyrics by The Notorious B.I.G.:

Old School New School need to learn though/
I Burn Baby Burn like Disco Inferno

Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Dame Dash was in a relationship with Aaliyah at the time of her death in August 2001. At the time of the recording of this track it was barely five months after her passing, so Hov and Dash were still grieving for their loss like the rest of her fans. Hov hopes that when Dash passes he will be able to see Aaliyah again in Heaven.

Taken from the aforementioned interview after the song, “Me and My Bitch”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rueScMSnRP4&feature=player_detailpage#t=217s

Taken from an interview with Biggie in his album, Ready to Die.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rueScMSnRP4&feature=player_detailpage#t=239s

This freestyle was recorded late-2000/early-2001, when Hov was in the middle of defending himself against assault charges.

Hov’s defense attorney Michael Richman (an infamous attorney used by hip-hop artists, also known in the Bronx as ‘Don’t Worry Murray’) claimed that video footage shot at the time of the event exonerates the rapper. But after being given the tape by Richman, Manhattan’s District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau and the case’s presiding Supreme Court judge decided to still press on with the case. According to Richman, and Hov himself in this freestyle, this just shows how set the D.A. was on convicting Jay-Z.

A year later, after Hov’s case was settled in December 2001, many in the industry would say they believed that the District Attorney’s office pursued cases against Jay-Z so ruthlessly because they had embarrassingly lost the case against Puff Daddy in March 2001; with Puff being acquitted on all five charges of possessing guns and bribery in relation to a nightclub shooting.